Guide Create A Business You Love

HOW TO CREATE A BUSINESS
YOU CAN FALL IN LOVE -

AND STAY I N LOVE WITH
3 Secrets to a Genuinely Successful

Heart-Centred Business
A FREE GUIDE FROM CATHERINE WATKIN

HOW TO CREATE A BUSINESS YOU CAN FALL IN LOVE - AND STAY I N LOVE WITH
HELLO
CONGRATULATIONS on downloading your free guide on how to create a
business you can fall in love with - and stay in love with for many years to
come.
Far too often I see people like you (and me too) starting a business full of
passion and enthusiasm but very soon the act of needing to market and
run the business comes to feel harder than you ever expected, and can
even make you start to question your decision to do this in the first place.
So the fact you’ve downloaded this guide (and are actually reading it) tells
me you’re probably in one of two camps…
1. You’re just starting out in your business, you’re passionate about it

and know you are meant to be sharing your talents and helping more
people, and you want to make sure you start as you mean to go on.
2. You’ve been in business for a while and you’re not loving it as much as
you thought you would but you know there must be an easier – more
fun – way of doing things – surely it’s not supposed to be this hard?
© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

I’ve been in BOTH of these positions before but I’m now in a position
where I have a business I love that feels true and authentic to me – but it
took me a while to get there because I didn’t know some of the things I’ll
be talking about in this guide.
So whichever camp you fall into you’re in the right place.
Because my own passion is helping business owners like you create a

business you really, truly love running – not just the working with clients
bit, but all the other bits too (well, OK there are always going to be some
bits you don’t love – for me it’s anything accounting related - but if you
enjoy everything else you won’t mind those so much).
In this guide I’ll be sharing some of the secrets to creating a genuinely

successful business that you love – I’m hoping you’ll get some new Aha’s
and shifts in the way you see your business, that will change the way you
think and feel about running it – and make it all so much more fun too!
I hope you enjoy this guide. A lot of love has gone into it and I’m really
excited about you creating a business you love, so you can do what you
love and love what you do, all while making a difference to the lives of
more people through your business.
What more could you ask for?
With love,

DOES ANY OF THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?
You decided to start your business because you want to make a difference
but are finding it harder than you ever imagined to get your first few
paying clients.
You know you’re jumping from one thing to the next, without giving any of
them a chance to get traction, but can’t seem to settle on that “one thing”
that works for you.
You’re still excited about the possibilities available for your business… but
you’re overwhelmed by all the different advice and just want a clear path
– something you can understand!
If so you’re not alone. I think most small business owners go through this
when we first start out.
The most common things that have been keeping my clients stuck when
they first come to me are:
• Not having a clear plan

• Not knowing what to do first
• Trying to do too much at once
• Not knowing what you don’t know
This last one is key – my clients are all smart, capable women (and some
very lovely men) who all had one thing in common: they just didn’t know
what they didn’t know!
That’s what this guide is about – to fill in some of those gaps so you can
start thinking – and feeling – very differently about where you are on
your business journey, and where to focus your attention.

ARE YOU DOING IT THE HARD WAY?
The answer is yes if…
You’re trying to implement every marketing strategy you come across and
be on every social media platform there is.
You’ve been signing up for a ton of online courses without understanding

which one is right for you and trying to somehow keep up with them all.
You struggle to keep up every single day – because one person simply
can’t do everything you’ve taken on!
But it’s ok, it can get easier. Here’s my wish for you – and what this guide
is all about:
That you build a business that you love, both while you are growing it and
for years to come (and not just the working with clients bit – I want you to
love ALL of it!)
To short-cut the inevitable “hard yards” that are involved in starting up a

business so you don’t have to learn it all the hard way
To do things that work for YOU so you can get clients now in ways that
feel in flow – not just by doing things other people tell you to but that
never quite feel true for you.
Next I’m going to share the 3 secrets to making this journey through the
early stage of a business much easier.

SECRET #1:
UNDERSTANDING THE
5 STAGES OF BUSINESS
There are 5 stages that business owners typically go through.
I’ve found that once my clients work out which stage they are in,
they start to understand why they’ve been finding things so tough,
and just that understanding alone means that things start to feel a
whole lot easier.

