We’re all familiar with the phrase “there’s nothing new under the sun.” So familiar, in fact, that far too often we let it drive our business decisions — especially when it comes to creating new offers and products. 

I’ve been in this industry long enough to know that this kind of thinking is a cop out. A way to play small. An excuse to not even try. 

While yes, technically there is “nothing new under sun” in terms of products and services, there is only one you. Unless 2020 is really going through us a new one and reveal that we’re actually living in a Star Trek movie.

And because there is only one you in the world: 

• the way you perceive the world 
• the way that you perceive your expertise, 
• the way you learned it, 
• the way you teach it, 
• the way you share it, 
• the way you educate it

…is going to be completely different than someone else — even if they have a similar knowledge base and business. 

But what do you do when you feel like your product is already out there? How do you handle the vast array of competition in the ever-growing, ever-changing internet marketplace? 

You focus on your audience. 

The whole reason we build an audience is to bring people who think similarly to us, want to hear what we have to say, want to be part of our world so we can expand theirs. So it doesn’t matter if 10, 1,000 or 1 million people are promoting the same kind of product as you — if you’re speaking to your audience, they’ll only want yours. 

People make purchases based on need and emotion. They’ll only sign up when they resonate with a message. Nobody else can recreate your essence, your vibe, the thing that makes you YOU and that helps you spread your word of truth. 

So if you’re worried about creating something that you’ve already seen 10 of on the marketplace, focus instead on creating it in a way that will resonate with your people. Because in the game of business, that’s really all that matters. 

And if you need help narrowing down who your audience is and what they want to see from you, I can help! Click here to set up a discovery call so we can start uncovering your message through target market research today!

Have you ever had a BRILLIANT idea for your business — but stopped yourself from following through because it didn’t fit into your “niche?” 

Been there. Done that. 

So many business owners misinterpret what it means to have a niche. They take it as they can only focus on ONE subject in their blog or offer only ONE service to their clients. 

But niching down isn’t about your business. It’s about the person you serve. 

As the business owner, it’s your responsibility to know who it is you want to work with like they’re your best friend. You need to know where they hang out (online and IRL), what kind of messaging they respond to and what kind of services and offerings they like. 

It’s not so much about limiting what you can do as it is tailoring what you do to fit your ideal client. 

Rather than niching down your business like this:

Health & Wellness > Nutrition > Weight Loss > Keto > Keto-Friendly Ice Cream Recipes 

You would niche it down like this: 

Health & Wellness > Nutrition > People Who Want To Lose Weight 

Health & Wellness > Nutrition > People Who Want Yummy Keto Recipes 

Health & Wellness > Nutrition > People Who Are Struggling With Keto 

Niching down is about identifying who it is you serve and what their specific struggles, wants, needs and desires are. And yes, you can serve multiple niche markets within a single business. 

I do it for my own, and so do many of my clients. For example, as a business strategist, I work with a wide variety of businesses and solopreneurs, but they all have the same struggles, wants, needs and desires. 

At the core, the soul of the person is the same. 

So — how do you begin to weed through the masses and find out who those people are? Simple. You throw away the outdated method of creating an “avatar” and you simply go out and talk to people through targeted market research. 

You can do this by: 

• Reaching out to past clients and asking why they hired you. 
• Responding to Facebook Groups you think your clients might be networking in. 
• Posting a call out on Instagram for people looking to hire someone like you. 

Need more target market research ideas for your business? Click here to set up a call with me: www.breannagunn.com/book

Launches are a stressful, yet necessary part of many online businesses. 

Whether you’re reviving an old program or coming out with a new product, launching an offering to your audience takes time, patience and the ability to make a lot of quick decisions. 

Even the most seasoned business owners can make mistakes. And in my 10 years of working within the digital marketplace, there are three mishaps I see more often than others.

#1 Assuming that you don’t have to do any kind of prep. 

During a launch, we tend to focus on the money we need to make and the amount of people we need to get in front of. We’ve got these specific, numerical milestones in our brains we’ve heard from other courses, colleagues, and coaches that are arbitrary at best. 

And yet, we get so hyper-focused on those numbers that we ignore the action steps that are actually going to get people to buy. We forget to do Facebook Lives, talk about the launch in our weekly emails, and invite people to join us. 

Focusing too much on the numbers doesn’t serve you well. Remember to make time for the steps that will help your launch be a true success.

#2 Focusing too much on the sales page and sales language. 

When we get caught up in all the persuasive and hard-hitting sales copy, we tend to forget that after the launch we have a real product to deliver. Time and time again I’ve seen entrepreneurs selling products that don’t have a delivery email or include outdated information and broken links. 

So make time to go over your product and make sure it’s 100% ready BEFORE you launch it. You’ll thank me later.

