Re-Evaluating Your Business When It’s Not Bringing You Joy

Woah, woah, woah. It’s been a hot minute since the last post on TheCrownFox, right? This post is long overdue and we're about to get personal. Here's the deal: I really wasn’t #obsessed with my business anymore.

That’s scary, right? How many of you have worked so hard to build and create something just to have a moment of realization that screams, “NO! NO NO NO NO!”? Because that’s what the latter half of 2016 was looking (and feeling) like to me. I wanted to push through, I figured it was just ‘a season’ and I’d feel rejuvenated if I took some time away from blogging, or whatever. But try as I might, I couldn’t get back on board.

Through some wonderful connections, a few heart to hearts, and the universe giving me all the green lights I’ve made a transition that starts with my services but ultimately translates across my whole entire business (and life).

Now, I know I’m not alone in these “oh, shit” moments and I wanted to open up the discussion with whoever reads this so you know that it’s okay to step back, re-evaluate, and figure out what makes you actually happy. A perk of being your own boss is that you can change things. [tweet that!] You don’t have to do anything you don’t want too (besides like taxes and laundry, but whatever).

Here’s what my steps looked like (even if I didn’t fully realize they were happening at the time).

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DON’T STOP THE IDEA TRAIN (LITERALLY, LET YOUR BRAIN WORK IT OUT)

This was step 1, even if I didn’t know it while it was happening. You might’ve noticed the latter half of 2016 involved me trying to launch, start, talk about a whoooooooole lot of things. I just was like ‘dangit, ONE of these things WILL make me happy’ and just kept generating ideas. My poor business bestie was probably so overwhelmed with my “NEXT GOOD IDEA” coming every day in our Slack channel.

But here’s the deal: this is good. Even if you feel stressed out about all these ideas and shift between really excited to really overwhelmed every single hour, at least you’re still ‘working through it’. Because you are – whether you know it or not. These ideas and brainstorms and random planning sessions are all just a part of your brain trying to find and create a solution for what’s bothering you.

Here’s what I did, what worked, and what didn’t:

First, let the brainstorms happen, write down the ideas, and get excited. Even if it’s totally not plausible, let it out of your head. I have about sixteen Evernotes that are like ‘GOOD BIZ IDEA 11/17’ and ‘DEFINITELY A WINNER 12/2’ that I need to go through and delete/condense. But at least I let the thought run its course and stop nagging away in my head.

It worked because I could see where all my interests were, I could see what seemed like something I’d want to actually consider, and it worked because I could see what was exciting me (versus filling me with dread or worry).

What I don’t recommend doing (even though I totally did some of these… oops): Don’t actually throw up any money or too much time to fulfilling these ideas YET. They aren’t fully formed, they aren’t definite, and they might pan out to be a huge waste of resources (i.e. money). So while they are FUN to think about, let’s leave them as creative brainstorms for now.

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TALK IT OUT WITH PEOPLE. ANYONE. EVERYONE.

So there you are, in your head, overwhelmed, half crazed, about sixty ideas of things you could do that might make you happy and excited about your business again… but now what?

Connect with people. Talk to people. Talk to anyone who will talk to you about things – and don’t let it JUST be about business, but about life too. Get deep. Get weird. I’m literally starting 2 coffee/wine chats per week with people on my email list that need this sort of conversation (or really any sort of conversation) – because I totally did. You cannot keep it all in your head.

Here’s what I figured out – a lot of my unhappiness with my business resulted from unhappiness of the lifestyle it was forcing me to have. I only figured that out after talking to my partner and my best friend (who are not involved in online business world AT ALL). But I also talked to my business bestie, a client I’m close with, some awesome business owners I’m in a mastermind with, a random lady at the coffee shop sitting next to me one day (#realtalk), my mom, my sister… like everyone.

And I got vulnerable – I voiced concerns about where my business was, where I wanted it to go, what I wanted it to become, etc. I talked about how I wanted to live on a boat and travel the world, I talked about how I wanted my Instagram to be way more authentic, I talked about like EVERYTHING that was weighing on my mind that somehow loosely related back to my business and my lifestyle.

Then after I talked and talked and talked and got a LOT of feedback, I wrote out my dream lifestyle. What my days looked like, my weeks looked like, my work looked like, my clients looked like, etc. I day dreamed and manifested and built up perfect little fantasies in my head of working from a hammock that was hung somewhere on a boat (I literally know no boat terms) somehow magically like over the water but still safe and stable and where I could like actually see the screen on my computer despite it being sun-shiney outside.

And then I went back to all those random notes in Evernote and ideas and started really thinking which, if any, of these could help me create THAT life or dream. I nixed like 95% of the notes and came down to the realization that there were a few ideas that I could take, implement, and run with that would move me closer to this dream and those were the ideas I would pursue.

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REFLECT FOR-LIKE-EVER

But this was all around the end of October and I was now in that, okay, I’m committed but like… ahhhh. So much work to do. I basically have to change everything, which is terrifying. I knew it needed to happen and I knew it would happen, but I was still scared so I spent the last two months of 2016 really reflecting on my decisions and making sure I could and would do them.

Then, something really magical happened. The pieces started falling into place before I even officially made the shifts. Seriously. The universe was like “no, Kaitlyn, it’s a good move look here: awesome client who is the greatest”. Just to propel and push and validate my thoughts further.

