I hear it all the time: You feel stuck in your business. You work too much. Your partner complains because you’re always on your phone. You don’t have quality time with your kids. You don’t see the growth you want. You want to throw in the towel.
I could go on, but I imagine you feel at least one or two of these things.
First, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there and we’ll likely be there again. It’s part of navigating the world of entrepreneurship.
But just because you feel this way now doesn’t mean you always will. Just like there are seasons in life, there are seasons in business. There’s an ebb and flow that you can embrace, and then do something about.
You started your business for a reason and I want you to get back to that. As the visionary, it’s your role to dream big dreams and then go do big things. Let’s get started!
Stop doing tasks that don’t light you up
Though you may love your business, there are pieces of that business that you don’t love. Taking care of the books, necessary administrative work, writing your show notes or blog posts, creating graphics, editing videos–these are all things that business owner friends and clients have told me they hate doing.
Why take the time to do things you hate or aren’t good at? (Isn’t this exactly why people hire cleaners or send clothes out to be laundered?) Delegating tasks that don’t light you up is the single best way to bring more passion back to your business. It frees up your time so you can do the money-making activities and get back to what you love about the work you do.
Level up your boundaries
The word “no” is probably the most powerful word in the English language. In business, we don’t use it enough. It’s the word that will help you hold fast to your boundaries so you can do the work that lights you up inside.
Take a look at the boundaries you have for your work, your schedule and the way you communicate with others. Then make the changes you need so you can create the lifestyle business you dream of. I recommend creating your ideal schedule on paper, then plugging it into your scheduling software and Google calendar so you can stick to it. Update your clients on how you’ll be working together, complete with how you communicate best. And review your website copy and other messaging to ensure it’s all aligned with exactly how you want to show up and be seen.
Focus on something new
As visionaries, we get to constantly evolve and grow our businesses in new ways. We get to decide to take a new direction, to start something new or even to stop something that we no longer want to do or offer. And we get to do all of that without asking permission or cutting through red tape.
When a conference or mastermind conversation lights you up, take action! Do the thing that sparked a fire in you and make it happen. This is easy for Kolbe Quick Starts to do, and not impossible for the rest of us. Find an accountability partner to help you move forward, or hire someone with expertise in managing projects. And, of course, outsource any parts that aren’t interesting to you or that will hold you back.
Gamify your tasks and your business
Business is work and sometimes it’s pretty stressful. But let’s shift that thinking and make it fun! I love looking at the KPIs in my business (in a dashboard) so I can see my growth over time. Set challenging (but attainable) goals that will make you work hard while you’re doing what you love.
A great motivator for getting tasks done for big projects is to set up shorter sprints. So if you have a big project you want to finish three months from now, break it up into smaller goals with shorter timeframes. Then block out time to get it all done. You’ll be able to focus on the fun work that you love to do while accomplishing something big for your business.
Of course, there’s a season for everything in business. Sometimes you’ll be in head-down work mode and feel like you’ll never be able to come up for air. But that’s just a season. And the sooner you can focus on the side of your business that brings you the most passion and joy, the better!
Share with your biz bestie