Let's pretend that I went into my disgusting (truly, it's terrible and I'll literally hire any of you to just clean it for me) basement and found a crystal ball.
But this is not just ANY crystal ball… it's a BUSINESS crystal ball!
Totally not cheesy and very believable, right??
Let's say that you got a chance to look into this crystal ball and here's what it told you
In five years, your business (and the way that you run it) will be exactly the same as it is today.
You will be making the same amount of money in sales.
You will be doing the same volume of tasks.
You will have the same work/life balance.
I know our brains and eyes want to skim really quickly through text, but let's just take one second together and process that prediction, because I want to know how that makes you FEEL.
If you're feeling really content and pleased with being in the same place in five years, that's great! It likely means you don't have to make any changes in your business.
HOWEVER, if the thought of your business being exactly the same in five years leaves you feeling anxious, discouraged, or very tired…
…then it means something has to change.
The majority of us do NOT want to be running our businesses in the same way that far into the future. Hell, I certainly don't!!!
When we first start out, we typically are putting so much of our time, blood, sweat, and tears into trying to make it work. We will abandon free time and put our mental health at risk because we believe that it will just be temporary.
Too often, we get lost in the hamster wheel of everything (content creation, product development, packaging and shipping, collaborations, etc.) and we don't make any sort of plan to get ourselves to the “next level."
Unfortunately, winging it is not a business plan.
The “next level” should look like some version of this
You're meeting your financial goals regularly.
You aren't doing everything yourself.
You're finding creative ways to meet the needs of your customers.
You're NOT burning out.
You have a healthy work/life balance.
You probably have a therapist you see at least every other week!
If you're thinking that those things all sound lovely, but you have no idea how to get to that place, well… you're not alone.
The fiber business industry is a hobby industry. While many of us are making an income here, we often are coming into our businesses because of our own hobbies. We're turning those hobbies into work.
And while many of us bring our past lives to the table (which is amazing), not all of us have past lives that include knowing a whole lot about actually running a business. I don't want you to feel like I'm being a dick by saying this… I'm a Spanish major, so I knew the literal LEAST about businesses.
Now, when it comes to figuring out HOW you're going to make changes in your business so that five years looks AWESOME instead of EXHAUSTING, that's going to be very personalized and dependent on many factors.
As you look to change your business, consider these questions
What can growth look like for the type of business you have?
What kind of growth do you WANT?
What are the parts of your business you KNOW need to change?
What do YOU need to do to get there?
If you’re looking for a soft place to land while you’re working through these questions, join us in the Fiber Business Collective, where you’ll find a group of peers who are currently building their businesses and learning what growth can mean in this industry.
Comments