15 May
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I’ve made a lot of changes in my business over the years, and recently I realized I was running my business all wrong. You may be too!
So for today’s blog post, I want to talk about what I was doing wrong if you’re doing the same thing and what I’m doing now to grow my business!
I was running my business all wrong- Here’s how
Before, in my business, I would listen to everyone’s advice. I was taking all the courses and watching a lot of videos. Following all of the advice of more successful content creators than me.
Which, in itself isn’t a bad thing. It’s a good idea to learn from those that are ahead of you and invest in your business.
The problem starts when you don’t allow for any of your own creativity to flow and only follow the advice of others- no matter if it works for you or not.
Here are some of the things I was doing- even if they didn’t work for me.
- Productivity techniques
There is a lot of advice out there on what productivity techniques you can use. And I tried so many of them!
Most of them didn’t work for me, but since they worked for so many others I kept trying- and failing– to use them.
And when they didn’t work again, or I fell out of the habit of using them, I looked at it as if I had failed. When in reality, there was nothing to “fail” I was just doing things that didn’t work for me!
- The way I wrote blog posts
I used to write blog posts the way everyone else wrote them- or at least the way I thought I should write them.
They needed to be perfectly done with SEO, sound professional, and have none of my personality in them.
Any time I added a bit of flare or personality to my posts, I’d go back to read it and cringe.
So, I would take it out. Not realizing that my personality is what will draw people to me!
Will some people not like me or the way I write, speak, or act?
Yes. that’s going to happen.
But who cares? I am not for everybody, and you aren’t either.
If you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one- not even yourself.
And where’s the fun in that?!
I also tried to write on other topics people were writing about, whether or not I cared much about them.
Why?
Because I was chasing the views. I thought if I wrote on topics that were popular for others, I might have a good chance of getting those views too.
It did not work out that way.
The other thing I did was focus hard on SEO, despite not really getting it and hating the entire process.
I used to pay for a tool called KeySearch. I’d look up my blog post ideas and try to find a good word to rank for.
I rarely ever did.
And that would make me super discouraged as I saw all these blog posts I thought I “couldn’t” do anymore since they had no chance to rank on Google.
Everyone always talked about SEO and how important it was (they aren’t wrong either!) but SEO is just not something that worked for me.
It stifled my creativity, made me not want to write posts, and that’s really boring if you ask me!
- My YouTube video topics
I talk about this a lot on my channel, but the topics I was talking about on YouTube didn’t make me happy either.
A lot of them did, but sometimes I made videos just for the sake of making them.
I use a tool called VidIQ Pro in order to help me decide what videos are the best ones to make.
And sometimes they would suggest videos I wasn’t really interested in, but since they told me I would get views- I made them anyway.
As a result, I didn’t enjoy writing the script, recording the videos sucked because I wasn’t interested in the topic and even editing the videos was boring!
Now, in the end, I am glad I made these videos because they grew my channel and helped me get monetized.
And VidIQ was always right about the topics doing well (Which is why I recommend them!) however, it didn’t feel as great because I wasn’t passionate about the topic!
The big thing I talked about on my channel was Pinterest. I did videos on that for about 2 years.
And while I wouldn’t go back and change it, truthfully, I would be happy to never make a single video on it ever again.
I don’t know why people really picked up on those videos and had them do as well as they did- but I really didn’t enjoy creating a majority of them, despite how well they did.
But again, I was just chasing the views.
- The way I edited YouTube videos
I was even editing my YouTube videos based off of how others said I should!
I thought I had to have a super quick intro because people “didn’t care who I was” (Still true to an extent, although harsh).
I thought I need to have quick cuts. Zooming in and out to keep attention, using music, text, b-roll… everything.
It wasn’t the way I wanted to edit, but that’s what I was told to do so that’s what I did.
- The software and courses I bought
It’s definitely not a problem to buy software off of someone’s recommendation, but the problem comes in when you are still using it well after you know it’s not working for you- especially after you know you can’t afford it.
I bought Epidemic Sound for a while (The place I get my music from) and I do love their service, but I wasn’t using music in my videos. So I didn’t need it.
I bought so many courses I didn’t need because I tried to make things like Pinterest work for me well after I no longer wanted to, or affiliate marketing or SEO course even though they didn’t work for me either.
All these tools are great and I don’t regret trying them out, using them, or recommending them to others but I wish I had known sooner I didn’t have to use any service that wasn’t working for me.
