Blog - Page 47 of 75

Here's the thing: slowing down

So, it’s nearly a month (already!) since my 2016 retreat. As with last year, I found that the retreat weekend is an eye-opener for me as well as for the attendees, and this year, having moved house and had some time off, I’ve been left with some revelations.

One of which is: it’s time to change gear and slow down.

I know for so many of my clients, this is counter-intuitive. For so many of us, especially creatives and visionaries, we want to be changing UP a gear, moving forward faster and moving up as high as we can. Don’t get me wrong, I have a whole heap of ambition. And a whole list of projects (including my Big New Idea).

And so much of my ambition and inspiration comes from within me and within my work. I get inspired by the clients I work with. I listen to them and their challenges, and I can think of lots of ways I want to help. Or I simply have a growing need within me to do something new.

But there’s also part of that ambition and inspiration that is driven by fear or comparison, and that doesn’t feel so good to me. First of all, I don’t need it. I’ve got enough ideas and scope without needing any more fire behind me to get me moving. Second, I don’t want to be driven by fear, or by what other people are doing.

There are people and businesses way ahead of me – people who’ve been building their businesses for years and years.

There are people who started out (or have since received) way more financial backing or other support than me.

There are people who have a team, even of just two, to carry the load of running a business.

I cannot expect myself to live up to what other people are doing. I don’t know the truth of what’s going on in their business, anyway, no matter how shiny and amazing it looks from the outside.

For me, it’s really the people further down the road than me that get me. I want to be there already! I’m impatient, and like many creatives, I am visionary, so I can see myself further down the line, even when I’m many years (probably) away.

So here’s the thing: I’m slowing down

My ambition and vision aren’t going anywhere and, rather than push myself to the limits, I’ve decided to trust that they’re sticking around. This is what’s going to keep me going in the long run.

That means cutting back on the number of projects I’m trying to plan, launch, and think about. It means I’m going to let business run as usual (rather than pushing it to grow, fast) while I work on the Big New Idea. And it means that I’ll be planning way more time around each activity, so that I can do things slowly.

This is not easy for me. At all.

I like working fast. I like doing things. I like calming the fear that says, “If you don’t do this now, someone else will.” Sound familiar?

But more than anything, I want to be sat in two, five, 10, 20 years’ time able to say: “I built this my way, and it has stayed the distance. I’m so glad I built it right. I’m so glad I didn’t burn out along the way. It’s such a pleasure to live this life, to do this work, and to bloom in my own right timing.”

So. Who’s with me?

The Big New Idea: introducing my live-blog of setting up a new project

Okay, friends. Here’s the thing (to coin a phrase): I’m working on something. Something BIG. Something new. Something that’s going to make my business better, but more importantly, it’s going to make YOUR business better.

Sounds good, right?

Good, I’m glad you’re on board!

So, to add some extra goodness to the whole thing, I thought I’d “live-blog” my progress with some behind-the-scenes looks at my thought process as I set something up.

The idea is cribbed from Paul Jarvis and Jason Zook over at Invisible Office Hours, who have been live-podcasting their latest project together. I’ve loved hearing them talk about their processes, and it’s totally worth a listen, especially if you have a penchant for software/service development (which, so it transpires, I do).

Anyway, back to this Big New Idea.

This project is so big that it’s kind of like setting up a new business from scratch. Oh yeah, I wasn’t messing around when I said it was BIG! But because it will involve setting up a website, creating packages and all that jazz, I thought it would be pretty helpful to read about. And hopefully interesting too.

It’s also a great way to keep myself accountable. Not that I particularly struggle with that, but having my thoughts written down has never really steered me wrong before.

So, I know what you’re thinking. What the blooming heck is this project?!

I’m not going to tell you just yet. That will come, but I’ve got some important conversations to have with people I want to get on board, and I don’t want to give the game away too much until I’ve spoken to them.

