5 Ways To Pivot Your Business (And Discover Your Value)

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, drained, or just plain exhausted right now, don’t worry. As business owners and entrepreneurs, we’re all feeling it right now. This is especially true if your business has taken a pandemic-related hit. You may be wondering how to pivot your business accordingly, or even what “pivot” might mean.

Maybe you’re racking your brain, wondering what’s next. What industries are hiring the services you offer? Is there anyone out there you can partner with? What happens when the way you used to do business isn’t available right now?

But let’s face it. No matter when you read this, the world is always changing. There will always be challenges in business, and in life.

Nobody knows what’s next. We’re all having to adapt, sometimes daily. Or, as the popular word seems to be, we’re all having to pivot. That means that knowing how to pivot your business is ALWAYS a valuable skill!

So, what does it really mean to pivot your business?

The first thing on your mind might be how to make your business more marketable. For most of us, the translation there is diversifying your skills.

Or to put it another way, you convince yourself that if you learn this new skill or do that new thing in your business, people might be interested again…

Doing something to make yourself more marketable might seem logical. But going this route is often a fear-based reaction more than a soul-based meditation.

If you have a lot of time on your hands (like a lot of us do these days), it can leave your mind to wander. Where your mind usually goes is to the HOW–as in how are you going to bring in more money, and fast? How to pivot your business becomes the #1 question.

BUT, what happens next is that you start to push yourself for answers.

Or, it makes you focus more on the skills you offer more than the value that you bring. You feel the need to upgrade your tangible skills instead of contemplating your intangible value.

If this sounds like you, you’re 100% not alone!

Now, what if you pivoted your business not from your skills, but from the value you bring? It’s a business move that not many people are talking about. But it could be your answer for more clients, more money, and more happiness in your business (pandemic or not)!

So what is the difference between skills and value?

Skills are teachable. They’re the things you can learn to do. For example, many people are skilled realtors, doctors, freelance writers, accountants. Skills are learnable, and anybody who puts the time in and does the work can acquire them.

Value, however, is uniquely yours.

Nobody can be you. There’s no one else with your unique set of experiences. You are the only one who can deliver the way that you can. Your value is the result of you being aligned with your purpose.

Now, think of it this way. Nobody has your unique value, but most people could learn your skills. Let’s be real–how many realtors, lawyers, writers, and web designers are out there? (Answer: a LOT.)

But your value is your unique selling position. It’s what makes your business special, and it’s the thing that your clients ultimately pay for. (Yes, it’s that big of a deal!)

So if value is such a thing, when it’s time to pivot, how come we all default to acquiring new skills? A lot of it is societal influence. The world has trained us to have an attachment to title, education, and credentials. We’re taught to believe that the more of these skills we have, the more money we’ll make. After all, people pay for skills, right?

But here’s the real deal…

People hire for personality, but they train for skill. Skills can be taught, but personality cannot. Most of all, people purchase your skills, but what they’re really buying is your value.

So now that everyone in business is looking to pivot, we’re going to show you how to do it another way.

Because the best way to pivot is to ground into your value.  Things like what makes you different? What value do you provide along with your skills? Why did you choose this specific skill to deliver your value? Are there new ways you can deliver it more effectively and reach more people?

If you pivot from your skills instead of your value, you side-step your purpose. So start with your value. If you focus exclusively on skills, your purpose might get lost in the shuffle. But if you start with value, your skills will only enhance your uniqueness!

It all starts with the value that you bring. Today, we’ll help you discover that unique and awesome value of yours!

We’re going to go through a series of leading questions in a minute. But one quick disclaimer before we start: you can’t to-do list your way into your purpose. There are steps you can take to find your value, but you won’t get there by adding more and more skills.

Why? Because your value is already there. There’s already something within you that is unique. Once you discover this, you can intentionally choose new skills to help you bring your value in new ways!

We’ve got 5 questions to get you started. With any luck, they’ll help you shine a light on the things that you do best, and the value you bring to the world.

Our aim is to help you serve your clients in new ways, and make the most out of that “pivot” everyone’s been talking about!

Grab a pen and paper and let’s get to it! 

