About The Mcneal Method
Support, training, coaching and workshops for small home based businesses, start-ups and creative entrepreneurs.
The Mcneal Method Description
What do we do? We aren't business consultants or coaches - well not in the traditional sense. We won't charge you extortionate amounts of your hard earned money for a 'phone call which won't make a difference to your business.
At Hardman McNeal we 'simplify' your business.
You do what you do exceptionally well or you wouldn't be in business, right? But it's the other stuff; the sales, keeping up to date on social media, knowing what to do when, setting realistic goals and then acheiving them.
You probably feel like you're busy working 15 hours a day but getting nowhere fast, you feel overwhelmed with everything you think you need to do and don't know where to start.
You might not even have a plan! (and you wouldn't be the only one! )
Well we've been where you are, and we've felt that way too, so we're speaking from experience, which we have oodles of!
We champion small businesses. We WANT you to grow and to succeed, so we help you in every way we can, whether that's through one to one support, connecting you and referring you to the right people, a workshop, a one off training session, coaching or our signature 5 star rated 12 month Business Simplified course.
For bigger businesses, we can work with your sales teams and turn them around. We can put processes in place and give them the motivation and guidelines needed to produce the results you need.
We do not operate a 'one-size-fits-all approach, and we only ever work in smaller groups so we can give you the support you need.
Our aim in business is to make sure that we help you have the lightbulb moments you need to see the opportunities in your business.
We don't leave anyone in the dark.
If you're ready to flick the switch and see the potential you have come to life, then get in touch - we'd love to work with you!
Much love
Jenny and Cate
Reviews
CANVA can make a huge difference to your business AND your branding. Find out how on this workshop!
CANVA is a fantastic way of creating all your own graphic design needs in a simple way for business owners who don't tend to think of themselves as technically minded! In this informal, fun and interactive workshop you will learn all the features of Canva that you will need to create business cards, logos, leaflets, posters, downloads, guides, social media posts, info-graphics ...and memes, cover pictures and much more. We'll look at how to import fonts and pictures, where to source images from, and what works best for YOUR brand. We will go through basic elements of design and the do's and don'ts of getting your look just right. The session will be shown on a big screen so you can easily follow step by step guides, and if you'd like to bring your own laptop or tablet you can follow along s we go and create your own posts there and then! FREE parking, refreshments and workbook included.
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SALES AND PROMOTION These are like swear words for small businesses. Without exception, this is the one area that every client groans at when we have to discuss it. They can provide the service, make the product, but actually take it out there to a waiting audience - they'd rather poke themselves in the eye with a hot poker than try to 'sell' their goods or time! Do you feel the same? ... What makes you feel so uncomfortable about it? Why would you rather crawl under a rock and hide than tell someone how much you're charging for something and accept money from them?
I'd love your feedback on this topic, as I know it's a massive block for so many of you out there. I'll be doing some new workshops and downloads on these topics in coming weeks too, so I can help you crack this one once and for all!
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When it comes to your business, do you wish you understood Facebook better? What is this algorithm thing that people keep talking about? How do you get people to actually engage with you? When should you post, how often and what do you say? And how do Facebook ads work - should you boost posts and what good does it do anyway?
... Well all of these questions and more will be answered. Tomorrow evening is the next Facebook For Business workshop! These have been a sell out and the business owners who have been on the sessions have seen a direct increase in their engagement and activity. Check out the real example in the picture below - and the business page this was take from had 100 page likes the week before, not thousands.
Places are just £20 and refreshments are included, along with a printable workbook. Book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/facebook-f or-business-ticket…
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Everything you need is already out there waiting, you just need to figure out how to connect the dots to bring it to you.
That's the part of helping businesses which I love the most. When we find you the right lane, the right audience to speak to, the right price point, solve the right problems for your customers ... it really is magical just how it all starts to fall into place, and your business blooms as a result.
... Stop wishing and deliberating. Make the changes you need.
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One thing I always like to get straight from the get-go with my clients, is defining who the ideal customer is for them. This is ALWAYS a sore point with them however, as they'll have been on courses before and tried to work it out and come up blank or with an answer that's too vague.
There are three points to consider before you can start to define your ideal customer though:
... 1. Why do you actually need to think about an 'ideal client'?? In order to sell anything, whether it's a service or a product, you need to know who is the MOST LIKELY to buy it. Sure, you can put it out there for the whole world and it's dog to buy, but apart from being vastly more expensive and time consuming, that's kind of a hit and hope strategy. The more specific you can be with anything, the better the outcome will be for all concerned.
2. You may need more than one! If you have a range of different products or services, the ideal customer profile you've created may not apply to everything you offer. That's absolutely fine, and with my method, I would create a different ideal customer profile for each aspect of your business if needed. 3. Is your customer the same as your end user? I touch on this a lot in many of my workshops, and this is such an important point, especially if you are in the gift market or offer a service such as pet care or children's services and products. The customer is the person BUYING the product or service, but the end user is the one who will actually be using it.
Parker Pens is now a household name, but they too struggled with this whole issue, as they mistakenly thought that they were selling pens.... but what they were actually was selling gifts. So they're advertising needed to be targeted towards people looking for gifts, not necessarily pens - see the difference?
I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic, and I'll spend some more time on posts for this area of business very soon.
