Chasing Pavements?
Did you get the Adele reference in the title? Chasing pavements aka sidewalks, footpaths … running with no destination in mind.
I’ll get to that shortly but I wanted to tell you a story because I just checked in with a client from late last year ….
Maddy runs a cold-pressed juice cleanse business. She does this with a toddler under arm, a knack for finding the best quality, well priced fresh produce & a street-smart wisdom to building authentic local relationships.
It all started in her kitchen with a business partner but as juice cleansing became ‘a thing’ and her business partner found her passion lay elsewhere – it was up to Maddy to make that big call – ‘keep growing’ or find another way to make an income.
She did what any gutsy lady-boss would do & rented some warehouse space to kit out to run her newly solopreneur business from.
She had decided to dive in head first.
Although it sounds like a somewhat sexy business with all that fresh fruit, healthy, hip young people with gorgeous skin and boundless energy, the behind these scenes day to day running is more frantic & sweaty (and not sweaty in a sexy way).
It all happens in a hot warehouse, there is a constant juggling act of supply of the quality fresh fruit and vege and the demand of the clients. There are worries about well-heeled competitors popping up, ready to consume market share. Plus the business model is running on tight margins that currently don’t allow for much to be delegated.
When we got together for our first strategy session – she explained that business was doing ok, but she knew that her focus was divided. Actually she was feeling pretty overwhelmed when it came to thinking about anything except tomorrow.
Together we created the metaphorical space that she needed to let her business breath & get a birdseye view of it.
We explored what was working, what simple tweaks would increase cashflow right away & what her next best move after that was for long term success.
Having me by her side meant that she could be called out on the decisions that she was making based on emotions, and sometimes she changed them – other times she just went in more aware.
It also meant that she had a second brain on her business plans – which allowed her to double down on strategy, and laser in on the choices that would have the most impact to her bottom line & her precious time.
In the first email I got back a month or so after the session she happily told me that business was up 50% on last year – following our plan.
Stepping back from her business just for that short session already had a significant impact.
And as I’m writing this I just touched base with her recently to find that she had been able to put on someone for marketing – one of her big goals – that was already paying itself off and proving to be priceless. I’ve got to admit it put a real life smile on my face – not just the emoji kind either.
When you’re in the thick of the day to day running of your business – and your life – it can be difficult to see what your real priorities are … besides finishing that client job on time, or updating your Facebook business page status or calling back a lead.
There is no shortage of tactics out there that profess to be ‘the next big thing’ – urging you to buy now or forever miss the boat. You could spend all day (and most of the night) downloading blueprints, hiring specialists or signing up for new social media platforms.
In fact I’m guessing that you feel like the list of things you SHOULD be doing is outnumbering the things you ARE doing at least 3 to 1.
This can leave you feeling guilty.
It left me feeling I was getting nowhere.
I felt like giving up – because I was sick of chasing my tail…
Like ‘Should I just give up or just keep chasing pavements’ as Adele would say.
Much as I love Adele – that woman has serious integrity & smarts – Adele, lady, there is another option…
Calmly Thriving.
When you’re Calmly Thriving – you’re clear on your priorities.
You know where you need to upskill.
And you know where your next client is coming from.
Sure there are frantic days – where you have to pivot on a dime – but you haven’t been wasting all your energy sweating the small stuff.
When you’re Calmly Thriving – you can take the afternoon off without feeling bad.
You know where your time is best spent.
And you know when you need to buckle down – and it will be worth it.
When you’re Calmly Thriving – business falls into place.
The first step to Calmly Thriving is to get real about where you are, where you’ve been & where you’re wanting to head.
Sounds simple – right.
If you’re struggling to make impactful decisions in your business – that you actually act on – decisions and actions that allow you to Calmly Thrive – then your next step needs to be booking a call with me.
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