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The Estherpreneur is a weekly chat about doing business and life God’s way. Join your host, Edna Harding as she offers biblical strategies and practical applications to improve your mind, business, spirit, relationships, and finances. Listen along as she talks with guests on how to thrive in all areas of life. Edna is a Wife, Mother, Growth Strategist, Author, Minister, Certified Maxwell Business Consultant and Executive Coach, an accredited Master Mindset Coach, and Speaker whose message of hope, truth, and wisdom reaches people all around the world. FavorandWealth.com Estherpreneur.com
Edna Harding [00:00:03]:
Welcome to Estrepreneur, a podcast for entrepreneurs and leaders doing business and life God's way. Each week, we discuss biblical and to improve your mind, business, spirit, relationships, and finances. Listen along as I speak with special guests on how to thrive in all aspects of life. Hi, I'm Edna. Like many of you, I wear many hats. I'm a military wife, mother, author, certified John Maxwell business and executive coach, trainer and founder of Favor and Wealth who we help the good guys win. So tune in as we bring on the light. Well, hello, everyone.
Edna Harding [00:00:48]:
Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the Entrepreneur Podcast. My name is Edna, and I'm your host. And today, I'm excited to be sharing 3 free strategies I've used to attract more clients into my business. Now remember, these strategies, if you guys are new to the podcast, just know and you have no idea what this is about, this is about how to grow your business and create a fulfilling life utilizing biblical wisdom. And today, we're gonna talk about your business. We're gonna talk about growing your business, specifically how to attract more clients. So everything that I'll be sharing with you is gonna be based on strategies I got from the Bible. Because I truly believe that seeking wisdom from God's word is the key to success that lasts, to sustainable success.
Edna Harding [00:01:44]:
And so today, we're gonna talk about 3 things that I do that, has helped me increase my reach and also get the clientele that the Lord wants me to have, not just from an assignment standpoint, but also from a revenue standpoint. Okay? So let's go ahead and begin. And to those of you guys who are returning, welcome back. Alright. So let's dive in. I do have a busy day today, so I'm gonna go ahead and get cracking. So our first strategy is inspired by the spirit of generosity. You know, in Acts 2035, it tells us that it's more blessed to give than to receive.
Edna Harding [00:02:30]:
So in business, this means that we need to create a culture where you give more value than you expect to receive. Now I have to say this, that this isn't just about giving things away for free just just for for the sake of giving it away. It's about meaningfully adding value to other people's lives. So what does that mean? You have to be intentional. So, specifically, for me, there are certain areas that I wanted just to, you know, just help out, just to give back because God has blessed me so much with my business. And so what I do typically whenever I have a new product or service, I go after, a couple of things. So let me kind of back up. I feel like I'm going jumping ahead.
Edna Harding [00:03:17]:
So the tip is you could start a campaign where you offer your services for free of charge to a specific nonprofit, to maybe some churches, maybe to less fortunate people, per quarter. Right? So for me, I've worked I've I've volunteered my services to inmates who were interested in entrepreneurship, homeless people. I've I've done workshops with homeless people. I've also done workshops at churches, benefit like, literally spent months with them in developing a robust growth business growth plan for a group of women to help them, get started in a right foot or get from stuck to unstuck, if that makes sense. And because what it does, it it doesn't just help those in need, but it also showcases your commitment to the bigger agenda, which is what? To make the world a better place because god doesn't want you to just be holding on to your gifts and talents to people who can afford you. He wants you to be a blessing to people that can never pay you. Does that make sense? And so that's one thing I love to do is to be able to share my gifts and talents with people that may never hire me in the future, but I know I made a significant impact in their lives. So, this, for me, has brought so much joy and fulfillment for me, not because, like, oh my gosh.
Edna Harding [00:04:51]:
Like, I'm so good. Like, I'm so amazing. No. None of that. But it was just because, like, seeing their lives change, seeing them from a place of brokenness, barrenness to, like, fulfilled and joyful and just the sky is the limit. Like, they went from a place of defeat to a place of victory. And I know it sounds cliche and very churchy, but this is really what happens when you involve the words and instructions of the Holy Spirit. So that's one example that I really think would help you, get the clients.