STAGE 1: TALENTS INTO MONEY
Most of us come into business with no contacts, no track record and a

very small budget and have to get things going from a standing start. And
no, it’s not easy, but you will move past this stage.
The aim of Stage 1 is simple - get your first 2 paying clients into your
programme or service and start building your confidence.
The process of doing that will help you clarify your message and
communication, and help you learn how to attract and enrol paying
clients.
Much of this stage is “testing and research” which is why things don’t
work immediately – but the work you put in now will pay dividends over
the course of your business.
One of the hardest things about this stage is you are the least confident
you will ever be, right when you need the most confidence to get things
off the ground.
STAGE 2: GOOD TO GROW
Once you’ve “proved your concept” by getting your first two paying
clients, and you know that people want what you are offering, and you
know how to sell it, you are ready to move to Stage 2.
This is all about creating your online presence and starting to attract
people online. Depending on your long-term vision you will have more, or
less, of an online presence.
Either way be careful… you’ll waste a lot time online with nothing to show
for it if you haven’t got the foundations in place from Stage 1.

STAGE 3: FINDING YOUR FLOW
While Stage 1 and 2 can feel tough, Stage 3 is actually where you’re most
likely to give up because you start thinking “It should be easier than this!”
In this stage you are enrolling clients regularly, so something is working,

but it doesn’t always feel like it.
It doesn’t feel predictable, your income is hit and miss, you have way too
much to juggle – client delivery, marketing, sales, accounts, admin – how
can one person do it all?
You haven’t yet found that “sweet spot” around your marketing and your
delivery for it to feel easy.
But the good news is this is just a stage – you will soon break through into
Stage 4, I promise!
STAGE 4: IT’S WORKING!
In Stage 4 you’ve broken through the pain of Stage 3. You are hitting your
income goals consistently, and you know exactly what you need to do to
bring on paying clients.
In other words you can finally breathe and trust your business to support
you.
To get to this stage you will have built a community, following or network,
and because of that you are well positioned to move to more “leveraged”
ways of working through things like group programmes, memberships,
selling from webinars and launches, or taking on associates or team
members to deliver for you.
But only if you want to - not everyone does, and that’s OK too. For you it
might be getting your 121 business working smoothly, predictably and
sustainably.

STAGE 5: GOING FOR GOLD
Not everyone will want to go to Stage 5. This is about creating a fully

leveraged and scalable business that can continue to grow without you
putting a lot more of your own time and energy in – you do this through
team, systems and automation.
This adds a whole extra layer of complexity, moving parts and people to
manage, which is why it’s important you do this at the right time, and is
why it’s not for everyone.
THE BUSINESS FROM THE HEART PATHWAY
The Business from the Heart Pathway is based on these 5 Stages of

Business and provides the Framework for the work I do with my clients.
It gives you a roadmap to follow so you can understand where you are on
your journey, and what comes next.
But it’s not strictly linear.
You are unique and so is your business, so you might do some things in a
different order, or not at all!
But understanding the trajectory of a typical business can really help you
understand where you are now, and make decisions that will serve you
and help you move forward rather than leave you stuck, frustrated or
spinning your wheels.
At each stage you’ll have a different overall aim and intention, so you’ll
be more likely to take the action that supports that intention, rather than
activity that might serve you better at a different stage.

FOUNDATIONS
Aim: To lay the foundations for long-term success (this includes things like
vision & planning, time & energy management, boundaries & mindset).
STAGE #1 - Talents into Money

Aim: To “prove your concept” by selling your first packages or
programmes.
STAGE #2 - Good to Grow

Aim: To develop an online presence to support your long-term plan and
start attracting clients online.
STAGE #3 - Finding your Flow

Aim: To be hitting your financial target consistently each month, even if
it’s that’s not yet through your ideal business model.
STAGE #4 - It’s Working!

Aim: A shift in focus away from immediate income to long-term strategies
and activity, and a move to “leveraged” (one-many) sales, marketing and
delivery.
STAGE #5 - Going for Gold

Aim: A fully scalable business model you can grow without investing more
of your own time & energy.

THE EARLY STAGES ARE THE HARDEST
The early Stages (Stages 1, 2 and 3) is when it feels hardest.
In Stage 1 and 2 you can easily spend 80% of your time doing work to
attract new clients – and you might doubt if it’s really “for you.”
After all you didn’t start your business because you wanted to be a full-
time marketer!
And you can find it hard fielding all those well meaning questions about
how your business is going – it’s easy to feel like a fraud.
In Stage 3 you can doubt yourself for other reasons.
Now you are getting clients regularly but it feels harder than you ever
imagined and it’s easy to think that this isn’t what you signed up for – but
just understanding that it’s a normal part of the journey of growing a
business (we ALL go through it), can make it feel easier and remove some
of the doubt you might be feeling.

