Editor’s note: This 9 part series is specifically designed for coaches, consultants, strategists, and service-based business owners who are in the scaling phase of their business. The JoyFueled™ Journey success path graphic will serve as your visual anchor and teaching tool for this content series. The EXPAND™ Method is our unique process we use to help our clients expand their already-working-business without burning out or imploding. All 9 parts of this series are linked at the end of this post.
The word alignment is insanely overplayed and overused in online business. And while it may deserve a strong eye roll now and then, this often vague buzzword actually points to a very real and important concept that can make or break your business’s future growth.
In our signature EXPAND™ Method— a unique process we use to help our clients expand their already-working business without burning out or imploding—alignment focuses on three key growth areas. These areas are often overlooked or pushed aside because “there are more pressing things” to figure out.
I get it. For a long time, I focused on all other areas of EXPAND but let this one slide for too long. And, when I finally decided to double down on it, everything shifted.
The Three Areas Of Alignment
When tightened up and running efficiently, three areas of alignment will help your business expand with more clarity, confidence, and ease. When you redirect your focus here, you free up valuable time and energy so you can work on your business rather than in it. You also set up yourself—and your team– for long-term success.
So, what are the three areas of Alignment, specifically?
Brand Culture
When you successfully create a brand culture that displays certain common characteristics PUBLICLY, you’ll have a cohesive “feel and vibe” to the brand that makes you more likely to outperform your “competition” over time. A strong brand culture helps you generate higher margins, drive customer advocacy and loyalty, attract the right talent, and develop key alliances for strategic growth.
Brand Values
Your brand values are the core set of guiding principles that shape every aspect of your business. They are the beliefs that you stand for. Brand values determine your brand’s identity, message, and personality. These brand principles guide the narrative, your actions and behaviors, and all decision-making. Without them, your brand is just a bunch of pretty colors and an empty promise.
Your Leadership Style
Your leadership style is how you lead—yourself, your team, and the vision. This is key to deeply understanding what your team needs from you daily as a leader. The more you know about what they need—and how they work best—the more productive, efficient, and cohesive your team will become.
When these three areas are aligned with each other and the overarching vision for your company, you’ll find that decision-making becomes easier, growth happens more naturally, and your team functions at a higher level.
What Does Alignment Look Like?
When we work with our Joy Fueled™ clients on ALIGNMENT, we’re helping them identify WHO THEIR BRAND wants to be when it grows up. Once that is loud and clear, we ensure to include this vision in the marketing, the strategic positioning, the internal structure, and the day-to-day happenings of the business.
The biggest mistakes in expanding your business usually happen here. Why? Because people love to avoid the deep work required to align their growth for THE FUTURE of the business.
In other words, you are SO bogged down with the day-to-day of the business that brand culture, values, and your leadership style almost always get pushed to the back burner. You don’t realize that you’re handling things now by training your team on how to handle things in the future.
You’re also setting the stage for what will become your company’s systems and processes. You don’t want to unintentionally create systems that might not be helpful when you want to scale later down the road.
Finding Alignment
Alignment doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. It’s an evolution. It requires tweaking, adjusting, and sometimes starting from scratch.
The first step is to take an honest look at where you are right now in each of the three areas: Brand Culture, Brand Values, and Leadership Style.
From there, you can begin to figure out what needs to change in order for you to move closer to your ideal state. This is where a business strategist and consultant can come in handy. They help you see what you can’t see and give you an objective perspective on where your business is now–and where it could be going.
If you’re unsure where to start, begin with your Brand Values. These are the foundation of everything else and are usually the easiest to change. From there, you can begin to work on your Brand Culture and Leadership Style.
The goal is to get all three areas working together in harmony so you can create a business that runs smoothly, makes more money, and gives you the life you want–including abundant time off.
Your next level of business growth is going to require something different from you.
Do you know what that “something different” is? You might be thinking this “thing” is elusive to you–but not on my watch!
I’ve created a tool to help you you determine which part of your business needs your focus now, so you don’t burnout trying #allthethings at once.
The Business Expansion Scorecard will help you score your business as it is now–so you can celebrate what’s working–and identify your current blindspots.
Part 2: E is for Energy in The EXPAND™ Method: Understanding the Energetic Capacity of Your Business
Part 5: A is for Alignment in The EXPAND™ Method: Who does your brand want to be when it grows up?