Edna Harding [00:05:27]:
Because I I always say that whatever you make happen for God's people, he will do for you. I remember he told me one time, he says, you take care of my business. I'll take care of your business. And that really changed my approach to things. I don't do it like, oh, what's in it for me? What's in it for me? It's always what's in it for God? Like, what's in it for God's kingdom? What's in it for God's people? Because when you have your priorities straight, when you have your heart in check, this is a time when the Lord would truly bless you with the type of clients you want. I mean, not and mind you, I had my handful of, people that, actually, no. Most pretty much all my clients I've enjoyed working with. It was just the the challenging part was some of them weren't really open to really implementing the wisdom and the strategies from the bible.
Edna Harding [00:06:22]:
So they ended up doing things the world's way and which means what ended up happening was they didn't get the results, and then they blame me when in reality is because they follow some other system versus God's system. And if they just stay committed to the plan, if they just stay committed to the instructions that God gave me, I think they'll be further ahead than where they are now. Because, again, it's not me who comes up with these strategies. It's the Lord's strategy. And what better way to learn how to succeed than a person who always succeeds, right, which is god. You know, god is the creator of all things, and so why not learn from the master genius himself? Right? So strategy number 2, and I think this will really help you, get clients, is go after the one, not the masses. So I remember one time I was running around. We were living in Newport, Rhode Island, and, I was running around running around, and I was like, oh my gosh.
Edna Harding [00:07:20]:
This is a time during COVID. Right? And, everyone was kinda, like, working from home, virtual stuff. And I remember I was like, okay, god. I just gave birth. I'm you know, I have 5 was it I think how old was she? Like, 6 months or 7 months old, and I was, how old was she? Maybe she was 1 and I was pregnant. I don't forgot. I'm getting forget the sit when exactly it happened. But bottom line, as I was running around oh, no.
Edna Harding [00:07:45]:
I had just given birth, so she was probably, like, 7 or 8 months. Anyway, that's not important. I don't know why I'm even sharing that. But I remember I was running around. The holy spirit told me, go after go after the one, not the masses. And he reminded me about the lost sheep and that he left the 99 to go after 1. And the way he explained it to me was that he searched for the one that wandered off. And a lot of times, this means focusing on those that businesses are neglecting, other businesses are neglecting, or other businesses are rejecting.
Edna Harding [00:08:19]:
Right? Focusing on the your efforts on the one who really needs your service rather than trying to appeal to everyone. So my point is, like, a lot of times we go after the rich people. We go after, you know, the people that have money, the people that have influence, the people. And and what the Lord told me is to go after the ones that were struggling. I'm like, well, how am I gonna get rich off of that? That's the first question I asked. It was like, okay, god. Okay. So you want me to help the people that can't afford me.
Edna Harding [00:08:47]:
I'm like, how is this going to work? And in my mind, I'm like, this is gonna be challenging, god, because I've invested so much time and money and in getting certifications and learning the skill set that I have, investing in mentors, coaches, things like that, systems. And I'm basically charging them a little tiny percentage of what I should be charging them. And anyway, I obeyed even though I didn't understand the logic because it was going against the grain. It was going against my flesh. It was going against the numbers. I'm like, how am I going to survive? And you know what? When I focus on those people, then I had you would trickle in clients that would pay me what I'm worth. And most importantly, I would have other areas of blessing. So for example, the type of connections I had, the type of influence I had, the doors that were open to me.
Edna Harding [00:09:37]:
I was sitting in tables that were making decisions for the cities, you know, versus, like, it maybe it wasn't money. It was intangible things. And until until this day, I still don't know the whole gamification of things, but I I just do know that all of that work if I for good. I was able to sustain myself. I was able to enjoy the, you know, life and and maybe not live the type of life I wanted to live, but I was happy. I was at peace. I you know, we were able to go on trips, and we were able to, you know, pay off debt, and we were able to take care of our family. And, it was challenging.
Edna Harding [00:10:12]:
It was really hard because I know I shoulda could've been could've had a better quality of life. But because I chose here to follow his ways and his instructions, I truly believe that I'm gonna reap the benefits of that obedience even though I don't see it right now. I I've sensed that it's only a matter of time because god is a rewarder of obedience. Does that make sense? And so how to make that practical is you wanna identify and service niche markets or overlooked audiences. Right? And these could be people who aren't currently being reached by, you know, mainstream marketing, like, what a lot of people go after. You know? Like, for example, when I went on LinkedIn to do the marketing stuff this is back then when LinkedIn wasn't a thing. Right? LinkedIn was just, like, back then when it first started out. I went there, you know, and I got a lot of momentum.
