168 You Don't Need Perfection To Make Money

Sumantha: 00:00

Hello and welcome. If it's your first time here, I'm your host Sumantha McMahon, and if you've ever felt stuck waiting for everything to line up and be perfect before you go for something, before you put yourself out there, before you launch something, today's episode is especially for you, we are going to explore why.

Sumantha: 00:22

You don't need perfection to start making money. How you can get started, how you can grow and refine actually as you go along. So whether you are a tutor, a coach, or you run any kind of education business, this is your reminder that clarity and confidence actually usually come after you take action, not before.

Sumantha: 00:43

Welcome to the Upgrade Your Education Business podcast. I'm your host, Sumantha, and I'm so pleased you are here. As an education business owner, myself and a former teacher, I understand the nuances that only apply to us. So in this podcast, I share fluff free, tailored, and actionable ideas. That you can mould to suit your needs.

Sumantha: 01:05

If you'd like to take this conversation further, please do reach out. I would love to meet you. And finally, it would mean the world to me if you could leave a review. That way you'll be helping me help more people. Thank you for tuning in. Enjoy.

Sumantha: 01:20

A few years ago, I was on a coaching programme that taught us how to launch a high ticket course before it was actually even ready. In fact, he suggested selling the course after just the first module was ready, and then adding to it while it's. Live while it was going on. Now, I have to admit, I didn't resonate with a lot of what was taught in this course because I'd already been in the education space a while, and I just knew a lot of it wouldn't connect with my audience.

Sumantha: 01:50

But just circling back to that concept of building the plane while it's flying, I actually found this really stressful. I'm not saying it's wrong advice. But it wasn't for me because I could see how that would take me away from actually supporting my students during the course while it was running. So while I did make a couple of sales, I actually pulled the plug before it even went live.

Sumantha: 02:13

It just didn't feel right. So when I say you can launch before you feel ready, which is my first point, I don't mean necessarily releasing something before it's. Ready to be released as such. Instead, I'm addressing the belief that keeps so many of us frozen and paralysed. I can't launch until everything is perfect. I understand this because I have been there and sometimes I still am. I used to think that I needed a polished website, a detailed business plan, perfectly branded materials, and a clear kind of service menu before I could even talk about what I offered.

Sumantha: 02:53

But here's what I learned and what I've seen time and time again with my clients. You can actually launch with less than what you think. Some of the most successful edpr that I've mentored started by simply telling people what they were doing and offering to help.

Sumantha: 03:10

No website, no branding, no complicated funnels. Just a very clear human invitation to work together. In fact, this is actually how I launched the Tutors Mastermind. I didn't have anything recorded, but I invited five of my clients to be founding members and we just kind of shaped it together, but it meant that I was being paid for my time and my efforts from day one. So when you let go of this idea that everything needs to be ready, that you need to have everything perfect, you actually create space for learning and growth. Because the truth is you can only plan so much in isolation. Real clarity starts when you interact with people. So take a moment to ask yourself, what are you waiting to be perfect?

Sumantha: 04:00

And what would happen if you started anyway knowing you could improve along the way or even change your mind along the way?

Sumantha: 04:12

Next, let's talk about niching. You've probably heard that having a very specific niche is essential, and it is very powerful, particularly over time. But when you're very early in your journey, it can actually feel very paralysing to decide on a single focus.

Sumantha: 04:28

If you don't yet know what lights you up or who you most enjoy working with. One of the educators inside the Mastermind recently shared. She felt she couldn't start promoting her services until she decided on her exact niche. She worried that she would look unprofessional if she changed direction later.

Sumantha: 04:48

So together we actually reframed this because I've done this. I like to treat these things as explorations. And when we use that term that it's an exploration, she gave herself permission to try different things out, to teach different things, to work with different groups, and it gave her clarity.