All of these things I did on the premise that I “thought I should” or it “worked for someone else.”
How to know you’re running your business wrong
So, how do you know if you’re doing the same thing? And what do you do about it?
If you find yourself searching for answers everywhere but yourself, you’re probably doing something wrong.
Now, I’m not saying that you can’t get advice from others. I wouldn’t really have a business if I thought that was the case considering I learned so much from others and I teach people as well.
But when you don’t listen to yourself and only follow the advice of others, that’s where things can go wrong.
There is no one right way to run a business.
My advice may not work for you. I hope it does, but it may not.
The same goes for everyone else, and even the way you run your business may not work for others either. That’s okay.
If you’ve watched every video you possibly can read every blog post there is to read. Read books, take courses… all of it. Yet you haven’t started your business… ask yourself why that is?
What is holding you back from starting?
Or, if you find your business to be “failing”, why is that?
You’re likely procrastinating on something important, even if you don’t know it.
This concept can sound crazy, but you always know what the right next step is for yourself. Even if you don’t realize it.
If you have put in hours and hours of research into this business and you find yourself stuck, or unable to start… the amount of research you’re doing could be the reason why.
The bottom line is you’re doing all this research because you don’t trust yourself to be able to start doing things.
You likely have a deep-rooted fear of messing up, not being good enough, or not doing something perfect.
So, you procrastinate. You can’t mess up if you never take action.
However, is that really the case?
I think not taking action on your dreams, not taking a chance on yourself… not following through with your trust and what you know is in your heart, that to me is a bigger mess up than if you just started.
What is the worst thing that could happen if you mess up, really?
Let’s say you buy a service you didn’t need. What did you lose? Some money, likely.
But, money is infinite. Money is energy and always flows back to us. It is a renewable resource. So you didn’t really “lose” it at all.
You could say you lost some time, and while that is true you also gained an experience. You gained knowledge.
You learned what didn’t work, and now you can rule out that option in the future and try something new.
This is a better way to look at things. Actively trying to find the worst-case scenario in situations and then asking yourself why it really isn’t the worst case, or what did you gain out of it in the end?
This will hopefully make some of the procrastinating easier.
We tend to think about the worst-case scenarios, but how often do they actually happen or pan out like we think they will?
And why the heck do we never think of the best-case scenario?
What happens if you go after your dreams? What happens if you succeed?
What happens if you hit every goal you’ve ever wanted, and lived a life beyond your wildest dreams?
What if something good comes out of your business?
Worrying about the worst-case scenario will have you biting your nails and hiding under the bed.
But thinking about the debt you could pay off, the people you could help, the charities you could donate to, the house you could buy… that will have you diving headfirst into the deep end ready to take on your wildest dreams!
What would you do if you knew your dreams would pan out eventually? You would probably get started on them RIGHT FREAKING NOW!
Well, guess what?
That reality is yours. That’s going to happen.
Your dream life is right there, waiting for you to go after it. If it’s in your heart, if it’s something you dream of- that means it’s possible.
So what are you waiting for?! It is guaranteed as long as you start right. Now.
How to get back on track with your business
Hopefully, that has you jumping for the stars, ready to start your business or get going on the one you already have.
But, if you notice yourself falling off track, or are too scared to start, what do you do about it?
One of the first things is to ask yourself why you’re not going after your dreams. What is holding you back?
- Maybe your goals are not aligned
You should be excited to reach your goals.
They may be scary, but if you find yourself procrastinating on your goals time and time again, it may be because you’re not aligned with them, to begin with.
Your goals need to be so aligned with where you want to go that you jump out of bed with excitement every morning at the prospect of getting one step closer to reaching them.
Some days are definitely going to be harder than others, but you shouldn’t be putting them off for weeks, months, or even years.
Starting and running a business isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There are going to be some days you don’t want to work, some days you’ll feel discouraged, and some you’ll need to push through.
Having a bad day or a slow period, taking a break, or even redirecting your dreams a bit doesn’t mean your business won’t work or even that you’ve failed.
It just means you’re human.
However, a prolonged series of procrastinating may mean something is not aligned with you and may need to be looked at or re-evaluated.
- You’re looking too much at the negatives, not the positives
You might have a negative mindset or outlook on life (Which is not your fault!)
For some reason, people are trained to look at the negatives or the “worst-case scenarios.” It’s likely to protect us from bad things happening.
If we’re expecting and prepared for “bad” things, we can handle them better! Or, we do it to keep our hopes from getting too high and letting us down if things don’t turn out as planned.
