Are you paying twice for stuff you already have?

Self development. Now there’s a thing. It’s something that all of us as small business owners know we need to do, but like so many other things, we find we don’t do it because of time/cost/wind direction/lack of sherbet dib dabs or whatever.

Or, we are so busy taking up every single bit of self development we can get our hands on that it all becomes a great big mish mash of stuff that doesn’t do anything. Courses we buy that we never complete, eBooks we never read, checklists we never use – you know what I mean, right?

I’m guilty of that too. I have a folder of stuff I keep meaning to get around to doing/reading, but never quite seem to get to. Life gets in the way. But what really grips my grollies is when I see my clients, colleagues & friends busily investing in self development that they have already got.

They are investing in services & products that overlap because they have lost sight of what they already have, what they are already investing in & how helps them. And they end up paying for stuff twice because they aren’t clear about what they are committed to.

Let’s take one of my VIP coaching clients. Let’s call him Fred. Fred is a VIP coaching client with me on the 60 minutes a month coaching package. This is what Fred gets from me as a VIP:

1. His 1-2-1 exclusive coaching call which is recorded, action notes created & shared with him in his secure & exclusive hub account.

1. His monthly Business Boardroom, his networking & mastermind event with his fellow KAPOW! Superheroes.

1. His monthly Content Creation Club, his dedicated accountability space to get content created for his business, whatever content he wants to create that month.

1. His Supercharge Your Visibility WhatsApp group, where he can ask for increased engagement on his social posts to increase his impact.

1. His KAPOW! Heroes FaceBook Group where he can connect & ask for support etc from his fellow Superheroes

1. His access to the KAPOW! Hub which is packed full of freebies, eBooks & masterclasses to help him grow his business, and discounts on mini courses too.

1. His monthly newsletter & weekly business growth tip from me.

This is what Fred gets as a VIP Hero. Fred’s mate Bill is an Elite Hero, on top of all of what Fred gets, he also gets a 30 minute accountability call each month to keep him on track & exclusive access to me via WhatsApp too.

So why are Fred & Bill paying for this stuff twice? Because they aren’t looking at what their package gives them, or aren’t using it properly.

Now, don’t get me wrong. If Fred or Bill are looking for specific help in their business like social media management, marketing support, graphic design, merchandise or accountancy help, I’m not about to try and fill those gaps. That’s not my bag. That’s where the power of my network comes in – I’m going to refer them to Bright Cat Solutions, Dragon Virtual Aassistants, Keefomatic, Carl Ford, Goverseth Accountants, Susan Davidson, Sparkles Boutique, MCS Branding. I’m going to put them in front of trusted suppliers. The thing that grips my grollies is when they are paying for stuff I’m already offering them – they just don’t realise it.

Let’s look at some key areas where Fred might be paying twice:

Monthly Mastermind Events – he already has this with Business Boardroom, but may not see it that way. He may not realise that this is also a networking event where he can create & nurture relationships with his fellow superheroes, making it so much easier for them to refer work to him, and for him to refer work to them. Once a month, he has this opportunity to ask for help, ask for referrals & recommendations and also learn from his fellow Heroes too.

Content Creation Club – no need for additional focus groups or accountability sessions designed to help you get what you need done for your marketing. He already has that – but he might not realise he can create anything in this time – it doesn’t have to be a blog. It can be testimonials, book content, graphics for social media, video content, social media posts, newsletters – it can be anything!

Supercharge Your Visibility WhatsApp group – no need for additional social media management if all Fred is looking for is a helping hand with engagement on his social posts. This is the service that is the least understood by Fred, and that’s why he doesn’t use it. The principle is really simple – Fred writes a post on social media & shares it with the WhatsApp group – asking for specific engagement to help that post reach more people. Nothing more complicated than that.

When was the last time you looked at what you are already getting from things you are paying for? When was the last time you checked to see where there might be an overlap? Where you might already have what you are looking for, but didn’t realise you did? I’m not talking about reading the small print through a magnifying glass (although you should always read it), I’m talking about being in the know about where your money is going & what you are getting for it.

Are you paying for things twice? If you’re not sure, then now is a good time to take stock of what you pay for & what you get for it. You may be pleasantly surprised.