I killed it. I didn’t mean to. I did all I knew to do. I worked as hard as I could. I really wanted it to live, but it died anyway. I killed it.

How did that happen?

It’s because I was living in Quadrant 2.

Let me explain.

This is the Knowledge Quadrant. It’s an insightful peek into the different ways we understand life.

In quadrant one – We realize there are things we don’t know, but we’re aware of that so we’re careful when we move forward.

In quadrant three – We know a lot.  In fact, we’re not even aware of how much we know, but that’s okay because we can still use the knowledge we have.

In quadrant four – We know that we have all the knowledge we need.  Cool.  Full speed ahead.

Ahhh… but in quadrant two, the deadly quadrant, we don’t even know that there are tons of important things we don’t know.  This is where I went wrong.

When Ron and I bought our home in Knoxville, TN, we were thrilled with the house, but the yard was another story. It was the Mohave Desert surrounded by a sea of green. We yearned to create a lush garden paradise to match the neighbor’s, but the budget was thin. We could afford one tree.

We careful chose the new edition and proudly planted it with hopes of transformation. Daily, I tended and watered our new investment.  But no matter what I did, it seemed to die a bit more each day.

Having been raised a city girl in a city of cement, there were some things I didn’t know. But I didn’t know that there were things I didn’t know, so I couldn’t do anything different. I battled bravely, but the tree shriveled, withered and died.

I killed it.

Defeated, I planned to dig up the tree, hide it and lessen its shame.   

What I Didn’t Know

When I pulled my dead dream from the ground, I made a shocking discovery. A tough burlap bag was firmly wrapped around its roots. Oops! Something foundational had been wrong.

All the watering, feeding, and tending would never work, could never work. The tree’s tightly bound roots were sentenced to die.

I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

What You Don’t Know

These principles apply in our businesses as well.

Every week I meet Christian coaches and entrepreneurs who work extremely hard. They build websites, learn social media, start a newsletter and network themselves silly.  They feed, water and tend to their little marketing tree – but it doesn’t grow.

No matter how hard they try, no matter what they do – it can’t grow.

There are foundational things they don’t know – and they don’t know what they don’t know.

Discouraged with their results, they try harder, doing more of the same, hoping they’ll get different results.  We all know how that will turn out.

What is a new entrepreneur to do?

Two Options

There are only two things you can do.

1. You can spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours gathering all the information a new entrepreneur needs to know.

or

2. You can build your business with the on-going help of someone who knows what you need to know.

I’ve gone down the first route. I enjoy learning, love marketing and can’t think of anything more fun than spending my time mastering the nuances of websites, social media and more.

You may not like marketing. (Oddly, some people don’t.) So, for you getting expert help might be the better route.

It isn’t important whether you choose number one or number two. What is vital is that you don’t stay in deadly quadrant number two.

Whichever route you choose… 

The third essential business practice is, “Find Out What You Don’t Know.” 

Knowing firsthand how critical it is to have access to the right information, I went to extraordinary lengths to include all the marketing information you need in the Marketing Momentum Program.

Not too much – you don’t need to know everything.

Not too little, there are certain essentials that must be in place.

I included just enough information, in just the right amounts, so that you as a business-builder can succeed.

Here is a tiny snapshot of what’s included:

• Two 90-minute Strategic Marketing Plan seminars so you can create a marketing plan that is just right for you, your business and your schedule.
• Create a Winning Website Toolkit– Make sure that from the foundation up, your website will work for you even while you sleep.
• Create an Irresistible Free Offer – Developing a free ‘taste’ of your services grows the relationship, allows prospects to see the incredible value you provide and at the same time adds them to your mailing list.
• Create Client Attracting Newsletters – If coaches were only allowed to use one marketing tool, I’d recommend having an ezine or electronic newsletter. Find out why. More importantly, find out how to make that newsletter successful.
• Turn Complimentary Sessions Into Clients – Receive a step-by-step template so you can confidently take your prospect from cautious explorer to enthusiastic client
• Six-week My Ideal Niche Self-Study Program – Taking you step-by-step through researching, testing and choosing a niche that is viable, enjoyable and profitable. This is the first critical, foundational step for any coaching business.

I don’t want your business, like my tree, to die a fast death because you don’t know what you don’t know. It doesn’t have to happen.

Pray about joining the Marketing Momentum Program so you can have everything you need to succeed.

I hope you will take a minute to check out the Marketing Momentum Program.

But even if you don’t, prayerfully consider how God wants you to get the help you need in the year ahead.