Edna Harding [00:11:04]:
This is when I was still working at corporate. And even for Facebook and Instagram, not everyone is there. Right? So everyone is going after the LinkedIn and the virtual, like, the virtual stuff, which is cool. But I really believe that we need to focus on the part the in person people because there's still a lot of people who likes in person connections, and so you gotta do a mix of both. So this is one aspect of this. I don't do what the trend is telling you to do. Go with the the prompting of the holy spirit. Like, god, where where can I serve you more in? You know? I remember one time I was focusing on thank you, holy spirit.
Edna Harding [00:11:43]:
That was a good reminder. So, when was this? 2016? Yeah. 2016. The lord told me because I was working with a lot of small businesses and strata. Like, I want you to focus on students, like young adults and young teenagers. I was like, well, how am I gonna pay for LA? I was like, this is just really bad. And so bottom line was I ended up focusing on teenagers, and I wasn't charging them. It was they were actually, what do you call it, sponsored by their, like, the, like, the local businesses.
Edna Harding [00:12:20]:
So, like, someone had to like, the local leaders. Thank you, holy spirit. The local leaders had to recommend them, and then they would have to go through the application process. And I was, like, creating this program. I still have it in my computer, believe it or not. I have the whole curriculum, the whole the whole system, and I started promoting it in, schools. In fact, I got it to, like, the final stages in one of the major, school districts in Conroe, Montgomery ISD, and I was in there. And long story short, that's when all my everything just went to crap because of the challenges because of the scam with the with the church, the church pastors, with the commercial real estate.
Edna Harding [00:12:58]:
I had to start over or lose it. Like, it was just a hot mess because I wasted pretty much a year dealing with these fraudulent people that was taking me, you know, just money to like, tons and tons of money just to recuperate from those losses from the previous years. And, anyway, I don't have time to go over the detail, but bottom line was, I think that would have been a good niche for me if I just stayed on it, but I got, you know and the enemy, what he does is try to sidetrack you with life challenges, and that's what happened. Like, I couldn't focus on that even though and now everyone and their mamas, right, are going after schools. Well, not everyone and their mamas. I can't even say that. But they're going after schools. But but, like, here's the deal.
Edna Harding [00:13:44]:
Like, god gives you ideas, and you have new ideas, and you have to, like, act on it. Right? And I truly believe when you ask the lord to reveal those hidden pockets of and by the way, that program was an entrepreneurship program, kinda like what I do for grown ups, but I tailored it to students. And so I did I was able to do a class with that, and so that was one good. I got great results. I think well, I know one of them. Not gonna Anna, if you're listening. Hey. She started her own, wax studio.
Edna Harding [00:14:17]:
Her it's like a gosh. What is it called? It said wax and facials. Okay. What do you call that? A spa. Thank you. Okay. What do you call that? So, anyway, long story short, it works. And I know it works, but it's just, like, going after the the areas that no one is going after.
Edna Harding [00:14:36]:
Hoping that's making sense. Okay? Alright. And the 3rd and I wanted to say to hold on a minute. Just look at my notes here. Instead of trying to pitch to every business owner, okay, focus on a specific group, such as those who share your values or in a particular stage of business growth. So for me, for example, I pitch to Christian entrepreneurs and leaders. I really like I'm like, okay. The world, I can pitch it to them, but they're not gonna get it.
Edna Harding [00:15:04]:
They're not gonna understand it. So I honed in on that, but not just Christian entrepreneurs and leaders, because a lot of Christian entrepreneurs and leaders. I'm talking about people who want to do business God's way, not just lying, not not not just like like moral standpoint, but actually get strategies from the word of God and implement it into their business. And so, I wanted people that were open to that, and that would want that would actually do it. Right? You could hear about the word of God, but, you know, the Bible says that, that don't just be hearers of the word, but doers. Right? So, you know, I could preach all day and all night to a bunch of business owner and tell them, like, this is a strategy for the word of God, how to grow your business. If they don't implement it, like, it's not gonna work. So it's going on deaf ears.
Edna Harding [00:15:55]:
So I'm actually looking for finishers. And over the past gosh. I've been doing this since for 10 years. Didn't really do it full time, really, for a full year only because I was dealing with so much traumatic things. I mean, oh my gosh. Like, major challenges. And I felt like, finally, I'm at a place and, like, okay. I could finally go full time.
