Want to build an income-replacing business that’s also fun and energizing for you?
Learn and master your 3 “P”s, so that you can do exactly THAT.
The combination of these 3 Ps is POWERFUL and absolutely critical to creating a business that isn’t just a flash in the pan or one that burns you out like your 9–5 did (or does), but one that continues to be something you’re excited to show up for day after day, even after the honeymoon is over.
Ready to learn the 3 Ps to an income-replacing business?
1. PERSONALITY
Lots of times when we’re starting out or struggling in business, we compare ourselves to others, telling ourselves (and maybe others) things like:
- “If I was more extroverted, this would be so much easier for me.”
- “I wish I was more organized (or more spontaneous).”
- “If I could just do or have what XYZ person has, then it would be so much easier for me to succeed.”
Not only are none of those thoughts helpful, but they’re very likely not even true!
Why?
Because you have your own superpowers, built right into your own personality!
Do you know what they are?
My favorite tool for discovering them is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI), which I’m certified in and have used for over a decade both personally and with my clients, to bring clarity, help understand why we do what we do (and it’s not because we’re crazy!), and make aligned choices that are going to create a sustainable, profitable, exciting business.
You can take a free version of this assessment over at 16personalities.com.
Knowing your personality informs the way(s) it makes the most sense to build your business, both in choosing strategies and also in knowing what’s going to give you energy so that you keep showing up for it, rather than choosing a strategy because someone said it was the right/new/hot one.
Here are 2 other tools I like:
The Enneagram, which helps you determine your primary strengths and weaknesses.
The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) assessment, which helps you determine whether your nervous system is more reactive and responsive than the average person, and if so, how to manage it.
Wanna know even more about how to use personality and understand yourself and others better? Read my friend’s Anne Bogel’s book Reading People for a great primer on each of the most popular personality assessments (and get an idea what you are in each assessment).
I’m an on the Myers-Briggs, I’m an INFJ, I’m an Enneagram 3, and I am a HSP.
Do you already know your MBTI type, Enneagram number or whether you’re an HSP? Let me know in the comments below!
2. PREFERENCES
Preferences are choices you get to make about what you WANT your business and life to look like, based on the way you like to work and feel.
Some tangible examples:
- Do you want to work from home, coffee shops, or a co-working space?
- How many clients would you like to be working with at one time?
- What’s your preferred way to get visible & market your offerings?
- What do you want your schedule to look like?
- When is the best time of day for you to get specific types of work done (like creating or project work vs. client work)?
None of these have answers that are right or wrong, but having clarity on what YOU prefer makes building a business so much easier — AND it sets you up for creating something you’re actually going to enjoy continuing to work for the long-term.
Something I see a LOT with clients is that when they’re transitioning out of a 9–5, they have a hard time giving themselves true permission to design a business in accordance with their preferences.
Often this stems from a common underlying belief that it has to be hard or look a certain way (which is totally normal because that’s what we’ve been taught as employees — to fit in a box, that work has to be hard, that being successful requires working 80+ hours per week!).
The more you ask yourself what YOU prefer and develop the belief that if you:
- Want to work in your pajamas every day
- Bring in clients just by writing (instead of needing to be on video, or Twitter, or going to in-person networking events)
- Dream of leveraging your efforts to work part-time…
…then you CAN, the more likely you are to move toward and create exactly that.
Start with the easy things you may already know — like where and how much you want to work —then begin working through the stuff that you either don’t know or you haven’t given much thought to, in order to gain clarity on your true preferences.
3. PASSIONS
If we’re not keyed into our passions, WHAT we love doing, and WHY we love doing it, then what is even the point of doing the work of starting a business?
If we’re not setting ourselves up to do more enjoyable work that matters, using the passions we’ve been given, then honestly, we might as well just phone it in at a job, know what I’m saying?
So, please, prioritize identifying your passions.
Here are some examples of my passions, to get you started:
- I love writing. Always have, whether writing for projects, writing to make sense of my world, or consuming writing (aka reading 😉 to learn.
- I’m passionate about connecting with, encouraging and inspiring people to live their dreams, especially (as an introvert!)1:1 and small groups
- I geek out on making a clear plan and checking stuff off a to-do list (Nerd alert: I’ve used a planner since middle school back when they were called DayTimers and mine looked like it was made for a 40-year-old lawyer because that’s all they made at the time)
I’ve built my business, (the aptly named Life With Passion), around these very passions of mine, by:
- Using writing as a visibility strategy
- Creating packages that allow me to work with individuals at a high level
- Designing simple strategies and implementable, easy-to-take action steps to help my community and clients reach their income-replacing goals
Conclusion
How about you? How well do you understand your own three Ps so that you can build a business that’s right for YOU?
Share your personality, preferences or passions in the comments below, and how plan or hope to use them in building your income-replacing business!
