“If you want to make more, you have to do more.” 

I see way too many established entrepreneurs buying into this broken business concept. So many business owners are already doing too much. When you’re already spread too thin, doing more is not the answer. 

The truth is that expanding your services or product offerings often requires an increased expenditure before you start to see a return on your investment. While creating and launching your next new thing into the world is exhilarating, it’s also exhausting, and it’s a lot more fun when there’s a flash of inspiration driving you forward.

If the goal is to grow your top and bottom line, maybe it’s time to consider that you don’t need to do more. What you need to do is focus on what you do best and who your best clients are.

Who Do You Serve? 

Instead of reinventing the wheel and hoping it will bring in the big bucks, sit down and dial in on your best clients. Getting clear on who they are, what they need, and the results you create for them doesn’t have to be arduous or complicated, though it often feels that way. 

So I’m going to walk you through the simple exercise I use with my Catapult coaching clients to help identify opportunities to increase revenue and profitability and grow your business.

An Exercise in Clarity

To get started, grab a piece of paper, turn it sideways, and create five columns running horizontally across the page. 

⇒ In the first column, list your best clients. 

These are the ones you love working with who love working with you and are more than happy to pay for the privilege—the clients who were delighted by the results you delivered. The folks who keep coming back, sending you referrals, and raving about the work you do. These are your people.

Once you have at least a handful of examples down, use the remaining columns to answer these questions:

⇒ What did your client need that led to you working together?

What problem were they trying to solve? What was their perspective on the issue? 

Remember, this isn’t about what you do. It’s about the challenges your clients face that lead them to your doorstep.

⇒ What other opportunities did you identify to offer additional support and enhance their success?

Did you identify issues that they weren’t able to see? Did you illuminate possibilities they hadn’t considered?  

As human beings, when we are caught up in a problem, we often get tunnel vision. How do you help expand your client’s perspective?

⇒ What solutions did you offer? What services or products did you deliver?

How did you create results for your client? What do they look like? 

Get granular about the details–the methods you used, the steps you took, and the assets or outcomes you delivered. 

⇒ What ROI did your client see after working with you?

What problems did you solve? What metrics are they using to measure success? 

Again, this question isn’t about you. It’s about your clients and how your work impacts their lives. What outcomes of your work together are they celebrating?

Perspective Pays Off

When you’re done answering the questions above, voilà! You have a strategic snapshot of your best clients, their needs, opportunities, past projects, and metrics of success.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, you’ve created clarity around where you’re making the most significant impact and seeing the highest returns. 

Armed with this information, you need to ask yourself:

Are your offerings strategically aligned with your client’s needs? 

Does your positioning reflect the work you do and the value you deliver?

Now that you have the data you need to reframe your perspective, what else needs to shift in your business so that you can focus on delivering your best work for your best clients?

This illuminating exercise is the first step towards creating sustainable growth that delivers a significant ROI for you and your clients. Because you don’t need to do more to make more, what you need to do is dial in on what you do best.