And I reflected on that, too. The thing is: I didn’t put hard deadlines on myself, I let the evolution happen naturally and let my brain work through the worries and kinks and solve the problems. I spent time reflecting each day on what I wanted my revised brand and business to feel like, to look like, to talk about, to teach about. I didn’t read other people’s blogs, I didn’t browse Pinterest, I don’t even know the last time I did anything on social media…

I just needed to step back and stop making myself frantic, giving myself ‘1 hour to think about my business and figure it out’ in my planner, and thinking everything would combust if I didn’t figure it out by X date.

Dont force yourself to 'figure it all out' by a certain date - let big decisions run their course. [tweet that!]

And you know what? It’s February 1st and I don’t have all the answers but I can say this: I’m SUPER excited to write this blog post. I’m FREAKING THE HECK OUT about the newsletter that is going out today. I’m going to have two coffee chats on Friday that are going to be so inspirational and exciting. I’ve already brought on a few clients that I am ECSTATIC about. January has been my most productive month in my business, like ever, and I’ve done yoga nearly every day, spent more time eating healthy and practicing mindfulness, and connected with bosses that I am so excited to call my friends. I’m building the lifestyle I daydreamed about just a few months ago and I can’t believe it took me so long to make these shifts.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Here’s where we land with this post: you don’t have to be miserable in your business. [tweet that!] You can create your dream business doing what you love. When something is right it feels magical and falls into place (I’m serious. If you’ve ever been in a bad/hard/unhealthy relationship and then in a good/healthy/balanced relationship you know how different those two things can feel? Business is the same). And most importantly – trust your instincts, trust your gut, trust your ability to adapt, adjust, and solve problems. You are awesome and strong and smart and so, so, so capable!

Now, just get out there, and DO it. I believe in you.

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The Four Signs It's Time To Launch Your Business

Starting a business is a crazy idea, right? I laugh when I think about how I used to scoff at the idea of ever being my own business owner. I remember actually saying in a job interview once that that sounded like an awful idea and I would never.

Oops!

I’ve been reflecting on my business a lot lately over these past few months and I realized there was something missing – there are a lot of articles and posts about what to do when you start your business, but a missing moment of that feeling before… when you’re like, wait, should I REALLY do this? Am I CRAZY?

Well, no, you aren’t crazy. You’re awesome.

Ready to launch your business? Here are the signs #girlboss [tweet that!]

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YOU CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT

Sign number one that you should dive into this business thing is simple: it’s on your mind all the time. Your friends and family are probably sick of hearing you talk about it, you spend your spare time reading books and posts about entrepreneurship, and you have a lot of random notes in your phone, on post-its, etc. of what you could/should be doing.

I remember starting TheCrownFox was the most overwhelming thought in my head when I decided to do it. I spent every spare moment working on it and used it as an excuse to tuck myself in the office and avoid any other responsibilities or commitments.

Now, it can be a little unhealthy to be so obsessed, but I choose to see it as a positive that you are SO excited about something. It feels really good to be enthused about something and can turn the most blah days into something to feel good about.

I also have a thought that if you already can’t stop thinking about it, it’s going to happen. You’ve put the thought out there into the universe and you’re already secretly committed, just scared to admit it. My advice to you? Jump in the deep end! Get in there and DO the dang thing.

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YOU’VE GOT AN IDEA THAT WILL BENEFIT SOMEONE

Another surefire sign that you’re going to be a business owner soon enough is if you have a thought or an idea that will benefit someone else. The easiest way this comes about is overcoming some struggle of your own, learning some skill of your own, or experiencing something of your own and looking back and realizing there are more women out there, like you, who you could help.

I am of the very strong belief that businesses have to exist to solve some sort of problem for someone else. Acknowledging what you can solve or fix or do or create for someone is a huge step – you’ve already starting building your business foundation without even realizing it.

Knowing how you are going to improve someone’s life is a big motivator to work on your business idea because suddenly there’s a real person out there who needs you to make this exist. Remember this feeling when you sell your first service or product because it will feel awesome to know that you are making a difference to someone.

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YOU’RE NOT IN IT TO ‘GET RICH QUICK’

If your only goal is to make a lot of money really quick I am not sure if starting your own business is the best idea. So if you’ve already started coming to grips with the fact that this is going to take work, effort, diligence, sweat, tears, and who knows what else – then great! You’re doing it!

Making sacrifices to be able to afford to start your own business, saving up an emergency fund, and taking out loans might be in your business future. Being willing to make those sorts of commitments is a huge indicator that you are ready to start a business. If all of that sounds no way, no how and you aren’t willing to cut the soy lattes out then reconsider how committed you are to your business’ success.

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YOU KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS (AND YOUR WEAKNESSES)

A huge part of starting a business involves a lot of introspection. You have to get into your head and see what you can teach yourself because there is absolutely no way that you will know and understand all the different facets of your business (hi, taxes).

Taking a moment early on to consider what your best and strongest attributes are, and focusing on those, will make starting a business much easier. As soon as you can I would start outsourcing anything else that isn’t in your wheelhouse so that you can focus on what you are good at and not get overwhelmed with what you are not.

I definitely understand the want to ‘bootstrap’ and ‘DIY’ everything, especially if finances are tight, but if you aren’t careful you will find yourself burnt out really quickly and overwhelmed by everything you are expected to do.

Rather, I’d make the financial commitment to save/scrape up what you can and hire out or trade work for the things that make you feel crazy and hopeless.

There are probably hundreds of other indicators that you should dive into entrepreneurship, but those are the top four that stood out to me in my own life and experience.

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