There are three common mistakes I see people making during these early
stages that makes it harder than it needs to be.
1. Following advanced business strategies before you are ready, then

feeling crushed and deflated when they don’t work for you.
2. Comparing yourself to people who’ve been in business a lot longer and
feeling like a failure
3. Doing a lot of marketing activity before getting the basics in place to
make it work, then burning out with not enough to show for it.
The good news is that with this understanding of the different Stages
there are to a business journey, you can more easily make the right
decision based on where you are and where you are aiming for.
You will also be kinder to yourself (and so be able to actually enjoy

growing your business) because you understand that you can only take
action from where you are right now.
Instead of feeling frustrated because you can’t do the equivalent of

winning the Grand Prix when you are still taking driving lessons in your
Mum’s mini cooper!
PAUSE TO REFLECT
What stage of business do you think you are at? Does being clear on
your aim for that stage give you a clearer idea of the next step you
need to take?

SECRET #2:
THE LESS IS MORE OF

MARKETING
What I observe is that most people rush into marketing tactics that
are designed for the later stages too early in their business and make
it unnecessarily hard for themselves.

The more it doesn’t work, the more you are tempted to do and can end up
like a hamster on a wheel jumping from one thing to another with simply
not enough to show for all that hard work.
It’s like being stuck in quicksand – the harder you struggle to get out, the
further in you sink.
Sometimes the answer is to pause and take a step back to figure out
what’s not working.
THE REAL REASON YOUR MARKETING ISN’T WORKING
The real reason your marketing isn’t working, is probably not because you
are not doing enough.
It’s more likely to be that you are just not STICKY.
In other words, if you are not attractive to the people who come across
you, so much that they want to “stick around” and learn more then any
marketing activity is likely to be wasted effort.

Whether it’s online or offline, when you tell people what you do you the
response you want is “oh my gosh, you’re talking about me, I think maybe you
could be the answer to my problems, I want to know more!”
Now, they might not say this out loud of course, but it’s what you want
them to be thinking.
I call this being Velcro!
If you are more like damp cotton wool than velcro then it doesn’t matter
how much marketing you do, people are not going to “stick” and want to
know more.
It’s a bit like catching butterflies…
You can run around chasing them and trying to catch them with a net –
you will still catch one eventually, but not without ending up in a sweaty
heap needing time to recover before you set off to chase the next one.
Or you could be the beautiful flower that magnetically attracts the ideal
clients who want to know more. You do this with a way of talking about
what you do that draws people in to you - no chasing required.

ARE YOU IN FLOW WITH YOUR MARKETING?
You also have to enjoy your marketing – to be in flow with it. Because
believe me, if it’s not fun you won’t do it well, and you won’t keep going!
So it’s important to choose marketing strategies that feel fun and in flow
for you, and also that are likely to give you the best results based on
where you are in your business right now.
What feels easy and in flow will depend on a number of factors, including
your personality type, your natural strengths, and what comes ‘easily’ to
you based on your current assets, contacts and skillset.
PAUSE TO REFLECT
Have you had any “Aha!” moments about why your marketing is not
working or feeling hard? Is it because you’re not “sticky” enough or
because you’re not enjoying it enough to do it well and consistently?

SECRET #3:
CHOOSING THE RIGHT

BUSINESS MODEL
For me this is the real key to creating a business you love, and where
so many people go wrong.