What I will give you is an insight into where I am right now, and what’s on my next steps list. This is a real-life snapshot of the project as it stands right now, and these things are not too far off the to-do list for any new endeavour.

What I already have:

A name (to be revealed in due course)
An idea of how I’ll describe the business (essentially, an elevator pitch)
Ideas for packages (or products): I know what I’m going to be offering my clients/customers
My target audience: not hugely different from my current audience (hi, there!), but subtly different, and with different specific needs
A pretty good idea that this will work: not to blow my own trumpet, but I already know that there’s a gap in the market for this business project, because my existing clients are asking about it

My next steps:

Plan the packages: what the customer will get, how much they’ll cost, how long each thing will take (so that I can price effectively). This won’t be hard-and-fast forever, but it’s what I hope to aim for. I’ll also plan introductory rates to help me launch the packages.
Define the help I need. This isn’t a one-woman show. I’m going to need help. After I started looking for an assistant in January, I got some good contacts, but I need to define for myself what I need in the people I work with. It’ll be my Mary Poppins wishlist that I can then use to compare to the people I talk to about joining the project.
Have conversations with people about the project. This is mostly about finding people to work within the business, but I might also have conversations with people who can support the development of the business (i.e. promote it or become customers).
Buy the domain. I already have the name of the business, so this is a no-brainer. I’m not ready to start setting up the website yet, but I can at least grab the domain name. I might think about who I host with, as this will link later to whether I set up business email addresses etc. (This is a slightly more complicated question for me as I already have my thejennyhyde.com email address.) I’ll share my hosting decision once I’ve decided!

So, I’ll be back soon with an update! I’d love to hear from you if you have thoughts or questions about this Big New Idea, and if you’re planning to follow along. Post in the comments or get in touch.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about your own business development and getting my thoughts on online selling, my Inspired Action course starts in a little over a week, and is jam-packed with lots of inspiration and ways you can take action to improve your business.

Until soon

Here's the thing: for when you're in the middle of transition

Hi friends.

I keep thinking about blogging and feeling so out of it, so consumed with moving house and organising a retreat and, well, LIFE, that I feel like I don’t have anything wise, or funny, or interesting to share.

This has happened before – the busy-ness that gets in the way of writing – and it doesn’t feel good to me. I love writing and blogging and sharing!

So this morning, I thought I’d sit down to write, and write what I need to hear. Let’s see what happens, shall we?

Right now, there are cardboard boxes taking up the bedroom. There are boxes of goodies for the retreat all over the living room. There are notebooks everywhere. There are Important Documents on the table, next to the socks I haven’t put on yet and the birthday cards I need to write. There are lists and lists and lists.

Right now, my cash flow is tight. I’m balancing retreat outgoings and moving costs and deposits and the hope and expectation of income from my flat. It will be fine, but it doesn’t always feel fine.

Right now, I have to remember that it’s temporary, that we will move and it will be done. I won’t be in this transitional space, liminal and chaotic, forever.

I have so many dreams and plans for my business this year. I have so much hope for creating some really cool, useful, new stuff. I really want to get on with it! But I simply can’t right now. There’s plenty to be doing over the coming weeks. Later in the year, I’ll be moved and able to jump in with both feet (rather than a fingertip).

I wonder whether you can relate to that feeling of a forced pause? Like my clients who’ve had babies and had to accept that they can’t do all the things they were planning to do. Sometimes it’s as long as a year or more, and sometimes it’s a couple of months, but occasionally we have to allow our businesses to tick over (rather than expand and grow) in order to get on with life stuff.

This is what I need to hear: you’re in the middle of this process. So you have to keep going with as much grace, rest, joy, trust as possible. You don’t have to sparkle every day. You just have to keep going, keep prioritising, and keep thinking about the end goal.

You’ll be so grateful when you get there.

One of which is: it’s time to change gear and slow down.

So here’s the thing: I’m slowing down

So, I know what you’re thinking. What the blooming heck is this project?!

Enter The Forge