From Overwhelm to Success
I was juggling everything, but nothing was working.
I thought I worked hard in corporate. And, I did. I worked harder and faster than most - and rose to become an executive in a very male dominated industry. I took on tasks outside of my job description, supported others, and met every deadline. I sacrificed myself to achieve a perceived level of success.
None of that compared to the time and energy investment I would put into my own business. The business I was building for me, not someone else. I quickly realized the difference between building for someone else and doing it for yourself.
As a solo entrepreneur, not only are you building everything alone, you’re also creating and selling. You’re the decision-maker. You’re the financer. You’re the support and the cheerleader. You realize what they mean when they say “no one is coming to save you.” You are saving yourself. YOU are on point for it all. It can become too easy to become the hamster on the wheel. Chasing shiny objects can feel like progress. But here’s the thing: things are happening… they’re just not the way you want them to.
Top this with people around you who don’t understand so can’t offer the support you need. Not because they don’t care… simply because they can’t understand. People online telling you that you should either make $30K per month or close shop - no in between!
In my gift business, I was creating beautiful curated gift boxes with the most amazing products… but the sales weren’t coming in as I expected. I was doing all the things… but I wasn’t doing the RIGHT things.
I was doing all the things that didn’t matter–taking more photos, buying more product, creating more options. Talking about the Makers but never actually selling. A mess!
Then I learned that I need to focus on doing a few things well. There is no race to the finish. The real power and growth comes from taking strategic action.
I looked at what was selling and focused on that; reduced the number of gift options, and focused on actually selling what I had. I also started getting corporate clients. The shift needed was in my focus and perspective. The business wasn’t the problem - how I ran my business was. Once I got strategic, the business started growing fast. So rapidly that I realized I wasn’t living my dream…
So I pivoted to business accountability mentorship. With this new business, I took all the lessons I learned from 30 years in corporate America and all the lessons I learned from my gift business and made the choice to build differently.
I am now building a business I love, as I build a life I love. They are intertwined. I have gone from overwhelm to focused success because I:
- Have a plan - I make a plan and I generally stick to it. I say generally because I’m an entrepreneur and the path isn’t linear. But the plan allows me to make sure my moves are aligned and keep me on track to achieve my goals.
- Have a community - I am a solopreneur, but I’m not alone. I have been intentional about finding the support to keep me going when I’m frustrated, desire feedback, or just need an ear to listen.
- Build around my life - I prioritize myself. Because my life is joyful it allows me to be joyful in my business. And that is magnetic.
- Celebrate - I celebrate all my wins, all my blessings, and all of my miracles. It fuels me.
- Gratitude - I am grateful every day. Gratitude brings abundance
- Reflect - I regularly review what is working and what isn’t. And I’m not afraid to adjust as needed. I try not to get stuck in indecision-because clarity doesn’t come from waiting. It comes from doing.
These shifts didn’t happen all at once. But little by little, they helped me move from chaos to clarity-one aligned step at a time.