It’s about choosing the right business model for you – not just the one
that’s been handed you by a teacher or expert because it happened to
work for them.
We are all so different, that what works for one person doesn’t
automatically feel fulfilling and rewarding for someone else.
For me what I talk about in this section is SO important – yet nobody ever
taught me this, I had to figure it out myself.
When you start your business and first start looking around for help you
will come across a lot of experts and teachers ready to tell you how to
make your business work.
The problem is they all tell you different things:
“You should start running group online programmes or you’ll always be

exchanging time for money”
But what if nothing lights you up like sitting and working intensively and
121 with a client in your therapy room?
“Passive income is what you should be aiming for so you can work 4 hours a
week and get paid on autopilot while you sip cocktails on the beach in Bali”
But what if you love working and are deeply fulfilled by the contact you
have with your clients?
“You have to create a high-end programme if you want your business to work
financially”

Or the very opposite:
“You have to create a low cost monthly membership site if you want your
business to be easy”
“Running live events is the only way to do it.”
Or:
“To get clients these days you have to market yourself online.”
As a side note: I get frustrated at how many people believe this to be true
– it’s my belief that it’s actually easier to get clients offline when you are
just starting out, and to prove it I’ve known lots of people become fully
booked without so much as a website.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is that no one thing is ‘easier’ or ‘better’
than any other - they are just different.
They all have their upsides and downsides.
What’s really important is that you find the way of working that feels
good for you and for the clients you want to work with.
PAUSE TO REFLECT
Is there something in your business that just isn’t working for you
even though someone else told you it would? Maybe it’s even
working financially, but just doesn’t feel right. What can you change?

SO WHAT IS A BUSINESS MODEL ANYWAY?
(And why is it so important)
To me, your business model is simply the path your customer takes from
the moment they discover you for the first time, to actually buying and
experiencing your products and services.
Here’s how I see it:
Marketing
This is how people find you in the first place.
Customer Journey
This is how you nurture and stay in contact with your customer from that
first contact until they buy from you.
Conversion (aka sales)

This is the method you use to sell your programmes and services – that
moment where the customer actually pays you money.
Delivery
This is how you deliver your work or transformation – whether that’s 121
or in groups, online or offline.

If you have a business where you love delivering to your clients but don’t
enjoy your marketing, you’ll struggle to have the momentum to attract
enough clients in the first place.
If you enjoy your marketing and sales, but find the way you deliver your
work heavy or unfulfilling then again, you’ll find it hard to stay motivated
and you’ll always have a feeling of “pushing” to get things done.
It’s important that you enjoy it ALL!
Luckily, there are so many different ways of doing all these things –
marketing, nurturing, sales and delivery – that you’ll definitely be able to
find the “sweet spot” that works for you!
PAUSE TO REFLECT
What intuitively feels like the right sort of business model for
you? Is one-to-one, small groups or large groups? High-ticket and
exclusive or affordable and accessible for all? Offline or online?

BUT WHERE DO I
START?
Hopefully by now you’ve had some valuable insights that are helping
you to see that your business could be so much easier than you’ve
been making it so far.

You also might be thinking “well, this is all very useful, but on a practical level
where do I actually start?”
If that’s you what I recommend most people do is to:
START WITH YOUR MESSAGE!
One of the first activities I have my clients doing is to get really clear on
the message that will help them stand out, and to create what I call a
Captivating Introduction to use when people come across you for the
very first time (whether online or offline).
This is different to just a description of what you do – with a description

people can “place” you, but they are less likely to see how what you do is
relevant to them or the people they know.

YOUR CAPTIVATING INTRODUCTION
For example, if I went networking and told the people I met for the first
time:
“I teach sales to small business owners”
Those people would feel they “know” what I do but probably wouldn’t
relate that to themselves and the difference I can actually make to them
- especially since my typical clients usually hate the idea of sales so might
even run a mile!
But if I say:
“I work with heart-centred business owners who are struggling to get clients
because they feel so uncomfortable about sales. I help them enrol clients
in a way that feels authentic and comfortable so they can finally make the
difference they’re here to make,”
- the chances are they’ll say (or at least think to themselves)….
“OMG that’s me/my friend/my partner/my sister! How can I find out more?”
And if it’s not for them, then they’ll instantly know that too. And no-one
wastes their time.
The language you use should reflect the type of language your ideal client
would use, but here’s a formula that you can start to use:
I work with [target market] who have [problem/pain] and I help them to
[result] in order that [higher emotional benefit]
You’ll know it’s working for you by the response you get when you
introduce yourself to someone new, so I strongly recommend testing it
offline to begin with, even if you plan to grow your business online.

