About a year ago, I reached out to my community from my mom’s bedside at a Hospice facility in Fort Meyers, Florida. I shared with them that I would be hitting the pause button on my weekly emails to reflect, renew and celebrate my mom’s life. What was intended to be a 3-month sabbatical slowly evolved into an entire year, where I took my foot off the gas pedal to heal, reflect and consider carefully where I wanted to take my life and work.
While I did a little marketing, ran a small group through our curriculum design program, and worked with a few private clients, for the most part… I stepped off the grid and stopped pushing so damn hard.
The good news is, during that time, I had the team and recurring revenues in place that afforded me the luxury of taking a break.
During my 12 months off the grid, revenues continued to flow, clients were served, bills were paid and the team remained intact. In short, while I was off finding myself and healing my heart, my business continued to run without me at the helm.
I want you to pause for a second and read that last paragraph again. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
My question for you is this…
If you decided to go off the grid, travel the world, take care of a personal issue, or retire all together, could you afford to do that? Would your business continue to generate income, serve clients and make a meaningful difference in the world with the work you are here to do?
If your answer is no, don’t feel bad. I have yet to meet a solopreneur or small business owner who has the luxury of taking their foot off the gas pedal. The moment they let up or decide to take an extended break, all hell breaks loose. Team members have to go, savings are depleted, and the bill collectors come knocking.
Let’s face it, the thought leader industry, which I define as coaches, consultants, speakers, trainers and authors, is rampant with well-meaning, service-driven geniuses who are almost broke. If they stop hustling, the flow of money dries up and so does the dream.
But I digress… now is not the time for me to get all “Debbie Downer” on you and preach that leveraged income is the key to entrepreneurial bliss. That’s a topic I’ll dive into another time. What I want to talk to you about today is something bigger and more significant.
I want to talk about WHY you do what you do.
After 32 years of starting and growing 7 businesses, I find myself in a place of choice. Mario and I worked hard, made smart decisions and watched our pennies. We’ve got the house, the savings and the recurring revenue that affords us the freedom to kick back and chill if we want to. In short, we could pack up our toys, head to the hills and wish the industry well.
But that’s not what I am going to do.
I’ve spent many a sleepless night running the possibilities through my head… Should I move to Costa Rica, teach at the college level, take up painting, or trek through Asia? The list was endless.
After a lot of soul searching, I’ve come to some important conclusions.
- I have important things to say about entrepreneurship and growing a business, as a result of 32 years in the entrepreneurial trenches.
- I’m feeling unsettled about what I am seeing in the thought leader industry. Well-meaning “experts” who are over-promising, over-charging and under-delivering. It’s eroded the trust of consumers and it needs to stop.
- I want to play a part in setting a new standard and calling my colleagues (including you) to a higher standard of integrity, service and delivery.
- I want to pour my 32 years of business-building into programs that no-body else is offering. Ones that offer a proven path, done-for-you services and loads of personalized support.
So… this is all to say that I am NOT DONE YET! There are clients to serve, courses to produce, books to write and businesses to grow.
And… as I step back out into the light, I’m inspired and I’m scared – scared by the magnitude of the vision I have crafted for these next 2 years.
I’m curious… does your dream ever feel so big that you question whether you’ve got what it takes to make it happen? If your answer is YES, welcome to the club of kick-ass women (and men) who are up to big stuff.
You see, I’ve been at this place of starting something new hundreds of times over the past 32 years. No matter how many times I am here or how much evidence I have that I CAN and WILL kick ass, I still feel afraid when I’m at the starting block – whether it’s starting a new business, launching a new program or embarking upon a big project.
Fear, self-doubt, anxiousness, overwhelm… it’s all a part of this crazy ride of entrepreneurship. It’s the price we pay to live out our dream of turning our experience, passion and purpose into a thriving business we love.
As I step back out in the arena, I’m willing to push through my fears and self-doubts because I am more committed to my work and making a difference than I am to being comfortable and playing it safe.
How about you?
At the beginning of this blog, I said I wanted to know why you do what you do. I want to know what pushes you past the fear and into that place where you are willing to do what others only dream of. I want to know why you are willing to navigate the self-doubt and overwhelm that comes with this entrepreneurial journey in order to have the life and business you have always wanted.
I’m serious about this – email me right now, I can’t wait to hear from you!
Then stay tuned for the next installment in this series where we will continue to take steps to call your kick-ass, empire-building rock star to the front of the bus, to create the breakthrough you are looking for.
To your breakthrough,
Jane
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