I’m so excited to speak with this week’s guest on The Sigrun Show, Eleanor Beaton. Eleanor and I met in Ali Brown’s premier program over a year ago. She stood up and spoke so elegantly in front of everyone that I thought she looked and sounded like a queen, and I just had to invite her on my podcast.
Eleanor is a business coach helping women entrepreneurs unleash the power of their voices and be category of one. Her mission is to double the number of female entrepreneurs who scale past 7 figures in revenue, and she believes finding their voice is a huge part of that.
Eleanor has a background in communications, having advised politicians, CEOs and organisations on effective communication and helping them change public policy, influence political decisions or have a powerful voice in the boardroom.
During her work, she increasingly started to engage with women leaders and saw an opportunity and need to coach women. At the same time, Eleanor realised that she was hiding her own voice by acting behind the scenes as an advisor. Going online was the perfect opportunity to get her message out to the world, and so she founded her coaching business in 2014.
Today, we talk about leadership and why people struggle to find their voice. Eleanor shares how you can differentiate yourself from others and be category of one.
Don’t miss out on this episode to find out which steps you can take to become a true leader who stands out.
“If you don’t understand how to evolve as a leader, it can compromise your business growth.” - Eleanor Beaton
What you will get out of this episode:
- Eleanor’s background (5:35)
- What opened Eleanor’s eyes and made her take the leap to start her business (7:50)
- Hollow influence and stepping up when it really matters (11:35)
- Leadership and category of one (14:15)
- Why people struggle to find their voice in a crisis (18:18)
- How to be category of one (20:28)
- What multi-passionate people should focus on (24:30)
- How long it takes to be category of one (28:37)
- The next normal for Eleanor (30:54)
Need more inspiration on leadership and standing out with your business? Understand why you should speak your mind even if your voice shakes, or how you can step up as a true leader in times of crisis.
3 Key Areas to Focus on if You Want to Be Category of One
If you want to stand out from the crowd, become a leader and be category of one, Eleanor says there are three key areas you should focus on: niche, leadership voice and positioning.
Niche
Niching is the act of focusing your offer on a specific group of people. Think about who it is you specifically want to help and target your offer towards them. If you think about how much stimulus the average person receives on a day to day basis, it’s important that you are memorable and that your target group is clear about what you do and how you help them. Being category of one begins with niching, and it’s something you can start right away.
Leadership Voice
If you don’t have your own voice, you’re going to default and sound like everyone else. Without a voice you can never be a category leader, but instead are a category follower. If your website and images look exactly the same as everyone else’s, or if you use the same language and expressions other people use, you will never be memorable. That’s why right after niching, you need to find your leadership voice and distinct yourself from others. Socialise, educate and inform people about your niche. Understand how to be a spokesperson for your company. This takes more time than niching, but it’s a skill you can practice and get better at over a period of time.
Positioning
The third area you need to focus on is positioning. Solidify your position by attracting the right audience and position yourself at the high-end. It becomes about what you don’t do, about who you’re associated and aligned with. Be intentional about showing up as a premium brand.
You don’t become category of one overnight. It takes at least a year until the market begins to see that you are sticking out. But the good thing is: You can start doing it right away.
Are you inspired to be category of one? I’m curious to know what you’re doing to stand out in your area of expertise. You can follow and connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Connect with Eleanor Beaton
- Eleanor Beaton
- Eleanor’s podcast