I’ve been twiddling my thumbs for AGES now about starting my editing business, not really knowing how to begin or where to find clients. I have the experience, I have the know-how, but I do not have the business sense to get me going on my own. So, this past weekend, I attended Message to Money LIVE in Los Angeles, a business conference that is run by Marisa Murgatroyd of Live Your Message. The conference and her company are exactly what they sound like: how to build a business based around your personal message to the world.

Let me tell you, friends, this conference was AMAZING. Transformative, really. I learned tons, met loads of new friends, and got inspired to get going on my editing (and maybe coaching?) business that I’ve been dragging my feet on for months. Years, really. I just haven’t known where to get started, and these few days really solidified a few things for me.

My top three takeaways are:

1) Most business programs out there start you from the top, not the bottom. 

I’ve seen this with my own two eyes, programs that focus on list-building and sales funnels, ebooks and indirect courses (pre-recorded webinars and the like). This is where these gurus saw the most growth in their businesses, so it only stands to reason that they would teach them to you. However, they were already well-known when these tactics worked for them, already had people coming to their sites or reading their blogs. These tactics don’t work for the BEGINNER, and that’s what I am. I need to start with direct one-on-one marketing to build a small audience, not use tips and tricks to build a larger one from the nonexistent small one.

2) Iterate your way to awesome.

You don’t need to be perfect from the get-go. You need to dive into the deep end and flail about a little as you develop your niche, your audience, your brand. Repeating your methodologies until you find the right one for your audience, discover what they wants and cater to their needs, gives you a business that works for THEM, not just for you. But also for you, because you’re discovering what you truly want out of your business over time as well. It’s easy to imagine what you want your business to be, but actually implementing it takes it into a whole different ballgame. Figuring it out through trial-and-error will save you both time and money, and will leave you with a business that truly resonates with both you and your clients at the end of the day.

3) You are your x-factor; you are your secret sauce. 

What’s the difference between your business and the things that the other 4 billion people on the internet are trying to sell? YOU. Don’t leave the “you” out of your business and marketing because there is only one you. What makes you special? What makes you different enough to stand out against all the other offers available in your business sphere? Find what makes you unique and embrace it. Make it part of your story, your reason “why,” and others will resonate with your message and embrace your business because of that one special factor: You.

So, there you have it. My top three takeaways from the most transformative business discussion I’ve ever heard. 

Now, it’s time to kick my butt into high gear as I start down the road of developing my own editing and coaching business—perhaps something that leads the way to me starting my own publishing company in a few years. Hey, a girl can dream! Especially if that girl turns those dreams into actions.

The funny thing is, I didn’t even WANT to go to this conference as the date approached. And now I’m knee-deep in their mentorship program and starting up my own business, with lofty goals for the future. I think part of me knew that this would be the result of this conference, that I’d get kicked-into-gear with a business that I’m scared of starting. My resistance was hitting me down hardcore. 

But the scariest things are the most meaningful because we’re stepping out of our comfort zones to embrace a new and challenging reality. I want the reality of my dreams, and it’s up to me to take the steps to get there.

I want to have an impact on the world, through my stories and the stories of others. I love to teach and encourage others to bring their books to life, and that is the path I’m now heading down. Writing my own books is still my number-one priority, but I miss my editing days at the United Nations. 

I’m now integrating all of these loves into one concrete thing: helping writers reveal the transformative fiction stories that live within them and bring them out into the world.

What are your lofty dreams and goals? Do you have a business idea that has been gnawing at you to get started? What tips and tricks have you encountered along your way? Share in the comments below!