Edna Harding [00:16:14]:
Because even when I left my corporate job, thinking like, oh, all is well, that was the time when I got when I was dealing with that corporate real estate, the corp not corporate, commercial real estate scam for 2 years with those pastors, just taking all the money that I had, and from my business and putting it towards this commercial real estate that didn't exist. And that was a lot of money. Then on top of that, I was paying lawyers, trying to fix everything and found out, like, oh my gosh. You were scamming me this whole time. But my point is even the time when I left my corporate job and then after that, you know, got I got pregnant, so I had to take some time off, because we got married, got to take some time off. And then when I gave birth 6 months later, you know, COVID happened. And then, you know, we were shut down for a year and then, got pregnant again, went to Florida. And so I had 2 little ones, and I was doing my business part time.
Edna Harding [00:17:13]:
But my point is, I now that I really think I'm sorry if I'm running running around, like, running my mouth, but I feel like this is, like, really the first time, like, right now, as in September 12, 2024, where I'm actually gonna get to work on my business full time because both girls are finally in school full time. So I'm excited to see what the Lord does this hour. Although, even in those past 10 years, I wasn't really been able to do my business full time. I'm so excited to see, you know, what focus can do now that I have more time. And and I'm doing the same thing. Right? I'm focusing on what? I'm focusing on Christian entrepreneurs who are open to doing business God's ways. I'm hounded on that, not just open thinking holy spirit who's going to do business God's way. Alright? Because, basically, how how I have it and then I'm like, like, how do you even, you know, how do you even implement that? I was like, well, if I give them a suggestion and they don't wanna do it and they wanna keep doing it the systems of the world's way, meaning I know it's not gonna get them anywhere because that's not what the Lord told me, I will fire my client.
Edna Harding [00:18:22]:
Meaning, like, I will give them, you know, I'll give them a few options. But if I see that they're constantly going against what the Lord is telling me, I'll rather lose that client and focus on another client that's going to actually do what I said because I wanna see fruits for our labor. Right? I I'm not here to just talk. I'm not here to say, oh, I work with this client, this many clients. I don't care about the number of clients. I'm looking for impact. I'm looking for kingdom impact. I'm looking for impact against the kingdom of darkness and business.
Edna Harding [00:18:52]:
Like, I truly wanna help the good guys win. And so if you're gonna keep I don't care if you're a Christian or if you love Jesus, if you're gonna keep doing it the world's way, I'm not gonna work with you. And that's okay because this is what you do. You don't go after the masses. You go after the one. You go after the people who are actually who actually sees the value that you bring to the table, right, and who actually appreciates you. So I I don't know who this is for, but if you have clients that you're going after and they are not taking you seriously, they don't see your worth, I'm telling you guys, there's another sheepfold that you need to go after. Stop going after the goats.
Edna Harding [00:19:29]:
Go after the sheep. Go after the people that god has you a shepherd of, and that's where you're gonna find your riches. Okay? That just went off my, my radar here, but this is exactly what the lord wanted me to talk about. So as I told him, he could interrupt me at any time. Alright. Strategy number 3. Strategy number 3 is build relationships, not transactions. So this strategy I got from Proverbs 18/24, a man who has friends must himself be friendly.
Edna Harding [00:20:02]:
No. This wisdom isn't just about networking. Okay? It's about building genuine friendships. Remember, people do business with who those they know, like, and trust. So what does that mean? When you're at networking events, stop trying to look for clients, look for friends. I literally like, for me, a lot of times people don't even like, I was at the motoring club for I don't know how long and didn't even know what I did. They're like, what do you do, Edna? Because I never talk about business. I'm literally there to learn, grow, serve.
Edna Harding [00:20:29]:
I'm there to, you know, help as much as I can, but a lot of them didn't even know what I did. Right? And that's the thing. Like, don't come in there thinking business first. Think friendship first. Right? You know, create those meaningful connections, show authentic interest in people's needs before pitching your services. So I know you're, like, well, engage in social media. Like, to me, I don't know. Social media is great.
