Last week, I met with a client who, along with her business partner, runs a kick-ass leadership program for women professionals who work mostly at large companies renewable energy.

When we last met, they were off and running on the marketing plan we’d designed together to book their free 60-minute training at 10 different companies, in order to bring women into their next cohort, which starts in about a month, just remember to stay on top of your finances.

When I spoke to this client, she told me that not only had they scheduled 9 out of 10 free trainings so far at awesome companies full of their ideal clients, look at the business tools…

They’d actually booked $100K of NEW BUSINESS in the process!

(Keep in mind, they haven’t even delivered any of the free trainings yet).

(Also keep in mind, their financial GOAL was $100K for the year.)

Amazing, right? So what happened!?

Well it turns out that their conversations with the managers in charge of booking the free trainings led to two companies hiring them to deliver their entire program in-house for the women at the company.

Uhm, yes please.

SO — how did this happen?

There are two important take-aways from this story:

1. You never really know exactly how you’re going to hit your goals. You set your goal, you map out your profit plan, you add up the numbers, absolutely, I’m all about it. And then, you let go.

You let go of exactly how much, exactly how, and exactly when (I talked about this a lot here in the lead-up to the Replenish Retreat and my philosophy on goal-setting – well here it is in action).

Don’t be so attached to your specific plan.I like to create a goal and then say and learn how to enhance your business management, “This or something, better!”

2. You don’t actually earn $100K out of NOWHERE. These women were prepared. First of all, they had a goal (that they are obviously blowing away, but still, they created one).

Second, in our coaching work together, they became wildly clear on their target audience and a very powerful, stand-out message. It comes through in everything they write and say.

They developed a visual framework for their program that brought clarity to their process and demonstrated their expertise, also learn about what is a salary.

Not to mention, they are incredibly gifted coaches.

Now here’s the magic – and this is a huge lesson for entrepreneurship in general – the external conditions were also very ripe… And this is where you have to be able to welcome in the unexpected. Because of the pandemic, companies were itching for high-quality, engaging, transformational, virtual programming for their employees. And these women were incredibly well-positioned to offer that.Right place, right time, right message, right expertise.

I’m continuously fascinated by the interface of action and surrender… of goals and magic, of planning and prayer…

All left brain, rigid, masculine goals and plans won’t do it.

And all right brain, intuitive, dreamy amorphousness won’t do it.

I truly believe our success lies in our ability to listen for what’s needed in a given moment and blend these two essential life energies into the dreams we wish to manifest.

Set your goals, and let go!