Part Two: Mission Versus Vision

In last week's post we looked at the common mistake of people trying to market what they do instead of what people want. I certainly used to do that. I thought coaching with horses was the greatest discovery ever made and could help anyone and everyone that experienced it! (I still do actually) However, I soon learned that if you’re talking to everyone, NO ONE IS LISTENING. 

Recently, I was a guest on “Webinars with Wendy” hosted by Wendy Murdoch, founder of the ‘Murdoch Method’, an equine stability program. (The replay lives here:  https://youtu.be/PW0AHRoffZY )

We were talking a little bit about how we built our businesses and how important it was to narrow our client focus. She refers to it as a  ‘Boutique Business’. I LOVE that reference. Boutiques are specialty shops. We are NOT Amazon!

In Part One of this series, “Market versus Niche” I have the example of two horse trainers. 

The first example with the generic horse trainer and a barrel racer is a perfect illustration of the horse trainer trying to sell what he does to anyone who will buy. The barrel racer is not interested because she does not hear a solution to her problem (shave 5 seconds off her next race). And the generic trainer didn’t bother to ask her anything about herself or her horse. His focus was to try to convince her that he was a great trainer. (This approach is what makes ‘selling’ feel icky!)

The second example is a trainer speaking a very specific language that the barrel racier is already listening for. She specifically hears the words, “I teach barrel racers and their horses, how to beat their own records…” what comes after that is secondary. At this point in the conversation, the trainer has the barrel racer’s undivided attention. This trainer is not ‘selling’ herself or even ‘horse training’. She is offering a specific solution to a problem that someone wants to solve.

Think about the people that you personally want to serve. Once you have identified your perfect clientele you need to find out what it is that they want or need to have solved and are willing to invest in the solution with you. 

How do you know if you’ve identified the right ideal client? I have several steps in a process that I take clients through, but I want you to consider one fundamental criterion for making a commitment to your ideal client that will sustain you through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Know your Vision. 

In today’s A Little Bit O’ Biz Wiz… we look at the difference between your Vision and your Mission. I used to struggle with the nuance between the two. But once I clearly defined their meanings, my actions for moving forward came into perfect focus. 

I hope that it sparks some clarity for you as well!

Enjoy ~xo
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A Little Bit O’ Biz Wiz…

Vision versus Mission

In the most basic terms…

• Your Vision is the super goal, possibly one you may never witness or experience in your lifetime. Like achieving actual World Peace. Think of that as a perfect pie. 
• Your Mission is your contribution to the pie. What is your sliver of a slice that you can commit to achieving that will add to the completion of the whole pie?

Where do you most want to make a difference in your community, industry, or the world?  What do you see that isn’t working, may even be harming other humans or horses? What commitment are you willing to make to change the status quo?

Your commitment is your Mission! Your Mission consists of a series of measurable goals that move you toward the completion of your Mission.

For example: “End World Hunger” is too broad and daunting as a mission. But it’s an excellent Vision for the Mission to feed 100 homeless children a month in your community. That’s a specific mission. You can measure your results and adjust your actions according to the results you achieve. 

My broad Vision is to see equine inspired personal and professional transformation become as popular as yoga and Starbucks! My Mission, the contribution to that Vision, is to personally talk to, inspire, and support 1000 practitioners within 5 years. To reach 1000 practitioners within 5 years I need to personally talk to, inspire, and support 20 practitioners per month in helping them build a professional practice so they can reach more clients. Which contributes to the popularity of equine inspired learning!

At the end of every month, I can measure whether or not I achieved the goal of personally talking to 20 new people and what the outcomes were of each conversation. 

I don’t need every conversation to lead to a new client to be impactful. A certain percentage will go on to work with me, which helps me to feed my own horses, reach more people, and fulfill my mission. 

The Mission has a measured result. The Vision is the broader implications. 

Think of your perfect world. Write out a statement that describes that perfect world. 

Here’s an example of what one client shared with me:

All the people are happy. When there's a disagreement, people agree to disagree. There is no quarreling or drama. Love for life & being supportive of one another is held as the most valuable to be had. There is music, dancing, shared stories, great food, and a shared sense of well being throughout the communities/ homes/ year. People are their authentic selves.

Something that is clearly important to her is ‘no quarreling or drama’ and people agree to disagree. That’s a Vision of an element of her perfect world. The work she chooses to do with horses today is to teach children communication and social problem-solving skills. 

If she has a Mission to work with 500 children per year for the next 10 years the ripple effect of her efforts will have a significant impact toward her perfect World Vision. 

Her first step is to design her program to serve 10 children at a time. 4 programs per month will achieve the goal of serving 500 children a year. If she doesn’t have the capacity to serve that many at this time she starts with what she can do today and re-adjusts until she can maximize her programs based on her present capacity, and then plan for the future growth necessary to eventually achieve the goal of her Mission. She may eventually train other facilitators from around the country to implement her program, which contributes to her Mission of reaching 500 children per year. 

With the Vision of expanding space exploration in order to understand our Galaxy and our Universe, NASA set a Mission to land a man on the Moon, there were multiple goals or milestones to accomplish, there with trips into outer space to test leaving our atmosphere, navigating zero gravity with flights around the Earth, and then plotting the course and technology necessary to actually land on the Moon.

What's your 'moonshot'? Your Vision and your Mission need to stretch you into becoming the person who makes a stand for and a commitment to improving the world in some small way. 

The more important it is to you, the more it will focus and sustain your actions and future success!

~xo

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A Quote to Lick n’ Chew on… 

That’s one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind!

~Neil Armstrong, the first person to step foot on the Moon

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Business Mentorship and Coaching

COVID19 note: This training will serve you for both online and in-person program/service delivery. And if you’re wondering how to bring your expertise with horses online… now is the time, for sure!!

If you are eager to define your own signature service and create a solid foundation for growing and sustaining your business for years to come, I hope you will consider what I’m about to offer.

12-Weeks of PRIVATE Quantum Leap Readiness Business Mentorship 

You can learn more about it and request an application here: → Apply Here ← 

The program is designed to help you create and implement all of the bullet points below with the language your potential clients will understand. 

• What you market (your Signature Service)
• Who you are marketing to (your ideal Client and what they WANT)
• How you will reach them (Awareness Strategies)
• What you will say to inspire them to work with you (your Messaging)
• What your follow-up strategy is (free-taste, email campaign, micro offer, etc.)
• What your enrollment process is (web page, application, registration, phone call, etc.)

BONUS:

We have to address the ‘money stuff’. This is not just a ‘teaching’ program, it’s also a coaching program that requires your own personal growth in alignment with the growth of your business. Believe me, marketing ‘yourself’ entails more personal growth than you might expect, and so much of that is wrapped up in our beliefs and behaviors with money. Enrollment includes the 3-part series, “Reflections of Money” for the Profitable Equine Practitioner!

There are many marketing programs that will teach you the foundational basics, but few include the personal/professional coaching necessary to instill the confidence and mindset required. AND even fewer that understand the significance and value of the horses as part of your business model and programming. 

I’ve named it the ‘Quantum Leap Readiness Business Mentorship’ because it prepares you with a foundation to be able to leap into the next highest version, and then the next highest version of your business over and over again. 

Learn more about it and request an application here: → Apply Here ← 

To Your Horse & Soul Success,

~author of, “The Business of Coaching with Horses. How to Reach More Clients, Feed Your Horses and Change the World!”

My mission is to empower and educate equine inspired practitioners in the art of profitable program design and marketing. My dream-come-true is to see equine-assisted personal and professional development be recognized and celebrated for the unique transformational modality that it is, and to become as popular as yoga and Starbucks!