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Overthinking can literally cost you hours of productivity in your business. Call it what you like; second guessing, over thinking, analysing, questioning yourself .. it all amounts to the same thing: Being stuck in your own head and crippled by uncertainty. The brave amongst us may - after a decent chunk of wasted time - decide to take action and throw caution to the wind, but many more will shelve whatever it was they really wanted to do in favour of a safer option.
... Is safe ever the best option though? 'Safe' brings trickles of new customers, it brings occasional sales, it may even bring the odd new opportunity, but 'safe' rarely kicks open the door of fortune announcing 'I'M HERE!!!!!'.
But what does overthinking look like? Well, in the clients I see, it comes in lots of different guises, but the most common phrases I hear are 'Is this actually good enough to sell?' 'Am I even good enough to provide this service?' 'What if people don't like what I have to say?!' 'There are already people out there selling what I want to sell' and a million other questions just like those.
If you're reading this and nodding - which most of you will be - you'll also be wanting to know exactly HOW you stop the self sabotage of overthinking. The best piece of advice I can give you is to get out of your own head. Stop internalising the issues which are plaguing you. Talk to someone - preferably not your partner or best mate as they'll be biased - find another business owner, someone not in the same industry, join a friendly business network, join an online chat or support group, hire a coach or mentor. Once you get everything out in the open and you have some external input, things will begin to look very different.
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Follow me on Pinterest!
If I could spend a couple of hours working on your business, what would you want me to do?
Look at your branding? Design some social media posts? Posting for you? Look at your market and identify your ideal client? Reviewing your Facebook page? Creating content ideas? Send an email campaign for you? Sort out a database of your clients? What else ...
Where are the gaps in your business that you need help with? When I see my coaching clients, our sessions are spent looking at ...working towards the bigger goals, the next steps, fine tuning the processes and honing the work they've done so far.
But I want to be able to help more business owners who maybe don't want or need coaching, but would like to get a little help as and when needed with jobs similar to the ones I mentioned above. Would this suit you and your business? I'd love some feedback from you on this, and tell me what you'd most need help with.
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Three more of the super popular workshops coming up in May. Checkout the 'Events' section of my page for more details and info on how to book.
Are YOU overwhelmed? Let me guess: You have an overflowing to do list. Your head is bursting with ideas and new projects. You have unfinished tasks all over the place. ... Sound about right? No wonder you're overwhelmed!
99% of my clients suffer from overwhelm when I first meet them, and this is one of the first issues I address and help them deal with. But how? Well, we get everything from in your head on to paper. We get rid of the things that don't NEED to be there. We pick out the bigger and more immediate goals; things like getting the website sorted, expanding a product range, selling on Etsy and so on. Then we look at the processes needed for each goal and all of the steps that come along with it, and create a timeline for each one that the client will work to.
This will make sense of the jumble in your head, and because it's all on paper and scheduled in to your calendar, you'll finally have a light at the end of the tunnel and a date to work to. Plus, because we're working on this together, I'll know what you need to be doing for when, so I can keep you accountable and on track.
If you need help to see the wood for the trees, get in touch for a chat.
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Are you keeping in touch with your followers as often as you should? As a business owner, one of your objectives is to find the people out there who love what you do, or are interested to learn more about you as a brand. You may well post frequently on social media, but do you contact them individually to let them know about the new things you're working on, new research you've discovered, new products or sales and discounts. If people love what you do already the chances a...re that they'll also love the new things you offer, but they aren't psychic. If you don't tell them, then how will they know?
I know you think that by posting it on Facebook or Instagram then anyone who likes you and follows you page will see it, right? Wrong! They may not see the post, it may not appear in their timeline.
Imagine you are in a cafe. You order a coffee, but then decide you want to order some food. You can't see a menu anywhere, and there's no-one around to ask, there may be a specials board but you cant see it anywhere so you assume it doesn't exist. but you're short on time and can't hang around waiting. Chances are that you wouldn't bother, and grab something elsewhere. You'd also think that maybe the owners of the cafe don't really care about your custom, or that their service isn't great. They didn't make it easy for you to get what you wanted.
It's exactly the same with YOUR business. You need to inform people about what you offer and how they can buy. Anything less is actually dong your customers a dis-service!
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It often astounds me to find out how little confidence people have in themselves, when I am left awestruck by their journey, their talent, their determination. One of the things I love most about my role as a development coach is that I am able to witness first-hand the realisation that dawns on people, when the penny finally drops, and they become aware of just how amazing they really are.
Just some of the amazing feedback I've been lucky to receive recently. Thankyou to everyone for your comments and reviews!
One of the advantages of seeing so many clients across so many different industries is that I pick up lots of helpful hints and tips I can pass on to other clients. I believe that we are always learning, and no-one knows everything that there is to know, but if we can share knowledge and empower each other, then we can all grow and thrive. Whether it's a new app, the latest software, some best practice or something to avoid, everything I pick up I pass on.
Next week I have the Facebook for Business workshop, and also two dates for the Canva workshop too. The week after I have Pinterest and Instagram workshops running. You can book in at my Eventbrite page, but there are only a couple of places left on each session! Each workshop includes a free workbook and refreshments. https://mcnealmethod.eventbrite.co.uk
If you have a tough decision to make, just flip a coin. Not to decide for you. But you'll realise what you really want while the coin is in the air.
I always and without fail advise to go with your gut, to follow you instincts, and this is exactly it. You already know where you should be and what you need to do, just breathe and follow the path.
Forward focus ❤️⬆️