You have a choice about the people you work with, and you don’t have to take everyone who comes your way. We have all been building our businesses the wrong way. We started our businesses and told ourselves we needed to bring in the cash, so we worked with everyone we could.

You don’t have to do that anymore. Build your business from the inside out, and choose your clients. When you do, you’ll be shocked at how quickly you attract clients and the quality of those clients. You’ll make more money and more referrals because the inside-out business model feeds on itself. Once you know who your ideal client is, the rest is easy.

Start with your why.

All businesses function on three levels: what they do, how they do it, and why they do it. Most businesses can identify what they do and how they conduct business, but very few can identify why they do it. By the way, money is not a why; it is a result.

You should lead with your why, and to determine your why, think of a leader who inspires you and makes you want to do business with his or her company. His or her why is probably similar to your why. For example, Virgin Atlantic is a leader in quality and innovation. They’re upfront about the fact that they believe in making a difference, and they put themselves in the customer’s shoes to find ways to make it better. They’re driven by why they do it, not by what they do. Their leader, Richard Branson, would be able to create a success of any business because his why would carry over to any industry.

To formulate your why, look at what you’re good at, your successes, and your struggles, especially those you want to fix in others. Then think of what you would do if you had a billion dollars but still had to work every day. When you think of what you would do, keep asking yourself why until you hit a reason that stops you in your tracks and makes you feel like you want to cry. That’s your big why.

Hills of Africa’s why is to help our clients live the heart, soul, and magic of Africa . . . because we know firsthand how magical it is and believe everyone should be getting some of that.

Identify your ideal clients.

Now that you know your why, you need to know whom you want to work with. Ideal clients are easily identified, happily pay what you are worth without negotiating, get great results from working with you, will tell others about you, and are those with whom you enjoy working. They fill you with energy and excitement rather than drain you.

To help you identify your ideal clients, go through your client folders and lay them out on the floor of your office. Grade them “A” though “F.” Now look at the “F” clients and write “I never want to work with clients again who ____,” and list all the things you don’t want in your clients. For example, you might say, “I never want to work with clients again who aren’t decisive.”

Now turn every statement back into a positive and say, “I want to work with clients who ____.”  Using the example above, you might say, “I want to work with clients who are decisive.” Make your list of positives, and gather the “A” and “B” clients. Do those clients match your list? Identify other common denominators among your “A” and “B” clients, and you’ll have a good idea of who your ideal client is.

To get to know them even better, learn about them on a deeper level. Where do they congregate? What do they read, where do they network, and whom do they do business with on a regular basis? What clubs do they belong to? Finally, find out who has a list of these people. If you don’t know, ask your “A” and “B” clients.

The more intimately you can know your ideal clients and what they want, the more successful you’ll be, and the more money you’ll make. Never be afraid to ask your ideal clients what you can do for them and how you can do it. They’ll be happy to tell you, and you’ll be light-years ahead in achieving the success you deserve.

Are you working with your ideal clients?