Have you ever wondered what might happen if you embrace your strengths and create a business that feels just right for you?
I know, it’s a foreign idea. Especially for those of us who are more introverted, highly sensitive, or neurodivergent and, throughout our lives, have often been told we will find it difficult to succeed as we are.
But – humour me for a second – imagine if that wasn’t true?
And not in the cliched “your introversion/sensitivity/neurodivergence is a superpower” way, that many of us know comes with challenges and often feels anything but magical.
In a way that if we were to truly understand and acknowledge our greatest strengths, they could be the key to unlocking the business and success we have always dreamt of.
When we stop following somebody else’s steps to success and truly understand for ourselves what will play to our strengths. Imagine what could be possible.
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Understanding Your Unique Strengths
What makes you, *you*?
In a world that often values exponential growth and hustle, it’s essential to recognise and embrace your unique strengths.
We often downplay our strengths, or fail to notice them at all, assuming that things we find easy or natural are the same for everybody. But this is just not true at all.
For instance, as someone who has often struggled to fit the mould of a “successful coach”, I’ve found that my ability to adapt and evolve quickly and my bottomless well of ideas are huge strengths to support my clients when they have no idea what they should do next.
I used to berate myself from falling down rabbit holes to learn and understand new strategies or always have a bunch of ideas on the go at one time.
But I have realised that this is something my clients and members appreciate so much because I can always call on a new idea or direction that they might wish to explore, based on their unique needs and strengths.
The Power of Self-Reflection
Taking time to reflect is crucial for understanding your strengths. We can be so prone to focus only on our weaknesses, though, that this is a skill we need to take time to cultivate.
Simple reflection exercises can help uncover your core strengths.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Think about a time when you felt particularly proud of an accomplishment. What skills, traits, or abilities did you use to achieve that success? How did it make you feel?
- Reflect on activities or tasks that you genuinely enjoy doing. What specific aspects of these activities make you happy or energised? What strengths do you believe you utilise in these moments?
- Recall a challenging situation you successfully navigated. What strategies did you use to overcome the challenge? What personal strengths helped you to persevere and achieve a positive outcome?
Every month in Emerge + Expand, we take time to reflect on the previous month before planning and preparing for what comes next. It’s such a valuable exercise to prioritise in your business.
Identify Your Strengths Through Feedback
Feedback from trusted colleagues or clients can be incredibly revealing. Have you ever noticed what people frequently praise you for?
These affirmations and testimonials are clues to your strengths that you might be completely overlooking.
Asking for feedback directly might be something that feels uncomfortable but it will be invaluable if you can get into a habit of collecting feedback and paying attention to what comes up over and over again.
Consider:
- Creating a feedback questionnaire to send to clients after working together where you invite them to reflect on their journey and share their feedback.
- Asking 5-10 close friends or people who know you well to share with you their favourite traits about you or even the words they would use to describe you.
- Regularly inviting your community to share their thoughts and input at the end of an email, post, or paid product to get into a habit of micro asking for feedback and expanding your comfort zone.
Interested in more ways get feedback and organise your testimonials and social proof. Check out my Get Known For Your Thing workshop with the bonus Social Proof Notion Dashboard for just $2.99
Leveraging Strengths in Business Strategy
Once you’ve identified your strengths, it’s time to weave them into your business strategy. Tailoring your approach to align with your strengths can make your business not only more effective but also more enjoyable.
For example, my ideation strengths (one of my top skills from the Clifton Strengths Finder) and my neurodivergent brain work so well with a membership business model. I would get so bored with one main offer that I relaunch over and over again. The membership model allows me to introduce new resources and trainings as I get new ideas, identify new gaps or changes for my members, and stay excited and energised every month.
But I know that’s not for everyone! That’s why the value comes from knowing your strengths and how you work best. Here are some ways to integrate your strengths into your business:
Content Creation:
Choose platforms and formats to create and share content that are aligned with the way you best prefer communicating and consuming content.
If you are good at writing, you might prefer blogging or starting a Substack to showcase your expertise.
