There are too many things all those “experts” out there tell us that we have to do to have a successful business. What those “experts” neglect to mention is that their (one and only) version of success is growth.
If you are working for yourself, full-time or part-time, small goals or big goals, the goal likely wasn’t to “grow the business.” It probably wasn’t even in the top 50 reasons you started.
Those reasons were likely in the realm of “control my time, control who and how I work, be available for other people, family, friends, dreams.”
No one ever dreams “I want to grow my business so instead of being tied to a job and a boss, I’ll be tied to this thing I created that was supposed to give me more freedom.”
It’s not surprising that people stop any entrepreneurial endeavor or don’t even consider it.
The “self-employed solo business owner” as we have been fed in the last 10-15 years, I can’t imagine is ANYONE’S dream. We all know what is behind those follower numbers, those posts, those likes and those published figures.
Behind all that is either a team (with the matching payroll you have to keep meeting to support them) or the fact that the dream is anything but. So either you have a team to pay and manage or in some cases they have to manage you while they grow the brand outside of your influence. (Even saying those words makes me want to throw up. The fact that these are the words, terms and phrases we use now just disgusts me. But there is no better way to explain it.)
Some people are fine with this (for whatever reason.) Others have watched their clear intentions get muddled and compromise their intentions either little by little (or massively) without even realizing it before it’s too late.
Growth for growth sake is just noise.
So if that’s the case, what are we doing that we all call productive, but that’s really just noise?
I lived and continue to live light. Not as much as when I was younger with less responsibility. But I could still pack up my entire life in one morning and move if I had to.
I take the same thought, and even more so, to my business. Which arguably is a huge part of my life. Business has to be nimble, quick and flexible. No extras here. Just a stable (boring) repetitive process, that gets done each day, no matter where I am or what is going on.
Now THAT makes me relax.
I consider my business (and any business really) to be the simple white plates that I’ve used (and will continue to use) my whole adult life. They are reliable,they fit every situation (“you can dress it up or down!”) and they are always there. (So when they do break, which they will, replacing them is as simple as going to any store and buying them at any price point.) They might not get “attention” – which I don’t even want – but I know that they will always work and look good. It makes me happy to be stable in a world full of flashy blinking junk. I mean, I like the flash as much as the next person. But flash and shine is the topping on a stable foundation – it’s not the core.
I mean those purple plates are beautiful. But I’m likely not going to use them every day. They will take up space that I need for other things. I need blank space in my cabinets and my life.
So-called “Boring” wins for me every time. It is peace.
What is that shiny stuff, that doesn’t have a core, that you don’t want to do?
What feels gross, inauthentic and is just another thing you been told to do? (Likely by people who have no idea who you are, what you value and what you really want?)
I can’t tell you how many marketing things I did and tried over the last 20 years. It felt disgusting and I was disgusted with myself during and after every single one of the attempts. Sometimes I would try them two or three times. (Because I thought something was wrong with me so I should keep trying. But that really wasn’t the case.)
So now, I don’t – none of that nonsense.
I write. This is what I do. I don’t feel gross about it. I love it. I don’t feel like I’m being a fake. And I sure as hell, don’t and will never follow a marketing or growth plan.
I help my clients, write and share. That’s what I do. I have basic spreadsheets, notes and operations that I can easily and quickly do myself. Everything else, I never wanted to do, so I stopped doing it.
And I won’t.
So what are those things for you?
Thank you to Pexles – Photo by Eva Bronzini: https://www.pexels.com/photo/purple-and-orange-plate-6568739/
