If you’re anything like I was just a few years ago, you’re probably working your tush off, spinning your wheels like a hamster on steroids and feeling like it’s just not paying off.
Like your bank balance doesn’t match all the sacrifices you’ve had to make, right?
- You increase your rates,
- sack some clients,
- get some momentum for a while…
…but it just never feels like you’ve made it. Every day still feels like a struggle.
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It feels like you’ve broken your business.
Which in turn, has almost broken you.
Sure, you ‘look’ successful on the outside. You tell everyone that everything’s fine, business is going great guns, life is sweet!
(God forbid if they knew the truth!)
Deep down you feel like you’re living this fake life. Pretending to be this successful entrepreneur that you’re not. Well, you probably are but you don’t feel like it — you feel like a fraud. And you just can’t figure it out.
“Why can’t I seem to make it work? Others can, why can’t I? I must be stupid! Where am I going wrong?”
If only they told you how hard it would be when you were at school…
You’re exhausted.
Playing over and over in your head are the questions:
- Why did I start this business in the first place?
- Have I made a big mistake?
- Is this all there is?
The self-doubt sets in.
Before too long the daily struggle just becomes…“normal.”
You lower your expectations and downsize your dreams. And you begin to feel like you’re just another number…living a mediocre life with a less than ordinary wage.
Trapped. Overwhelmed. Burnt out. Stuck. Unhappy. And unfulfilled.
Sound familiar?
Want to know how to fix it?
(I knew you’d say ‘yes.’)
Want to know how I knew? Because you’re a warrior — and warriors like you NEVER give up.
Chances are that in all the bucket-loads of blood, sweat and tears you poured into building your business over the years, you lost sight of your ‘why’ along the way.
It’s okay.
Clarity just took a little detour — it’s been a heckuva bumpy ride and it’s to be expected — but it’s now time to check in with yourself to see where you’re at.
The secret to a business (and life) you love
The truth is, your business must satisfy you on that deep-down, heart and soul level if it’s to be successful.
And to get to that level, you need to make sure you’re in alignment with your big, beautiful ‘why.’
Ask yourself these five questions:
- What is my ‘why’? – What is it I stand for?
- What do I feel called to do? – Am I living on purpose? Am I sharing my gifts with the world in a way that feels right for me?
- Am I in love with my business? – Am I ‘in flow’ daily, doing the things I love so much that I’d actually do them for free?
- What gives me butterflies of excitement? – What would I jump out of bed for, so excited that I can’t wait to get started?
- Am I speaking my truth every day? – Am I sharing my message with the world every day or does it always get put on the back-burner?
In the last few years especially, I’ve learnt that if you want to magnetically attract a ton of new, raving fan clients and plenty of money, living out your ‘why’ through your business really is your secret weapon.
I mean, sure, you can do all the latest and greatest Twitter tactics, list-building challenges and Facebook fads, but that’ll only serve you for a short while. You’ve got to dig a whole lot deeper if you really want to fix your business and create long-lasting wealth.
And the real icing on the cake?
(Apart from the improved wealth, health, happiness, freedom and of course, an unbroken business.)
Is that you get to live a fulfilled life doing what you absolutely love.
And it doesn’t get much better than that.
Share your ‘whys’ (or your struggles)
Please tell me, is your business currently aligned with your ‘why,’ or do you need to make some changes? I’m personally making a big shift right now and I’d love to hear if you’re in the same boat…
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I am making a big shift right now. I quit my 9-5 marketing & graphic design gig of 5 years about three weeks ago. Just yesterday, something clicked. I realized that the position I was in is no longer my “problem”. Talk about a weight being lifted, almost as if my senses have been reset.
My “why” for my new venture is that I want everyone to have a great of a wedding day as I had. My partner and I did a wedding trade show in January, got some clients, so I took the leap.
I find that if you are in the pursuit of happiness, you need to be happy in the growth process, otherwise you’ll never have enough.
People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
I love this. I feel that the reason I want to run my own design business is to put creativity first. Not the bottom line. Not squeezing the most money out of my clients. I want to be inspired by them and use this to fuel my creativity, which in turn will help fuel their growinq business or blog. Knowing that I am as passionate about their business and brand as they are is why my clients hire me. It may mean that I don’t win every sale, but the ones I do end up being a greta fit for me and for them.
Thanks, Bianca, these are crucial points. Designers and other creatives tend to be driven by intuition, emotion, passion, inspiration, and the thrill of seeing something new brought to life. Many of my fellow designers feel guilty about this, as if we shouldn’t be non-linear, we’re too ‘random’, we should be guided by numbers. But we’re not. At least I’m not, no matter how hard I try. And the inner conflict has been tearing me up for years. I’m working to figure it out, and your five questions are on a sticky note on my monitor to ask myself and think about (REALLY think about) every day.
Hi Bianca,
Thank you for your article.
What you describe is accurate to many start ups I know. Myself I face similar difficulties. Being “A-Z” in your company is like ride on a roller coaster. One day up, second day down. I guess this “up” moments drive entrepreneurs to do what they do. Because it`s exciting.
I would add as well one more important thing – being persistent in a long run & working on finding your own ways of keeping the business/life balance.
Zuzanna Lumanisha
Freelance Graphic Designer