Edna Harding [00:20:56]:
Like, you could Facebook message them or Instagram them, but I feel like everyone and their mamas are doing it. I think inviting them for coffee, having 1 on 1 conversations, even if it's a virtual coffee, if they have time, because nowadays, people are like, well, if you're not gonna talk business, I don't wanna have coffee with you. You know, like, I do that from time to time. But, you know, it can't be for hours and hours. You know, it has to be like maybe 15 minutes, you know, 1 week kind of thing. But my point is when you genuinely get to know people, when you go to social events, when you find out, you know, about their families, when you serve them without expecting anything in return, that's when you start building genuine friendships. In fact, I can say that a lot of my clients that I had were friends first. And I've had I'm thinking.
Edna Harding [00:21:49]:
No. Actually, majority of my pretty much all my clients are friends first. Thank you, holy spirit. Like me, I didn't know them for a long time. I wasn't trying to get their business. I just hung out with them, you know, talked with them and did live for them, and then, you know, found out what I did, and they hired me. So made it really, really easy. It wasn't a hard sell.
Edna Harding [00:22:08]:
It was a soft sell. Right? And, also, when you like, for example, when you reach out on LinkedIn, like, I see so many times, like, hey. How else I get you know, there's a lot of tidbits there, like, you know, focus on business, focus on adding value and everything. I really think the at the end of the day, it's about getting to know that person on a on a personal level and seeing what matters to them. And if you could see yourself having a chat with them in person, there might be a person that you could like, meaning, like, you see yourself hanging out with them in person. That might be a good person to really reach out and build virtual connections, but even if they're on the other side of the world, because it really does help. I remember there was this lady that, met me through my YouTube channel. And mind you, I'm not active on YouTube anymore.
Edna Harding [00:22:56]:
I used to be very active. I had at one point, like, 5,500 subscribers, and it went down to 3,000 now because of the lack of activity there. I haven't been active for, like, gosh, 3 years or 4 years, really. The bottom line was I met people from all over the world through YouTube, just sharing God's word, sharing God's love, sharing God's encouragement, not even thinking about business. And a lot of them you know, some of them I even had virtual conversations, virtual trainings about spiritual things and even some business things. And, like, I got I did get a couple customers from that. Thank you, holy spirit. I did, but I wasn't focusing on that.
Edna Harding [00:23:41]:
I was focusing on building genuine connections and showing them God's love, and they ended up becoming my clients because I wasn't focusing on transactions. I was focusing on relationships. Does that make sense? Because when you focus on building trust, people naturally become interested in what you have to offer. Alright? Well, hope these strategies, helped you in in in in get not more than just gaining clients, but they're, just help you kind of think outside the box a little bit, you know, from what you normally hear about, you know, growing business. You know, the they're they're they're about being strategic. Right? Serving others and doing business god's way. Now if you found these tips helpful, please, I encourage you, subscribe, share this episode, leave a review. I don't always like to say that, but, apparently, we need to remind you guys because some of you guys forget that if you're really enjoying this, guys, please, that would really help me out, get the word of God out.
Edna Harding [00:24:40]:
Now let's continue to grow our business with wisdom and purpose. Okay? So I just wanna end with a quick prayer. Father God, we just thank you for this time. I thank you for my brothers and sisters who are listening to this episode. And I thank you, Lord God, that your words, oh God, will bear fruit in their spirit, oh God, that they will plant, seeds where it's going to flourish, father. So show them, Lord God. Give them eyes to see and ears to hear what your spirit of truth is saying, God, and reveal to them their secret of stash of wealth, lord god, in dark places. Lord, we love you.
Edna Harding [00:25:11]:
We honor you. We commit to you the rest of the week, and I pray, god, that you bless my brothers and sisters, bless the work of their hands, and may your mighty arm work on their behalf. In Jesus' name, amen. Alright? Well, thank you guys for joining me on The Essentrepreneur. Just remember that you are loved with an everlasting love. Until next time, keep walking in faith and excellence, and remember that you are his. Blessings, my friends. Have a good evening.
Edna Harding [00:25:39]:
Bye bye. Thanks for joining us this week on Estrepreneur. Make sure to visit our website, favorandwealth.com, for more information on our services. While you're at it, if you found value in this show, we'd appreciate a rating on iTunes. Or if you simply tell a friend about the show, that would help me out too. Also, check out my book, The Old New Side of Sales, available on Amazon, where I share 7 of my secrets on how to win and grow business the right way. Until next time, keep shining.