Do you have the kind of focus that gives you the direction you need to reach your goals?
Back in April, I heard a presentation by Alan Doan of the Missouri Star Quilt Company who developed 15 quilt shops (a 9-figure business) in a town with the population of approx. 1800. He presented with such enthusiasm and fun, and I knew immediately I wanted to apply his strategies to my own business.
As an author, you may not aspire to build a business that you’ll one day sell to someone else or pass on to your children. That’s not the goal I have for my business either. But I imagine that, like me, you want your books (and services) to bring in a livable income. If not, that’s okay too. You can skip reading this post. 🙂👍
Alan set up 3 areas of focus for his business: commerce, content, and community. He geared his content into 3 areas: education, inspiration, and entertainment.
I took notes as he spoke and later sat down and developed this for my business.
What 3 areas did I want to focus on for TheMotivationalEditor.com? For my reader website, DebraLButterfield.com? In other words, what is my purpose for each site? How do I want to focus my content for each of these websites?
Doing this brought me clarity and direction. I’m not casting about for ideas to blog about or spending time on tasks that take me in away from my goals rather than toward them. And having that focus for each site provides the direction I need to establish my business’s objectives and key results (also know as OKRs, which I’ll discuss in my next blog post).
Personal Application for Focus
Do you feel little lost in how to apply this to your book writing? Here are some questions that may help.
- Why do I write books? Your answer might be as simple as “it’s always been my desire to write,” or “God called me to write,” or “I want to help others have a better life.”
- What do I want to provide my readers/clients? (entertainment, education, inspiration, spiritual insight?)
- What is the purpose for my books/services?
Depending on your answers you might come up with the focus of inspire. (Nothing says you have to have 3 areas.) Maybe you want to entertain and inspire. Maybe you want to encourage and educate.
Brainstorm 🤔 and find what resonates. 🤩
Here is what I came up with for the content for TheMotivationalEditor.com: educational, empowering, adventurous. Can you see how that gives clarity and direction? I won’t spend time writing content that doesn’t meet one of those requirements.
I’ve offered this as a way to help you gain greater clarity for your writing and business if you have one beyond the books you write. I hope it brings you the clarity and direction it brought me.
If you have questions, leave them in the comments below.
Are you struggling to find focus and direction? Learn here how a one-hour coaching session with me can help.
Thanks, Shirly. Glad this was helpful for you.
Good post – I was given the task to summarize a woman’s networking brunch – in a fabulous manor on nine acres. I like what you say about entertaining – there were plaques and pillows around the estate – relax, calm, welcome. Go jump in the lake. It added ‘color’ to the article which the director accepted. Makes the organization more friendly, appealing and an organization that folks will look into and work with. Thanks!