#3 Attempting to short-circuit your own timeline. 

Now, that’s not to say that you can’t launch sooner than expected. If your ducks are all in a row and they’re walking nicely (and not turning into crazy squirrels), go to town! Launch immediately.

But — if there are still things you still need to test, beta people to find or coding to be done, hold off. Don’t launch before you’re ready just because you have some arbitrary number or date in your head. 

Jumping ahead is not a great idea. You’ll end up with a lot of frustration, exhaustion and long hours. 

And personally, I just think that’s no way to do business.

My son, Henry, has a habit that most work-from-home parents feel obligated to nip in the bud. He loves to crash my Zoom calls. 

Every single one. 

He’ll enter my office under the guise of “missing me” and give me a hug. I admit I’m a total sucker for his puppy dog eyes, warm Olaf-style cuddles, and faint whispers of “I love you, mom” — even after round 1,652.

As I was coming upstairs to feed the kids today, I (after nearly 2.5 months of this) realized that my almost-6-year-old also does this same thing to his dad.

Henry wants attention and validation. He’s testing boundaries. He’s learning about how we work. He’s looking for consistency.

And — he’s validating his hypothesis that Mom won’t lose her mind when he interrupts during a live video.

My son is merely trying to find out more about who Mom and Dad are outside of being Mom and Dad.

Much like my son’s sweet disruptions, our customers also want to know about you. Who you are outside of the role they see you play on Facebook Live or Instagram, how you became an expert, why you are so stinking passionate about mediation, exercise, speaking, or teaching.

Transparency has recently become one of the top factors for customers to consider when making a purchase. A study by Label Insight found that 94% of consumers were more likely to be loyal to a brand that offers transparency. Nearly 73% said they were willing to pay more for a product from a brand that offers complete transparency.

People want to know the person behind the product. More than ever, people seek out brands and companies that share their same values and ideals. They want their sock company to donate to a charity and their car manufacturer to take a stand against injustices. 

So as you meet your future customers, let them get to know you by doing the following:

• Stay true to you. Don’t hop on trends for the sake of it — and don’t be afraid to voice an opinion, even if it’s unpopular. 
• Keep it consistent when you show up (as much as you can manage), especially with your messaging. Here’s a secret: crappy marketing done consistently beats expensive marketing done sporadically.
• Engage. Get to know the people who purchase your products. Talk and interact with them regularly. Focus on building a community instead of making sales (and the sales will come in ten folds, trust me).

And here’s the truth: friends buy from friends.

So show up, talk to your followers, subscribers, and friends. Engage them. Give them assignments. Ask for feedback.

Want to know your people even better? I’m running a free 5-Day Market Research Challenge next month. If you’d like to join in, click here for my mini course Market Research Mastery System.

As all business owners know, launching a new product, course or service can be majorly time consuming. 

If we’re not careful (i.e. we don’t plan ahead or properly schedule our time), we can waste days, weeks, even months getting overwhelmed with all of the little decisions we need to make. 

Listen up friend: squirrels are super cute — but you shouldn’t chase them.

A launch is an integral part of any growing business, so it’s critical to set up systems and processes to make it all go off without a hitch. And you don’t need a team of 50 or tons of money to blow on contractors and tools to make that happen. 

Here are my top three productivity tips that will make your next big launch totally stress-free.

1. Pick your “core” and build out your launch around it.

I know you’re full of ideas. But as much as you want to offer and include every little tip and trick that pops into your brain, don’t. 

Focus on the core problem you’re solving. The main issue you’re fixing for your audience. 

You don’t need to give them an overwhelming amount of information by diving off into tangents and rants about everything related to your core message. 

Pick one thing, and stick to it. Your future self with thank you.

2. Resist the urge to update, revise, review, re-film, or otherwise completely overhaul your course or offer.

You know the feeling when you spend HOURS perfecting your offer — and then see someone in your industry offering something else. Something that seems better?

Instead of diving deep into panic mode and completely overhauling your offer with every new idea or method you see, challenge yourself to stay the course. Remember: this isn’t the only launch you’ll ever do. Get the one out there, and use any ideas you have for your next one. 

3. Work on ONE piece of the process at a time — multitasking isn’t a thing when it comes to launching your program successfully.

Jumping around from task to task will practically guarantee that your launch will take longer than expected. Build your strategy, lay it out step-by-step and don’t move on until somethings done. 

And if you need to have multiple parts moving at once, consider hiring a virtual assistant or a contractor to help take some things off your plate. That will make your launch go even smoother. 

No matter how much you think you have to do to launch your next course, service or product, having a set-in-stone plan will always make it easier. And bonus tip: don’t skip your market research, crowdsourcing, or live videos. They matter, friends.

If you need help with your next launch, click here to schedule a Discovery Call with me.