In another turn of the wheel, I have decided to refine my focus to work with other coaches and creative solopreneurs who need guidance and support to step into their full brilliance in business and life.
Funny enough, I’ve had people asking me to do this for years — since I lived in Colorado, for sure. I am so excited about this, I wanted to share with you my 10,000 foot perspective on creating a business that shines!
It is incredibly satisfying and exciting to be doing work that is personally meaningful and contributes to the well-being of others.
When developing our business, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the stuff we want to offer clients. We just want to dive in and start serving our clients and take action on all the cool ideas that we have for the people we are here to serve.
There are so many exciting ways to be in service to clients, but the foundation of the business might still be shaky.
Creative, helping solopreneurs have a deep and abiding desire to serve clients. The business part isn’t very sexy (or it may just an unknown), so maybe it gets ignored, which, paradoxically means spending MORE time on the business stuff in the long run. ACK!
Maybe there’s no good way to collect names, or maybe your web presence doesn’t really shine, or, maybe your organization or time management strategies aren’t very well thought-out and you don’t have time to plan or sit with your vision. As entrepreneurs, these are a just a few of the basic elements of business that provide fertile ground for growing a healthy business.
The other side of the coin, especially as a solopreneur or coach, is having a foundation of support for YOU.
This is just as criticial (if not more so) because you ARE the business. If you burn-out or get exhausted, your business comes to a halt, doesn’t it? Are you exercising? Are you taking time to connect with others? Do you sleep? Do you have practices that support your continued well-being and growth (eg; seeing a coach, meditation or yoga, etc.)? How do you replenish your energy so you shine for your clients?
Supportive structures for you and your business are not just “nice to have”.
When we forgo these essentials, there is a quality of frenetic energy, breathlessness, and disconnection. Running as fast as we can, moving from one task on our to-do list to the next, with no time.
Any time, you can hit reset. Have some compassion for yourself if you feel like you aren’t really getting anywhere. It’s your business, and your life. With great kindness, choose how you want to spend your time, so you, and your business, can shine. Some things you might consider making time for are:
- Decide what systems your business needs. If systems aren’t really your thing and you find it hard to visualize the bigger picture and strategy for your business, find someone that really resonates with you and hire them.
- Take time once a week to evaluate what’s going right and what you want to do differently (this is also something a coach can help with). Without reflection, it’s hard to recognize what’s working and what isn’t. This is not about beating yourself up, but rather about being present with yourself and your business so you can be intentional with your choices and continue to improve.
- Put time on your schedule to take care of yourself. Oh, this is hard, isn’t it? But just try it. Go for a run, go to yoga class and see if you don’t get more done and feel better at the end of the day. Lather, rinse, repeat – each and every day. It really will give you, and your business, an energetic glow.
- Connect with others and play, daily. Being an entrepreneur can be lonely if you work at home, by yourself. It’s also easy to get way too focused on our business, to the exclusion of other parts of our life. Working alone + obsession with business = anxiety and way too much seriousness. Hang out with your kids, go out with girlfriends, create an ongoing support group of fellow entrepreneurs… the ideas are endless. But whatever you do, connect with others and take time to play.
- Explore the wabi sabi of your business. When we start businesses, we often want it to be somewhere it’s just not. I certainly suffer from that driven energy, but the truth is, it’s going to happen exactly how it’s going to happen. The best thing you can do is do the footwork so you are ready when your business takes off (see previous bullet points) and let your business be a teacher for you. Notice where it makes you crazy and where you resist. Dive in and find the perfection in this very moment — you can practice this every Wednesday, right here.
A few resources that can help you review weekly, and, take a look at the bigger picture:
What do you, and your business need, to shine? Tell me in the comments.
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