The 3 Layers of Clarity That Unlock Impact in Your Business
Why you can’t skip over the Foundation!
Clarity Activates Action
Having clarity on our purpose, strategy, and action is the most powerful driver in our business. When we’re clear, we can take deliberate next steps and be steadfast in our direction, even when we have setbacks.
In fact, I believe lack of clarity is the single biggest roadblock for entrepreneurs. Not only can lack of clarity send us down endless rabbit holes, wasting our precious resources, it also leaves us feeling overwhelmed, confused, deeply frustrated and often doubting ourselves and our capacity for this work.
What a huge disservice for humanity because we need you to show up with your vision and gifts!
The Layers of Clarity (and why we can’t skip)
One of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs is understanding WHAT we need clarity on and WHEN to go after it.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we just need help with social media or a bulletproof funnel strategy, but without knowing if we’re really ready for that strategy or execution, we can end up spending time, money, and sanity we don’t have extra of floating around.
There are three distinct layers of clarity that every entrepreneur and business must navigate through and they need to be in order. Unfortunately, skipping layers of clarity will likely leave you spinning your wheels and no one has time for that!
Here’s why;
Each layer of clarity builds on the layer of clarity before it. Without knowing exactly who we serve & the real problem we solve for them, we can’t build an effective strategy to reach them. We also can’t impactfully execute in all the little areas of our business until we have a clear and aligned strategy in place.
The reality is that if we don’t fully understand who our niche is and where we meet them on their journey, we’re likely going to hit a lot of dead ends trying to build a funnel strategy. And it’s not your funnel strategists’ fault, but I guarantee you won’t be happy, and neither will they.
And without a good strategy, diving aimlessly into social media execution may end up wasting a lot of time and leave you feeling deflated. Your social media manager or funnel strategists’ job isn’t to read your mind or help you get clarity at an earlier stage.
Traction and impact require that we work intentionally and from the foundation up.
The image below breaks down the three levels of clarity every business needs.
What is Foundational Clarity?
Foundational clarity is exactly what it sounds like, it’s the foundation of your business and answers the most crucial questions. Having a solid foundation allows you to easily answer any questions or decisions that come up as you move into Strategic and then Execution Clarity.
And having foundational clarity helps you avoid confusion, frustration, and keeps you focused, passionate, and always heading towards your vision.
There are core elements we must identify before we move into Strategy or Execution in our business. Remember, skipping over foundational clarity will leave us spinning our wheels, wasting energy & money, and leave you doubting yourself.
You have Foundational Clarity when you can answer these questions confidently and in detail;
What is the ideal business for me? - My roles, central offer.
What is the real problem I solve and how do I uniquely solve it?
Who exactly do I solve it for? - Detailed niche, target market.
What’s the urgency for my niche to solve this problem? Big benefits & big consequences. Crossroads, transformation.
What drives me to do this important work? - Values, mission, controlling belief(s)
How do I talk about it? - Core message, title, elevator pitch.
What fundamentally distinguishes me from other people who do what I do? - Differentiation.
If you're stuck or struggling to identify or communicate any of these core elements, your focus should come back to Foundational Clarity before jumping forward. This will likely happen a at different points in your business, and that’s completely normal. We pivot, shift niches, change our offers, or sometimes need to get the initial clarity we skipped over to begin with.
Below are signs that you may need to (re)visit foundational clarity before moving forward.
If you…
Flip-flop between 2 or more niches
Dread telling people what you do, or can’t find the words to clearly explain it.
Can’t consistently articulate the problem you solve or find yourself changing it depending on who you talk to
Struggle to pinpoint what differentiates you from others doing similar work
Redesigned your website/social profile/business card 3+ times in the past year
Can’t settle on an offer or keep changing it
Spend money on marketing or sales strategy and never execute or keep changing the plan
Hire a social media manager / copywriter / VA / designer / website developer and can’t give them clear direction on what to want (you were hoping they would guide you, didn’t you…)
What is Strategic Clarity?
Strategic Clarity allows us to take our Foundation and translate it into an aligned plan of action. There are a number of areas in your business you will likely need Strategic Clarity on.
You will likely need Strategic Clarity around some or all of these core questions;
How do I find my ideal niche?
How do I capture their attention?
How do I convert them to a customer?
How do I measure my activity for success?
How do I optimize my business structure & team?
How and when do I scale my business or add another offer?
Types of Strategic Clarity Support:
Sales/Monetization Strategy
Marketing Content Strategy
Marketing Funnel Strategy
Social Media & Ads Strategy
Organizational Design
Below are signs that you may need to (re)visit foundational clarity before moving into further execution…assuming you have Foundational Clarity first of course!.
You haphazardly post on social media and hope someone just reaches out for a consultation or buys from you
You aren’t tracking….well, anything really
You’ve really just been relying on luck and some referrals to get new clients
You aren’t sure where your ideal niche hangs out
You don’t have a consistent way to capture new leads
You aren’t nurturing the list/leads you do have
You’re throwing money on ads before you’ve established a tested and successful funnel
What is Execution Clarity
Execution Clarity is understanding and having a plan for how you will execute on your Strategic Clarity. Without clarity on your strategy in all relevant areas, it’s challenging to understand what to execute on and when.
Below are some examples of questions we answer with Execution Clarity;
When and how should I be connecting with my niche on social/email?
Are there automations that need to be set up?
Do I need to buy or implement any new software?
Do I need to hire any support?
Is there any training/coaching I need?
How do I need to organize or manage my projects & time?
Types of Execution Clarity support;
Social Media Managers
Project planning software
Time management techniques
Copywriters / ghostwriters
Ads specialist
Sales coach
ChatGPT/AI
VA’s / Technical Assistants
Software / App developers
Accountants
Get Back to Your (Foundational) Roots
Step 1 is heading back to your Foundation. I’ve created a free Foundational Clarity Guide and Fillable Canvas that details all the points of Foundational Clarity you need to evaluate (with examples) and offers you a fillable canvas to capture them so they’re in one easy-to-reference place.
To really big things,
Melissa
