When I first took my act on the road and began to perform keynote speeches, I had the privilege of meeting hundreds, no thousands, of small business owners. One of the questions I kept hearing was, “Mike, can you give me a few easy steps that I can implement now to grow my business?”
These conversations inspired me to create a new system for growing and scaling businesses, and The Pumpkin Plan was born. (If that sounds as though it happened overnight, it didn’t, but the system can be implemented in that time!)
As you know I have partners who have taken some of my systems and created businesses out of them and one of those superstars is Donna Leyens, of Pumpkin Plan Your Biz. When I asked if she had any testimonials to share, she immediately sent me to this blog about the transformation her client, Christeen Era, experienced. I’d like for you to glance at the below so you can get any questions you have answered about The Pumpkin Plan and apply it to your business today.
The Business Strategy that Changes Lives
May 9, 2022/in Business Growth /by Donna Leyens
Successful but Miserable
Christeen Era was a successful business owner with a thriving business. And she was miserable. She had built her business from scratch. But there were elements of the business that she just hated. She had clients that made her life miserable on a regular basis. Sometimes she didn’t even want to answer the phones. She had employee headaches. She had no control over her time. Eventually, she realized that this was not how she wanted to live her life and something had to change. So she took that business apart and started over with a new business strategy.
As Christeen was building her new business and trying to stay on course, she discovered The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow and Extraordinary Business in Any Field, by Mike Michalowicz, and the light bulb went on for her.
The Pumpkin Plan is based on the idea that when you are operating in your Business Sweet Spot, business growth stops being hard.
The Sweet Spot is the place where 3 key elements of your business align: your Top Clients, your Unique Offering and your Systems and Processes.
When you have an identifiable Top Client Niche, a Unique Offering that your Top Clients want and need, and the Systems and Processes to deliver your Unique Offering to your Top Clients efficiently, effectively and profitably, you are in your Sweet Spot.
As Christeen read the book, she was able to identify the reasons why she so was unhappy in her first business and make sure that she didn’t make the same mistakes again. The last time she was not operating in her Sweet Spot. This time would be different.
Life Changing Transformation
Christeen was so impressed with the power of the The Pumpkin Plan method, that she decided to become a Certified Pumpkin Plan Strategist so that she could help her clients undergo the life changing transformation that she was experiencing.
(Go HERE to watch a video of Christeen talking about the impact that becoming a Pumpkin Plan Strategist has had on her business).
For Christeen, that transformation started with the Mission, Vision, and Purpose exercises from the Pumpkin Plan Program. Getting really clear on her long term vision and her business mission, as well as her core values, made a huge difference to the direction of the business. Putting these thoughts on paper enabled her to see how her business vision could enable her vision for her life.
She saw that she could have a profitable company, she could buy the house of her dreams, she could go on vacations with her family, and give herself space to not have to work around the clock to achieve her financial goals. According to Christeen: “I don’t think we would even be here where we’re at now, if we hadn’t applied the mission, vision and purpose exercises the way that we did.”
The Power of Niching
Christeen’s business, Core Growth Strategies, is a high-end accounting and business growth consulting company. Initially, they were serving a diverse group of small businesses. After doing the Top Client Assessment from the Pumpkin Plan, Christeen identified a niche client base – the Lawn Care and Landscape Industry. She recognized that she had found a group of business owners that really needed her help, and she felt uniquely qualified to serve.
As she slowly started getting rid of the clients who were not ideal for her company, everything started operating more smoothly, efficiently and profitably.
Christeen saw such a big opportunity to go all-in serving her client niche that she started a separate business with a partner, Green Profit Academy, specifically focused on delivering profitable growth strategies to the Lawn Care industry. Because she knows the industry so well, and she knows their issues and challenges so well, she has been able to take a deep dive into finding solutions that are specific to their industry. She has created tools and processes, and customized the Pumpkin Plan and Profit First tools to meet the specific needs of her client niche.
Specialization has had many benefits for Christeen’s two businesses. Because they are serving a specific niche, she has been able to streamline her operations, making it easier to run her businesses.
Christeen’s team members know exactly what her clients need, and they have the systems to support that. Her employees don’t have to learn about or ask questions about many different types of businesses, because they are focused on serving one type of business.
Christeen and her companies have become known as the experts, the go-to accounting and coaching firms in the Lawn Care industry. The word has gotten out, and prospective clients are finding her. Her marketing has become highly streamlined and effective, as she can speak to the specific needs of her clients’ industry. The return on her marketing investment is high, creating higher profits in her business.
The Biggest Transformation
The biggest transformation for Christeen, however, has been how she feels about her business. She and her team members are really passionate about what they do. They know that they are making a real difference in the lives of their clients and that is very rewarding for them. Thanks to The Pumpkin Plan strategy, Christeen is bringing in the income that supports her lifestyle, she has control of her time, she is doing work she is passionate about, and she has fallen back in love with her business!
Are you passionate about supporting small businesses to grow and thrive? Become a Certified Pumpkin Plan Strategist
Would you like help and guidance to reach your business goals? Hire a Pumpkin Plan Strategist
