I see this way too often. People in business for a couple of years, who started with a very clear vision on what they want their businesses to look like and why they want it that way. Only to get a couple of years in to realize they’ve gotten further and further away from that vision.
So much so that they start to feel resentful of their business and like they’re trapped.
If you can relate in any degree, in this video we’re going to unpack why that this happens and what you can do to start correcting course so you can have a business you love that supports the life you want.
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Have you been in business awhile and are starting to realize that things aren’t exactly turning out the way you’d expected, the way you’d hoped?
The good news, actually make that the reassuring news, is that nearly every business owner ends up here sooner or later. I think it’s very very rare for a business owner to side step this situation completely.
The not so reassuring news is that the majority of business owners never end up fixing things, they either keep trucking along status quo even though they’re not happy or shutting down shop.
I want you, and I, to avoid this sad reality. The ultimate truth is that (1) we’re in the driver’s seats of our businesses and have SO much control over what our businesses and day to days look like; and (2) any business model you can think of can absolutely work—it might just take work but it’s worth it.
I’m also not telling you that you have to switch gears over night, take huge income cuts to make the changes you want. There is a little by little process you can use to make the changes you want in a safer and feel good way.
My own story (with a redux)
When I first started my business in November of 2014, I was working my first real grown-up job and so my business was really a nights and weekends side hustle.
Because of the constraints on my time and the fact that I didn’t have to rely on my non-existent business income to survive (yet), I was able to create the business of my visions pretty quickly and without pressure.
I’d say no to 1-1 clients (no time), do content the way I wanted and only work on the projects that were worth missing out on my full weekends and evenings. I had no choice but to be super selective.
After going full time in my business though, I noticed my ‘ole pro/con list loving self slipping. Without the “I don’t have time” armour, I fell into people pleasing mode. I started saying yes to clients who weren’t a 100% match to my values and pushed boundaries that I failed to reinforce. I noticed my days filling up with busy work or felt like I was constantly putting out fires instead of doing what I loved most in my business (creating high-value content).
Eventually it all came to a head, with one REALLY terrible client experience, a vacation spent mostly in tears and a bathtub breakdown. I knew things had to change.
And so, since last year, I’ve been using this same little by little approach I’m going to share with you to slowly shift myself back into alignment with the business I want.
How to know if you're business vision is misaligned
So how do you know if you’re headed in the wrong direction with your business?
Well, it’s time to ask some yourself some really important questions:
- Why did I originally start my business? And has that motivation changed?
- How much am I really working in my business right now? Where am I spending that time? What is my business costing me?
- What are all the things I’m getting in return from my business for the work and time I put in?
- How is my business currently fitting into my life? And then, what does my ideal daily lifestyle look like? In this ideal lifestyle – what am I doing on a yearly, monthly, weekly and daily basis? Both work wise and personal wise too.
- What needs to change in order for me to live the lifestyle I want? What changes do I need to make to my business (think: offers, ideal clients, systems, marketing, sales systems, team)?
- Your answers to these questions will let you know if you need to make some major (or even minor) adjustments.
It’s true, no business is going to be be perfect 100% of the time. But I‘d argue it should be an 80% practically perfect to a 20% not so much ratio.
What to do if your business vision is misaligned
So what should you do IF, through these questions, you’ve realized your business needs to switch things up?
A lot of your actions have likely been revealed through your answers.
But tackling them all at once, can be really overwhelming or unlock fears that you might break your business and not bring in the money you need to pay for your business expenses and pay yourself. This fear is especially gonna pop up if you feel like other people are depending on you and the business.
So here’s what to do:
- Take everything that you wrote to the question: What needs to change in order for me to live the lifestyle I want? What changes do I need to make to my business (think: offers, ideal clients, systems, marketing, sales systems, team)?
- Give each of these a score from 1-10 on the 3 following criteria:
- Score each one 1-10 based on how big of a difference they’ll make in helping you get closer to ideal lifestyle
- Score each one 1-10 based on how easy this change is going to be to implement
- Score each one 1-10 based on how ready you feel right now to implement all or part of the change
- Once you have your scores, tally them up and decide on which 1 action you’re going to work on implementing first
- Then for this first change, write down 3 things: 1 tiny step you can take in 10 minutes or less, the first milestone you have to hit or thing you have to implement on your way to committing to the full change, and then then next 5-6 actions you’ll take to hit that first milestone.
- After you hit the first one, you’ll repeat the same process until the change is fully implemented in your business.
- And then complete the entire process for your second change on the list (then third, then fourth, then fifth and so on).
Ready to realign with your business vision?
This tiny steps approach has led to some pretty big changes in my business since the start of the year—all without getting overwhelmed or having my sales suffer.
With every small change you make, you’ll get closer and closer to the business you actually want and it’s going to feel better and better too.
So make a commitment – what is one small (or big) change you’re going to make in your business?
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