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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

What No One Tells You About Running A Business

The other day, I opened my inbox and started reading an email from a business/marketing guru that I subscribe to. The title of her blog post jumped out at me.

What No One Tells You About Owning A Business

"This is what no one tells you: there is not a single minute when you ARRIVE at your perfect business."

She goes on to talk about how in the pursuit of her perfect business, she is leaving some projects behind that have been dear to her heart in order to make room for new and possibly even better things. 

This sentence rang true to me: There is not a single minute when you ARRIVE at your perfect business.

When I began my business, I had no idea what I was doing.

It's true. I had no idea. There's no manual. Well, maybe there is, but I didn't find it and didn't read it.

So the last 3.5 years have been full of experiments, guesses, a little floundering, and a LOT of changes.

I remember one time over a year ago when I was telling Matt about some new ideas and new changes that I thought I might integrate into my business. He said to me, "Do you think you'll ever get to a place where you're happy with the way you're doing things, and you can just shoot without changing things all the time?"

I replied with "I hope so!"

Here I am, a year later, and I'm still continuously analyzing how things are working, fixing things that aren't working as well as I hoped, and further enhancing things that are. 

At times, I have felt like it's just me who is unable to just be/stay in one place and just keep doing what I've been doing without making a change every so often. I thought other people find their groove, find what works, and just do that forever.

But that's not the way it is. Not for people who's businesses are growing, progressing, thriving. Especially with the way technology is changing, and the way industries are changing in its wake.

Sometimes, it gets tiring and stressful to know that there will never be a minute where I'm like "Aha! I've finally done it! I have created the PERFECT BUSINESS!" Knowing that I will have to continue to make tweaks, changes, and keep moving forward in order to prevent myself and my business from being stagnant and eventually nonproductive, is kind of exhausting sometimes.

But it's also comforting.

It's a good thing to be constantly looking for ways to be more efficient. To work faster, simpler, and cleaner. To do things better, both for myself and for my clients. It's a good thing to analyze what is working and what's not, and to continue to experiment and find out what works the best. That's how I move toward the "Perfect Business."

I might never have THE PERFECT BUSINESS. And I am not allowed to be discouraged by that fact.

Instead, I can find comfort in the fact that I have the freedom to analyze, change, tweak, and experiment, because it's MY business. If it is working for me, and proving for my lifestyle, then it might not be PERFECT but it's pretty darn amazing. 

So if you are like me and are several years into your business and still feel like you aren't quite there; like you haven't quite yet reached the perfect business yet, let go of the idea that you will suddenly arrive at your perfect business. That you will one day say "YES! I have GOT IT!" 

Because you won't. If you want to succeed long term, you will have to continue to grow, improve, and move forward. If you stop doing that, you will be surpassed by someone else who is moving forward.

Keep striving for the perfect business.

Keep growing.

Keep changing.

Keep experimenting.

And don't forget to enjoy your business and your success along the way. It might not be THE PERFECT BUSINESS, but it's YOUR business, and you should be proud of it. 

I am proud of mine.

2LR_0275
Tell me, have you felt the same way before? Like you're constantly moving toward/trying to achieve your perfect business, and it feels like it's always just out of your reach? Or have you ever felt like you finally had it - the perfect business? I'd love to hear your stories.

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