I'll get right into it!
Here are four common growth opportunities I see for small business owners.
Also known as… four phrases I'd put on a billboard 😅.
— Trust simple
Something in us can WANT things to be hard, complex, and time consuming. If we're working hard, we must be “doing it right”.
And if we're moving, we must be making progress.
But what actually works in your business? What actually leads to desired growth? What are you doing to “keep up” or “prove”?
📝 For example: Sending one thoughtful pitch/connection email a week may do more for your business than an hour a day on social media. If that's true for you, and you're happy with how things are going, let that be true for you.
— Give people a chance to buy from you
Have I said this before?—YES. Will I continue to repeat it?—ALSO YES.
Talk about your work more than once! Try on different language! Share it in different places!
Give it a chance to travel.
Can you see the relief in this? You don't have to “nail” any one email, pitch, social media post, ad, or anything else you're using to market/sell your work.
You will have many runs at it.
🤝 Give people a chance. Give yourself a chance.
— Seek internal/external alignment
Do your insides match your outsides?
It's not much use strengthening your external projection (branding, marketing communications, etc.) if internally your team doesn't agree on what you do, where you're going, and why it matters.
Similarly, it's a huge drain on our energy and self-trust if what we feel on the inside is wildly different than what we express on the outside.
Is there any resentment building between you and someone you work with? Are you using language that makes your skin crawl? Are there any activities in your business that feel like energetic gridlock to get through?
Consider that “keeping it together” might be taking more energy than making a change or having the conversation.
Tension is constructive (it points us toward what matters to us!). Feeling split is generally destructive.
📝 Note: We're not seeking pure alignment here. We're not avoiding reality. We're being mindful of these incongruencies and making supportive shifts where we can.
— Start where you're willing
The best, most beautiful plan in the world doesn't mean much if you're not able and willing to act on it.
If weeks keep passing and you're not taking action on a project you said was important to you….
Or if a coach/consultant/mentor is encouraging you to do something and you're not doing it…
This is not some moral failing on you. Perhaps you simply need a different door in, a smaller next step.
ANY TIME you leave a meeting or end a call or write out your weekly plan….ask yourself: “Am I actually willing to do this next step? Do I trust myself to do this?” If the answer is no, make a change.
Stop forcing, start shifting.
💡 Worth repeating: The next step should always being something you're able and willing to do, right now.
That's it my friends! I'm off to pin “TRUST SIMPLE” to my wall.
Here's to your growth,
