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“Thank you.”  It’s not that hard is that to say.  But it seems as if folks have forgotten some basic common courtesies.  I’ve noticed in my personal life and my business coaching that people just don’t routinely say thank you anymore the way they used to.  And only a few go out of their way to express genuine gratitude for those serve them and do nice things for them.

Why is that?  After all, it’s pretty easy to type a two-word email or text message.  And yet, while plenty of people still say please and thank you like they learned in kindergarten, too many folks just don’t.

And even fewer write a personal note … you know, an actual handwritten note … to say, thank you … I’m thinking about you and appreciating who you are in my life.

I blame the advent of electronics for that.  Pen and paper, envelopes, stamps … that’s all way too involved.

Now, this relates to business owners in a very specific way. 

Woody Allen famously said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” I think he’s right.  At least that’s what my experience as a business coach tells me.

The quote pretty much speaks for itself.  But let’s get a little more granular.

What does it mean exactly to “show up” in the context of running a business?

Off the top of my head, I’ve come up with five distinct, yet related, ways in which you show up as a business owner.

As a business coach, I work with both start-ups and established enterprises.  Their needs are different, and, this month, I have a bit of specific advice for each.

Imagine this.  The growth / success of your business is represented by a line on a graph going from lower left to upper right.  Are you picturing a straight line?  If so, I get it.  That would be natural.  But, as a business coach and a business owner myself, I’m here to tell ya, there’s no such thing as a straight line when it comes to growing your business or the pace at which business comes in.

Regardless of whether you’re doing quite well or kinda struggling to get things rolling, progress usually looks more irregular, with peaks and valleys … like a sine wave … only maybe less smooth.

It’s a pattern you see over and over in nature, as well as in human affairs.

The bottom line is this.  There are ups and downs.

You might be saying, well duh, tell me something I don’t know.

And yet, I’ve worked with a lot of folks who are thrown off their game by the dips, as if they weren’t ever gonna occur.  They seem taken aback by the disappointments and the outright smackdowns that are bound to come their way from time to time.

It’s usually not enough to just be good at what you do.  This is a belief I’ve held and passed along to clients and audience members since my earliest days as a business coach.

You have to do the work necessary to connect in a meaningful and personal way with the people who need you and want what you have to offer if you want to start and maintain a successful business.

Otherwise, you’re like the thousands of brilliant writers out there who never get read.  You’re like the sweetest, most perfect gift that doesn’t get opened.

It’s a belief I recently had reinforced by listening to an energy expert, of all people, talking in passing about what has made the subscription services his team offers so incredibly successful … so unbelievably fast.

My specialty as a business coach is working with small businesses, typically solopreneurs, to set them up for success, so they build their visibility … their client base … and their income.  

We’ve all seen the statistics on how many small businesses fail.  It’s alarming!  The odds seem to be stacked against you.  And unfortunately, I think the solopreneur or micro-business faces even greater challenges.

So, why is that?  And if that’s you … what can you do about it?

I mentioned in our latest business newsletter that I’ve been doing more executive coaching in the last couple of years.

Here are the things that have struck me when it comes to interacting with these folks.  I believe my takeaways will provide insight for the folks I write this letter for … small business owners … solopreneurs … service professionals.

You love what you do, and people value and appreciate the service you provide. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a business coach like me or a landscape architect or a Chinese medicine practitioner, you’ve found a square hole for the square peg that is your talents and skills.

Hallelujah.

Consider yourself lucky.  Far too few people find themselves in this extremely enviable position of having found their “calling.”

So, why would you ever want to change things up?  Why would you want to expand your reach and take on new challenges?

I had an experience recently that made me appreciate something more deeply than ever before.  And, as a business coach who helps people bring in new business, I wanted to share the story with you.  I think it teaches an important lesson. 

But first …

True or false:

Being successful at selling your services is all about becoming skillful at persuasion.  You have to promote the benefits of working with you to prospective clients and get them to want what you’re offering.

Last week, I had an open day with no coaching clients, which allowed me to schedule a couple of medical appointments.  I wasn’t looking forward to the first one at all … my annual visit to the gynecologist.  Now, I know you women know what I’m talkin’ about!  And you boys, you have your own version.  Nothing fun about these check-ups.

In fact, I was surprised to be feeling a fair amount of trepidation when nothing was physically amiss.