I want to share with you what I believe is the biggest secret to having a successful business.

In fact, it’s the biggest secret to marketing, booking your ideal clients, having the brand you’ve always wanted, mastering all social media platforms, having a popular and profitable blog, having a successful email “newsletter”, getting your photographs published….in fact if you can think of ANYTHING right now on your business “I just wish” list, I can pretty much assure you that it falls under this one big secret that I am about to share with you.

And the secret is….that it’s actually not a secret at all.

It’s work.

The creative industry of today is absolutely amazing to me. If you are just starting your business- MAN- you have it made. There is free, legit education everywhere you look. Webinars. Facebook Groups. Blog posts. 7 day Challenges. VIP email lists. Podcasts. Youtube channels…the list goes on. Like never before, leaders everywhere are transparently sharing their knowledge with you.

There is an invitation everywhere I look to come behind the scenes, to be educated about what has worked well for their business, and the opportunity to learn from their mistakes so you can do it better.

And all it is….is committing to the work.

There’s no magic formula for booking that ideal client. It won’t come with a website launch or pretty packaging or making your about page sound just like hers. The pieces are important, but it’s not about the pieces! You show up for your business, you put your head down, you turn off distractions, and you do the work.

There is this unrealistic mindset that says “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I understand the great value of doing a job that you love- of building a business that allows you the opportunity to not be stuck in the typical 9-5- and what a freedom and joy that can be. But building a business of any kind takes an unmatched level of commitment, devotion, and really, really hard work.

Here’s the thing.

She didn’t build that blog that contributes significant profits to her business overnight. Those loyal, read every single post followers didn’t come out of thin air, or because the blog designer she hired is better than yours. She created quality content, consistently, for years and keeps at it. She paid attention to what her audience wanted to engage in and committed to making it happen. She does the amount of work that most of us have decided not to do- and that’s why her blog stands out.

She didn’t build that Instagram account with thousands and thousands of followers that connects her business with dream clients, increased sales, and leadership opportunities by simply hopping on every “Follow Friday” thread she can find- waiting for the all followers to come running. No. She did the work to discover what she could uniquely share about herself and her brand- and then she does the work. She plans intentional photoshoots, and creates organized posting schedules to share quality, purpose filled content consistently. She does the amount of work that most of us have decided not to do- and that’s why her Instagram strategy stands out.

She didn’t start booking those dream destination weddings or those experience valuing portrait clients by spending her days watching free webinar after free webinar- taking challenge after challenge- and never taking action. She didn’t do it by whining in Facebook groups about her clients. No. She did the work that it took to build her brand that attracted those clients. She dedicated the time to get better at her craft. To learn the ins and outs of what it takes to plan a destination wedding so that she could be the expert and the go to. She invested in the experience details that her ideal clients valued. She did the work of creating the systems that kept those clients once they found her. She does the amount of work that most of us have decided not to do- and that’s why her brand and her bookings stand out.

She didn’t build that email list with thousands of subscribers by having a stack of unread guides and courses and downloads sitting on a hard drive while she complained about the struggle to build a profitable email list. No. She learned the systems. She figured out how to make a free download. She took one step at a time, learning how to use the tools that were out there, and made a plan for how she would get her audience to sign up. And then does the work. She brainstorms the content. She schedules time to create it, and email it to the ones it matters to. She does the amount of work that most of us have decided not to do- and that’s why her email newsletters stand out.

That workshop, that course, that guide, that podcast, that video series, that tips & tricks email list, that private VIP facebook group- they don’t have the secret. YOU DO. And without it, your business and your brand are not going to grow. Your bookings will not change, and your profits will not increase. Not without the work.

Is it worth it to you? Is what they have, worth it to you? Do you see the value of that blog following, that Instagram audience, that email list, that booking that is going to the change the game for you- do you see the value of it- and is the work that it takes, worth it to you, to have it?

Because if we are being honest, that’s the only real secret there is.

(Psst…Would you like to have this kind of Rooting For You encouraging emails in your inbox? Be sure to join the email community by signing up below!)