Think about how you naturally love to create and it will be so much more enjoyable and sustainable than telling yourself you “have” to do video because everyone is telling you that written content is over.
Related Post: The Ultimate Guide To Creating Content That Cuts Through The Noise
Your Offers
Tailor your offerings to highlight your unique abilities, whether it’s through one-on-one sessions, group programs, or personalised digital products. Worry less about what “everyone else” is doing, and focus on what you can deliver the best.
For example:
Recently we had a conversation in my community about adding Voxer (voice messaging) support to a 1:1 coaching offer. It has become a very popular addition in the coaching community and some of the members were feeling the pressure to add it as well, even though they found it draining and didn’t enjoy doing it.
But as soon as I told them I personally dislike voice messaging and so I have never added it to my coaching, they suddenly felt that they could take it off as a feature of their offers.
It’s your business. Make sure you are only offering services you love showing up for.
Business Model and Strategy:
Embrace your strengths and then find the business model and strategies that support you.
We often try to squash ourselves into a model or strategy and this approach is the complete opposite to what we might be used to (but it works SO much better, trust me).
Similar to creating offers that play to your strengths, the systems and strategies that you implement in every facet of your business (marketing, admin, launching, etc) should also align with your strengths.
I know that I need to create some urgency for myself by publicly announcing ideas to give myself a deadline. This would panic some people, but I love it. So I tend to live launch and beta launch a lot, otherwise I would spend too long in creation mode and never actually launch anything.
Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Growth
Every journey has its challenges, especially for introverted, sensitive, and neurodivergent individuals. But we can use these to connect better with our community, who may resonate with our challenges. And we can make accommodations for our needs that have maybe never been allowed in our previous work or social lives.
One thing I have personally struggled with a lot, my whole life and even well into my business, is feeling lazy or like I am not moving fast enough because I have inconsistent energy and need a lot of down time.
When I started to understand that my clients and community also struggled with this in their businesses, it helped me to share my personal journey and be more real and honest. The more I document and share what I’m learning and how I’m working with my challenges, the more it resonates and the more it actually helps people than if I am trying to be an expert or teacher.
Creating a Supportive Environment
Building a business environment that supports your strengths and well-being is essential. Not only in your physical environment, but in how you are supported and who you surround yourself with.
If you have spent a lifetime with those around you saying you are too quiet or lazy, or you need to just toughen up or focus more… these beliefs can cause challenges in your energy and flow when you try to work on your business.
Start to observe your inner and outer environment and evaluate. For example:
- Is your work set up supporting you to be your best? If you are sensitive to light or noise, have you created a space where you feel relaxed and comfortable?
- When negative thoughts creep in, ask yourself, are they your real beliefs or is that somebody else’s voice in your head from years of being told certain things about yourself?
- Who is in your support network that constantly uplifts you and supports you as your truest self without the pressure to change or do things their way?
The more you start to focus on where your strengths are and what really supports you, the more you will see those aspects of yourself flourish and, with that, your energy and ability to show up as your best.
Celebrating Small Wins
Acknowledging progress along the way is vital.
Celebrate small wins, no matter how minor they seem because it’s so easy to just focus on what’s ahead of us. These moments of recognition fuel your motivation and remind you of how far you’ve come.
Every week in my Cozy Business Common Room, we celebrate wins (big and small) to cultivate a practice of gratitude and celebration for ourselves and each other.
There will always be a new goal or target to work towards. Another idea or project ahead of us. Or something that we could improve or change for next time. Those are easy. But taking a moment each week to pinpoint and celebrate a win is such a beautiful way to feel the sense of achievement and build momentum to what comes next.
Ready to Embrace Your Strengths And Create A Business That Supports You?
Creating a business that feels right for you is about embracing your unique strengths and weaving them into the inner workings of everything you do.
The more energy that we put into what comes naturally to us (instead of focusing on what we aren’t good at or could do better), the more our confidence grows and we’re able to share our work with ease.
Just like everything, it takes time to unravel old beliefs and start focusing on our strengths. But I can assure you that it will help you to cut through the noise and connect with your dream clients when you can pinpoint what makes your work and approach different to everything else out there.
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