How To Pivot Question #1-What are your priorities?

Everyone has new priorities these days. What are the top priorities for you, your family, and your business now? How have they shifted since the current situation began? Give yourself the space to think and feel through this, and write down your answers.

This will help you determine where you want to go overall. It’s a huge first step toward leveraging everything you’ve got, so write it all down.

How To Pivot Question #2-How have you been filling the void in this new life?

When you feel a void, what do you do to fill it? Jot down all of your go-to habits that you’ve been using to fill any voids in your life, whether general or financial. Then take a look at your list, and decide if any of these actions serve your purpose (or not)!

For example, for a lot of us entrepreneurs, we thrive on the work. You might love to be busy, doing, and creating all the time. Now that so many of us have all this time on our hands, what have we been doing? More work. Talking all the webinars, hiring all the mentors, doing #allthethings.

And more than likely, not getting the desired results. Why? Because doing all the busy work for the sake of “doing things” won’t help you discover your value.

So now, what are your go-to habits to fill the void, and how do you feel when you’ve accomplished them? Do they help you feel more productive, more focused, more abundant, or something else?

Be real with how your old standby activities are working for you now. If they’re somehow helping you illuminate your purpose, keep them. If they’re frantic busy work for the sake of busywork, then let them go.

How To Pivot Question #3- Why do your clients hire you?

Why do people hire you? Why do they willingly and gladly give you money? What do they love about working with you so much that they keep coming back?

Don’t freak out if all you get is a huge “IDK.” This is the big question, and you don’t have to answer it right away! Just write down what comes to you. Give yourself a few minutes to write as much as you think you know. That’s step one.

Now, don’t be surprised if the very first thing that came to your mind was a skill. Maybe you said people hire you because you’re a great writer, web designer, teacher, lawyer, or whatever.

But there is a big difference between what you think you provide, and what people perceive as your value. And when you find out the real reasons why people hire you, it just might blow your mind!

That brings us to question #3.

How To Pivot Question #4-Ask your clients themselves!

Now that you think you have some idea why people hire you, find out from the best source there is–your clients! Take some time to send out an email or a survey, and ask the people who hired you what made them take the leap.

Be sure to word the questions the right way. You don’t have to directly ask “why did you hire me.” Instead, give them a few leading questions, and let them tell you.

Here’s an example. Recently, Coaching With Kaylee surveyed our clients and asked for feedback about working with us. We figured the answers would be all about the accounting services. But what we received was something else entirely.

People told us that working with CWK made them feel safe. They felt confident and comfortable. They felt like they’d built a relationship with someone they could trust.

We thought it would be about our skills. It turns out that it was all about our value.

Here’s an additional question for you: what kinds of relationships do you have? What are your friendships like? If you can answer this, that’s the kind of value you bring for your clients, too. What you bring to the table as a friend is likely how you are as a service provider, too! This is another way to identify your value.

How To Pivot Question #5-Think about the new ways you can deliver your value.

How can you bring your value into the world in a new way? Use what you learned about your value and start getting creative. Definitely consider pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to make room for new possibilities.

For you that might be a new revenue stream or an upsell. It might also be targeting a new industry or market. You might even expand into new content platforms, like starting a blog, being on a podcast, or a hosting webinar.

Give yourself permission, grace, and compassion to try something new in your current space. You don’t have to do it perfectly to show up for someone who really needs what you have to offer. Don’t talk yourself out of a win–take a chance on a new thing and see what happens!

So get clear on your priorities. Examine your go-to habits, and ask yourself if they still serve you or not. Identify what you think your value proposition is. Then check in with your clients to see what they think it is, and compare notes. Then, you’ll be in a place to find ways to pivot your business based on your value.

Because the point is this. It’s not your skills that you’re selling. It’s the value and the culture you bring to the table, and how you use it to serve your people.

After all, that’s what entrepreneurship is–finding ways to serve while bringing your value to the world!

Now, how did this exercise go for you? Does the whole “skills vs. value” thing make sense? Let us know in the comments below what you discovered about your value vs. your skills! And if you have any questions about the process or anything we shared here, leave them in the comments below!