We all have them. Those pesky excuses that pop up every time we start to whine about why our work isn’t…working.

I’m going to dig into a few of the ones I hear most often and show you why they aren’t actually true — and how you can actually obliterate them once and for all. (Here’s a tip for you: Most of these excuses are covering a deeper limiting belief. What do you think that belief is for you? Pay attention to what comes up once you debunk these blocks.)

On with the first excuse!

1. Nobody knows who I am…why would they buy from (or work with) me?

There is always a barrier to entry in a market.

You can’t just hang your shingle and expect a line around the block five minutes later. It doesn’t work that way. The good news, though, is that if you’re showing up fully — and authentically — it doesn’t take long to gain entry with your tribe.

One of the major hang-ups here is that you start to feel forced to do it the way everyone else is doing it. You try to follow the paths of those who have done what you want to do. The problem with that? You’re no longer following your own intuitive guidance — that inner business compass that keeps you steering on purpose. You’ve got to chart your own course.

This doesn’t mean that you have to reinvent the wheel altogether, or that you’re on your own to figure it out. It DOES, however, mean that you need to feel into what’s going to align best for you, for how YOU work, for what brings you alive…and how your tribe wants to connect with you. Look at all the possible options to getting your foot in the door. I’ll list a few here, but this is nowhere near exhaustive, and if you can come up with another way that totally resonates with you — go for it.

• Write a book or ebook, then use the ‘aha’s and insight to turn your audience into a tribe.

• Write a blog, building your tribe as you go.

• Offer a free introductory class as a general primer on your topic — or teach community ed.

• Host a free webinar or teleseminar to educate your tribe on how you can help them.

• Put together simple videos speaking to your tribe about the topics that matter most to you.

• Work with small groups (friends, families, coworkers) to do personal workshops or classes.

• Network your way to visibility, meeting people face-to-face and demonstrating your gifts.

• Partner up with someone to gain access to their tribe — if they are aligned with yours.

There are a few common factors in any of these methods.

First, the cost of entry is low. The less risk they have with that initial contact, the easier it is for them to sign up, to make the purchase, to get their feet wet.

There’s also actual value being exchanged. They purchase your book, you give them insight. They subscribe to your blog, you dazzle them with consistent content. They watch your video, they learn something new. If they realize that you are willing to provide this much content for that initial exposure, they have more confidence that spending more with you will see a significant return on investment.

None of these methods is intended to nickel-and-dime your time away. All have either group reach (like workshops and webinars) or are residual effort (an ebook or the videos – you produce once and it can be downloaded/read/watched an unlimited number of times with no more effort on your part). As you establish your reputation and stake, you’ll be able to either increase the cost of entry or decrease the number offered.

Finally, each of these is easy to share. Whether they share your blog posts on social media, recommend your book to their discussion group, or bring friends along to your class, they’re helping build your tribe.

Find the key that gets you in the door, and you’ll build momentum faster than you realize. But remember, these tools are not designed to be the lifeblood of your business where income is concerned. Think of the time spent doing them as low-cost marketing.

I’ve got a few more excuse-busting posts queued up to launch your way over the coming days…but I’d also like to hear what your biggest hurdles are right now! What is holding you back in your business or in getting your work out there?? Post in the comments below and I’ll dig into those ones, too!

Read: Simple Truths Behind Common Blocks – Part II

xo,