Sumantha: 05:10

So if you can relate to this, please know that you can absolutely evolve your niche over time, your messaging. It can be clear without being final. So you could say something like, I help learners who need extra support in you. Choose the topics to build their confidence and achieve their goals. Now that is specific enough for people to understand, but it's also broad enough for you to adapt later on.

Sumantha: 05:42

So here are some things to consider. What experiments could you give yourself permission to try over the next, let's say three months? Three months is a really good time period. And how might it feel to view niching as a process rather than a decision that you must get right immediately?

Sumantha: 06:06

Now onto visibility because marketing and visibility, people find it really hard to just try things.

Sumantha: 06:12

They worry that, you know, if I post something and it doesn't work, then it hasn't worked. And it's, you know, it's the end of the world. And it's not every time that the beauty of content marketing, regardless of how you do it, is every time you post, you have a fresh chance.

Sumantha: 06:30

And when we think about visibility, it is quite essential to building a sustainable business, but trying to be everywhere. Can very quickly drain your energy and it's very difficult to do well. So you don't need to have a presence on every single platform, especially not straight away or ever really. In fact, one of the most effective ways to grow is to choose a single platform or a single method and create a strategy.

Sumantha: 06:58

That's designed specifically for it. For example, let's say your audience is mostly engaged on Facebook. Let's say community groups could be your main focus, and if you enjoy creating short videos and your audience spends time on Instagram, that could be your hub. If you love writing, maybe it's LinkedIn or maybe it's a blog, so you can.

Sumantha: 07:20

Choose something that taps into your strengths and also taps into what's going to connect with your clients. That doesn't mean needing to be absolutely everywhere.

Sumantha: 07:30

And we often focus on content, what should I post? But actually a platform strategy isn't about just publishing all the time. It's about understanding what people expect in that space and how you can show up consistently in a way that's both powerful and sustainable. When I was growing my tuition business, I started focusing heavily on Facebook because that's where my potential clients were already looking for support, and it meant that I could actually have deeper conversations without spreading myself thin.

Sumantha: 08:05

I just chose. One platform, one method, and I still do, and it works. You might see me across multiple platforms, but I don't spend lots of time on that content. In fact, I've been reducing it over the last six months or so. Instead, I really pour my time into one method. The one method that I know really, really works.

Sumantha: 08:29

So if you've been feeling a bit scattered, trying to do a little bit everywhere, I invite you to focus on one place for the next three months. Ask yourself, where do I feel comfortable showing up consistently, and where are my potential clients already engaged? The combination of both of those will be really powerful.

Sumantha: 08:55

Now, building visibility doesn't always require complicated marketing plans. One of the most natural ways to spread the word about your work is to actually involve your current clients, the people who work with you. For example, if you work with children, and let's say a student creates a brilliant piece of work and you have the parents' permission, you could share it maybe as a post, a story, or maybe even a simple email celebrating their progress.

Sumantha: 09:21

When you do this, not only does it give your student a huge boost of confidence, but it also shows the parent that you are really invested in their child's success, that you are celebrating with them. And often parents will proudly share it with their own network and the word starts spreading.

Sumantha: 09:39

One of my clients tried this recently. She posted this short story that her student had written and tagged the parent. Within 48 hours, she received three enquiries from other parents who are friends of this parent who saw that post. And you know, you can apply this to anything really. Even if you teach adults, whoever you might work with, sharing and celebrating, it gives people a boost and naturally they want to share it as well.

Sumantha: 10:05

So if you've been wondering how to encourage word of mouth, remember that people love sharing stories that make them feel proud. So consider what recent success could you celebrate publicly and if needed with permission, and how could you make it really easy for your clients to just share it, to share your work?

Sumantha: 10:28

Now onto pricing. Let's talk about this one. It can get a bit tricky, can't it? It's an area that holds so many small business owners back. You've probably seen advice that says pricing yourself lower than the going rate means that you don't value yourself. And while it's important to feel confident in your pricing, it's also okay to acknowledge where you might be emotionally if you are not yet comfortable charging your ideal rate.