YOUR TAKEAWAYS
(THE HEALTHY KIND)
Here are the key takeaways I’d love you to get from reading
this guide…

First I want to reassure you that the real reason you’ve been struggling:
• Is NOT because you are not cut out to be in business

• Is NOT because you’ll never be able to confidently sell and market
what you do
• Is NOT because nobody will pay you for what you do
It’s probably because you’ve been doing:
• The wrong things for the stage of business you are at

• Juggling too many different things at once and as a result doing none of
them well enough
• Not having clarity about your business model so lacking direction and
focus
• Wearing yourself out with too much marketing activity without first
being “Velcro” to your clients
In other words there are simply things you might need to learn, hone and
work on to get your business really working for you.

Just like you wouldn’t enter a dance competition without taking dance
lessons, or get in a car to set off to Cornwall without ever taking a
driving lesson, you’ll find that your business works much more easily for
you if you commit to filling those gaps in your knowledge around sales,
marketing and business models – so you can finally create that business
that you know is waiting for you.
Both for your sake, and all those people who you are here to help.
THE GOOD NEWS
I’d like to wrap up this guide with is this piece of good news:
It all works!
All those marketing strategies you see people teaching, and all the
different business models you come across? They all work!
And also none of them work… if they are not right for you.
So once you know where you’re going (your business model and financial
goals), and know where you are now (your stage of business), and you
understand your own strengths and weaknesses and your personality
type, you can start creating a business around marketing strategies, sales
and delivery that really work for who YOU are.
And that, my friend, is how you create a business you can fall in love with
– and STAY in love with not just for the next 18 months until you burn out,
but for many years to come.

LET ME SUPPORT YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY
I love supporting small business owners with all the things I’ve talked
about in this guide. The main way I do this is through the Business from
the Heart Membership Community.
This is a thriving community of heart-centred business owners, all

committed to making a difference and growing a great business - without
compromising their values.
It includes mentoring and advice from me through regular coaching calls

and hotseats, a library of trainings to help you keep taking action, mindset
mentoring sessions, implementation days and online meetups and
masterminds.
All for a very affordable monthly investment – even if you are just starting
out, or more established but struggling to make ends meet.
If that’s something you’d like to be part of then we’d love to have you too!
Click the link below to be notified when we next open for enrolment:
businessfromtheheart.com

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HOW TO CREATE A BUSINESS

YOU CAN FALL IN LOVE -

3 Secrets to a Genuinely Successful

A FREE GUIDE FROM CATHERINE WATKIN

1. You’re just starting out in your business, you’re passionate about it

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

So whichever camp you fall into you’re in the right place.

Because my own passion is helping business owners like you create a

In this guide I’ll be sharing some of the secrets to creating a genuinely

What more could you ask for?

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

DOES ANY OF THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?

• Not having a clear plan

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

ARE YOU DOING IT THE HARD WAY?

The answer is yes if…

You’ve been signing up for a ton of online courses without understanding

To short-cut the inevitable “hard yards” that are involved in starting up a

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

STAGE 1: TALENTS INTO MONEY

Most of us come into business with no contacts, no track record and a

STAGE 2: GOOD TO GROW

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

STAGE 3: FINDING YOUR FLOW

In this stage you are enrolling clients regularly, so something is working,

STAGE 4: IT’S WORKING!

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

STAGE 5: GOING FOR GOLD

Not everyone will want to go to Stage 5. This is about creating a fully

THE BUSINESS FROM THE HEART PATHWAY

The Business from the Heart Pathway is based on these 5 Stages of

But it’s not strictly linear.

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

STAGE #1 - Talents into Money

STAGE #2 - Good to Grow

STAGE #3 - Finding your Flow

STAGE #4 - It’s Working!

STAGE #5 - Going for Gold

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

THE EARLY STAGES ARE THE HARDEST

The early Stages (Stages 1, 2 and 3) is when it feels hardest.

In Stage 3 you can doubt yourself for other reasons.

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

1. Following advanced business strategies before you are ready, then

You will also be kinder to yourself (and so be able to actually enjoy

Instead of feeling frustrated because you can’t do the equivalent of

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

THE LESS IS MORE OF

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

THE REAL REASON YOUR MARKETING ISN’T WORKING

It’s more likely to be that you are just not STICKY.

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

I call this being Velcro!

It’s a bit like catching butterflies…

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

ARE YOU IN FLOW WITH YOUR MARKETING?

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

CHOOSING THE RIGHT

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com

The problem is they all tell you different things:

“You should start running group online programmes or you’ll always be

© Catherine Watkin | catherinewatkin.com | info@catherinewatkin.com