Have you ever heard about the concept of working “on your business” as opposed to “in your business”?
If you’re a solopreneur or a coach running the whole show, and you sometimes feel a little overwhelmed with everything you need to do to run your business, you’re going to relate to this post.
As you may know, on top of running a coaching and consulting business, I’m also in the startup phase of a new passion project called Journey To Glow.
JTG is growing at a nice pace, and it’s rewarding to see the response from the community.
Every day, I get DMs on Instagram from women introducing themselves and asking for advice, new subscribers sign up to the email list to download the freebies, and testimonials + words of gratitude pour into my inbox. JTG is gaining traction and momentum, and I only launched December 15th.
In my last email, called “The Sweet Spot,” I shared with you 9 components that, when stacked, enable an entrepreneur to not only be in her sweet spot but also enjoy velocity and ROI. I shared with you that the last 5 years as an online entrepreneur and business coach prepared me for this purpose-driven project; I know exactly how to grow and monetize this new venture and turn it into an epic movement that will inspire millions of women around the world.
The only thing slowing down the immense growth opportunity for JTG is having an awesome team in place (and the money to pay for it).
Being a one-woman show* has its advantages; you can run a lean operation with minimal costs.
But it also comes with its sets of challenges because, yeah, there are only so many hours in a day.
*Just to be clear, a one-woman show doesn’t mean you do everything yourself. You may occasionally hire subcontractors such as a podcast editor, proofreader, editor, VA, bookkeeper, accountant, web developer, graphic designer, photographer…but you don’t have a consistent and reliable (part-time or full-time) team in place.
So, a few weeks ago, while staring at a long list of to-do’s over a cup of Kickass coffee, I asked myself, “If I had $250,000 of capital to grow JTG, how would I run this business?”
This question completely shifted my perspective from working in to working ON the business and enabled me to draft a completely different action plan.
I started to scribble furiously on a piece of paper how I would execute my vision for JTG: who would be part of my team (full time and part time), where I would allocate budget, programs we’d be launching in the coming months, which areas we should focus on to generate revenues… In less than 30 minutes, I had a new road map.
And… it planted the seed for JTG to be supported by outside investment. How cool! I had never thought of that!
My insight prompted a flood of exciting ideas, and you know how that works; fresh new thought opens the doorway to fresh new possibilities.
Concretely, this shift enabled me to prioritize tasks to delegate ASAP (and, hence, prioritize who I need to hire ASAP) and which activities I should focus on to monetize JTG and bring in income faster than I had originally projected.
Now, as you can see, I’m not saying I need a quarter of a million dollars to move this business forward (although that would be nice!).
The whole exercise is about taking on the role of the CEO who is running a company as opposed to working in it.
(I often see entrepreneurs get caught up in what they need [more money, more time, more resources] to be able to succeed, but that’s a trap. Being an entrepreneur means adopting a solutions-oriented kind of thinking every step of the way. And honestly, if most startups were given an injection of cash, they would misspend it, and then what? You’re fucked, that’s what.)
What I’m inviting you to do here is to think outside the box. Borrow Richard Branson’s eyes for a sec and ask, “What would he see that I don’t see? What would he do that I’m not doing?”
When I got out of my boxed thinking, I shifted into a more expansive state of mind where I saw an even BIGGER vision for JTG (which feels even MORE exciting), but I also saw a new execution plan that MATCHED this bigger goal. See how it works?
And that’s what I want for you, friend. I want you to get out of your limited-thinking box so you can step into fresh new possibilities.
Before I go, I’d love to know, are you stuck in a box and forgetting to look up and push open the lid? Or are you flying high above the vista where you’re able to see the big picture, the goal, the path, and the next steps?
Caroline, XO
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