Sumantha: 10:56

I mean, you could start a little lower knowing that you can raise your prices as you gain confidence and experience. This isn't me saying that you need to price lower or that you need to go higher. This is me saying that pricing is more than doing a few sums and seeing what fits with your targets.

Sumantha: 11:14

There is an emotional aspect to it. There is a confidence piece in there because ultimately if we're going to charge something, we have to stand by it. We have to feel really confident when we tell someone, this is how much I charge.

Sumantha: 11:28

I often remind my clients that pricing isn't a permanent commitment, but bear in mind that it is a messaging tool. It is one of the touch points and you could review it every few months. You can communicate changes clearly and kindly. In fact, I have an earlier episode called How to Increase Your Prices Without Losing Clients.

Sumantha: 11:50

If you haven't listened to it yet, it's episode 87 and it might help you feel a bit more comfortable and at ease with evolving your rates over time. You deserve to be paid well for your skills, but if you need some confidence to build that up step by step, that doesn't mean you're undervaluing yourself.

Sumantha: 12:08

It means you are human.

Sumantha: 12:13

So before we wrap up, let's quickly recap some of the key ideas that I've talked about today. You don't need a perfect website, a niche, or a plan to actually start earning money. Clarity often comes after you begin, not before. I have to tell you a quick story here. When I launched Upgrade Your Education Business, I didn't actually have a plan because I assumed it would take ages to grow.

Sumantha: 12:37

You know, the first thing I did was I thought, let me just make people aware that I'm doing this. I was wrong. I started getting requests for work within 24 hours, and I didn't have a plan, so I quickly jumped on Calendly, created an event and said, oh, you can, you can have mentoring with me now.

Sumantha: 12:58

By having mentoring, by doing loads and loads of discovery calls, I learned what my audience are thinking, what they want, what their challenges are, their mindsets, the conversations they were having with their families, themselves. I learned so much, and it taught me that the best way to really understand your niche and your audience is to learn from them.

Sumantha: 13:25

So if you are in a position where you might be struggling to put yourself out there because things aren't perfect. Just start learning. Just start speaking to people. Start interacting with people because you will learn more from the people who you intend to work with. You'll learn more from them than you will with any kind of academic exercise or planning and so on.

Sumantha: 13:48

I'm not saying don't plan. I'm not saying not to have things in place, but I'll remind you of something I said earlier. You need a lot less than you realise.

Sumantha: 14:01

So I digressed for a quick moment there, but back to the wrap up. Another point is focusing on one platform, one method is more effective than trying to be everywhere. And involving clients in sharing their successes really helps you build credibility and word of mouth. People will start talking about you.

Sumantha: 14:23

If you're in the Mastermind, watch the training I have on the Attract Method because there is a section all about how you can't treat all your clients equally because they're not equal. You can profile them, you can treat them in a particular way. I don't mean some better than others. I don't mean that, but you, you kind of segment them and you give them what they need in order to become your advocate, in order for them to feel like they want to shout from the rooftops about how good you are and what you do.

Sumantha: 14:52

So watch that training. It's in the training vault, and it's called The Attract Method.

Sumantha: 15:01

And finally, pricing can evolve over time as your confidence grows, as supply and demand pushes and pulls kind of change. So take a moment to ask yourself, what's one small step you could take this week to move forward imperfectly?

Sumantha: 15:16

If this episode helped you, and if you feel ready to take some imperfect action, I'd love it if you could share it with a colleague or leave a review. It really helps the podcast reach more people who need this support. And remember, you don't have to do this alone.

Sumantha: 15:34

You'll hear from me on Wednesday with a short mindset focused PS episode. Have a wonderful week, and I'll speak to you soon.

Sumantha: 15:46

Would you like to take this discussion further? Perhaps you have some questions or you'd like more ideas on tailoring your business. If so, book a free discovery call through the link in the show notes.