Hey! It’s June. Which means I’m back from my writing ‘sabbatical’ (which really just means, I didn’t produce content during the month of May). I’m talking about the personal reasons I took some time away in my newsletter that’s going out today, but in short: I was just really freakin’ busy with client work, moving, and life. Phew.
I felt a little guilty at first, I mean here I am touting all about how great business is since I made The Switch (should I refer to 2016 TheCrownFox as PRE-TS?) and how motivated I am and excited I am… and then I just disappear? But, friends, I’m still super pumped… I just had a lot of work to do for clients. Which I am very happy about it! Blogging, or not blogging, didn’t affect that bottom line so I put my time where the money was last month.
Which led me to being a little at a loss for what to start writing about as May drew to a close. I knew that I wanted to re-introduce blogging into my weekly schedule, but what to write about? Per usual, decided to go with what was on the forefront of my mind – the seasons of business.
What’s that? Well, for me, it’s this:
THE EXCITEMENT SEASON
First comes the excitement. This was probably when you decided to start a business and everything was super, super, super exciting. You stayed up until 2am regularly reading Pinterest posts and making to do lists. You probably built out an entire year of content in an editorial calendar, planned the 4+ launches you wanted to accomplish, and knew that it was only a matter of time before you were getting featured on The Huffington Post or some awesome podcast.
I love The Excitement Season. It’s FUN to plan, day-dream, and let your brain go wild with the possibilities. It’s not exclusive to just the birth of your business, either. I had an Excitement Season in December/January, when I knew I was shifting my business and was running rampant with ideas of what all the ‘newness’ could look like.
For a lot of entrepreneurs the Excitement Season might come in late Fall, when things are slowing down for the holidays and you can begin to think about the following year and all that you will do or accomplish.
There’s not a right or wrong time to have one of these seasons, but I will say in experience it’s good to take the season for what it is: excitement. Yes, follow through on your ideas, see what is actually possible, make it happen… but don’t let yourself get too discouraged if everything you dreamt of can’t exactly happen in that super idealistic, I-can-do-#allthethings timeline. The Excitement Season is good for brainstorming, ideation, and getting creative – but eventually you have to shift into the next season or nothing will ever actually get done.
Action steps for this season: write down all of your ideas, but don't get too attached or caught up in elaborating on any particular idea too much yet. In the next season you'll start actually seeing what is possible, what you can and want to do take the time to do, etc. This season should be more about being in a flow of just being creative and brainstorming. Creative brainstorm sessions are essential here!
THE BUILDING BLOCKS SEASON
So, when it’s time to get #allthethings done, you move into the Building Blocks season. For me, this was this past February/March. It’s when you are taking those ideas and dreams from earlier and starting to flesh out exactly what is possible, when it would be possible, and how it would be possible.
This season is still fun – you’re still riding the idea-high and putting real actionable steps to your plan. You might focus on connecting with others that can help your plans come to fruition, in the forms of joint venture collaborations, adding team members, etc. This is when you start to really develop a timeline, SMART goals, and a plan (for whatever it is that you are doing).
During my last Building Blocks season I had developed 3 solid ideas for things I want to happen this year. Personally my biggest struggle lies in this season ending and the next one starting.
Action steps for this season: Be sure to go through each idea from The Excitement Season and work out exactly how much work/time is necessary to bring that to life. Be honest with yourself, is that amount of time/work something you'll actually want to do in the next season? If yes, then put a plan and a timeline to it. If no, put it aside for a later date (or discard it completely).
"Will you actually put in the time/work necessary to move out of the idea phase?" (tweet that!)
THE DOING-THE-WORK SEASON
The next season is the hardest one. This is when you actually put your nose down and do the work for everything you dreamt up and planned out. April and May became ‘doing the work’ season as far as client work goes – I had filled my open spots and now needed to do impressive, high-quality work to make clients happy, stick around, and refer me to their peers.
If you’re planning something that is more like a launch (of a course or product), this is when you’re actually doing your launch sequence – hosting webinars, sending out email sequences, guest blogging, etc. This is when you are in the thick of it and probably feeling the most overwhelmed and stressed. Even the best thought up and laid out plans can’t account for weird hiccups – technical issues, getting sick, life circumstances, etc. that will appear seemingly at random during this season.
This is the season when I personally need to schedule and hold myself accountable for self-care, or face feeling completely burnt out and ~*over it*~ half way through. I recommend that to you, as well. If you’re currently in this season, or know it’s fast approaching, schedule yourself breaks to stretch, drink water, and go for a walk. Schedule a lunch date with a friend so that you can get away and let your mind rest. Don’t make this season any harder than it already is by not treating yourself with care and respect!
Action steps for this season: Make sure other elements and factors in your life are in sync for this season (i.e. don't be moving, don't have a ton of travel planned, etc.). This is when your business will need the most of your time, so plan ahead to be able to give that time (or plan to outsource more during this time, so you can focus on exactly what needs YOUR attention).
THE CELEBRATION SEASON
Once you’ve finished launching or getting through whatever you were focusing on in the ‘doing-the-work’ season, Ihighly, highly, highly recommend giving yourself a celebration season (before you jump back into The Excitement Season). The Celebration Season should be filled with good things – sharing your journey and successes with others, treating yourself to something you’ve been wanting or needing for yourself or your business, and connecting with others. I’m entering a Celebration Season right now and can’t wait to start scheduling more coffee chats and decorating my new office.
The Celebration Season shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s important to acknowledge what you’ve accomplished and been working hard at lately. I know the pull to get right back into the Excitement Season and start planning your next venture is strong, but without a brief time of relaxation and rejuvenation, it’ll be hard to get those ideas flowing organically and freely.
Action steps for this season: Share your success! Post content that reviews what you've done and your successes. Share on social media, or in Facebook groups. Your Celebration Season will encourage others out there, so share things that you've learned and accomplished. This will also be good research for your next Excitement Season (you'll be able to see what people respond to, want to learn from you/your experience, etc.).
So, with that being said… I’d love to know what season you are currently in and how it is going for you. Leave a comment below and let me know what’s going on in your business currently (and how we can support one another)!
Hi! I’m Kaitlyn!
I believe that you can create a life and business you love by listening to your own inner guidance system. I think there's plenty of strategies + hacks to learn and a ton of “how to” content you can consume but ultimately you are your best guide, the best guru, the best compass, and the best source of inspiration! I’m here to help you learn to trust that voice inside, step into your incredible power, and create YOUR dream business + life.
Let’s work together!