Which is valid, but can also be harmful!
Looking only at the negative or hard side of things is more than likely the reason you’re not reaching your full potential!
How do you feel after thinking that you’re never going to succeed, or that your business isn’t going to take off?
Or when you think you’ve failed at a goal you really wanted. Or something didn’t turn out quite right.
Probably not very inspired to work.
When we put ourselves down, or only focus on the negatives all we are going to see is the negatives.
But if you create a vision board and see all of the things you want to accomplish for yourself or write out how much money you’re going to manifest… chances are that will motivate you way quicker than the alternative!
When we focus on love, light and all things positive, we are more likely to see the positives!
Your brain will focus on what it thinks is important and look for more of it. So, try looking for the negatives and you’re going to find them.
Try looking for the positives… and guess what you’re going to find?!
In the end, you’ll also be more motivated as well.
Humans do well with praise and love, not being talked down to! The same goes for the way you talk to yourself!
- You have self-limiting beliefs sabotaging yourself
Chances are you also have some self-limiting beliefs or other things in your subconscious that are holding you back from running and growing your business.
If you can figure out why you work the way you do, what fears your inner child has and your relationship with failure (and success!) then you’ll soon have a growing business!
This is obviously easier said than done though.
What do you do about it?
So maybe you notice some of these things about yourself and you see that you are running your business “wrong”.
What can you do about it?
Because thankfully, not all hope is lost and you can turn this ship around any time you notice yourself going off course!
- Stop listening to all the advice
This is something I actually talked about in one of my last podcast episodes.
Once you get to a certain point in your business, it’s time to step back from all the advice videos and just follow your gut instead.
You know what it is you need to do next, you really do.
You just may be too scared to realize it, or too focused on something else instead of what you need to be focused on.
Our senses are pretty limited, and it’s crazy the things we miss even when they are right in from of our faces.
Have you ever lost your phone while it was sitting right in front of you? Or even worse- while you were talking on it?
I’ve lost my glasses before… while they were sitting on my face. And no, not on top of my head, literally in front of my eyes, where they should be.
Have you ever noticed that when you get a new car, all of a sudden you see it everywhere?
Those cars have always been there, on the road the entire time. But your brain filtered out that information as “unimportant” so you didn’t notice it.
Until you got the exact same car, now it’s a more noticeable thing.
The same thing goes for your business.
There may be something glaringly obvious that you are missing, but because you can’t see the forest through the trees... you may completely miss it.
This is why coaching can really help and one of the reasons I started my Blog Kickstarter Coaching Program.
If your blog isn’t growing, or you just started and you’re feeling overwhelmed, getting coaching from someone who isn’t emotionally, physically, and financially invested in your business can help you see things you wouldn’t otherwise see.
- Stop doing “busy work”
This is another thing I was doing in my business and it didn’t help at all.
“Busy work” is tasks that are technically work, but are really just there to help you procrastinate the bigger, more scary tasks you have to do.
For example, some of the things I used to do was tweaking my brand colors or my home page. Updating my Instagram bio or editing old blog posts.
Things that, yes, technically can be done, but aren’t overly important.
Especially when I should have been doing things like creating a new blog post or video, promoting my business, or coming up with a new way to make money.
Busy work is something that makes you feel good because you’re working on your business… But it’s really just a cheap way to stay tucked firmly in your comfort zone and not do the big, scary things you know you should do instead.
Changing your brand colors isn’t going to grow your business, but making money and creating content will!
- Get out of your comfort zone
If you want to make money like you’ve never made before, you’re going to have to do things you’ve never done before.
If you keep trying the same things over and over again with the same results well… that’s the definition of insanity right there.
And this means that you’re going to have to get out of your comfort zone and live a little.
Now I’m not saying you have to go skydiving into an inactive volcano or anything like that, but you may have to post your first youtube video.
You may have to go live on your Instagram stories talking about your new product.
You may have to apply for that first business loan and pitch your idea to new people.
Everyone’s comfort zone is different. For me, I’d rather sit on my couch than ever have to leave my house. You may need to travel the world because you get stir-crazy sitting at home for a month.
But the good thing about comfort zones is they are elastic- they are stretchable and can always grow bigger.
And you can do this slowly over time, it doesn’t have to be a big jump overnight.
- Fix/change your mindset
Mindset is the most important thing in business. You can have all the help and strategies in the world, but if your mindset is outdated then you’re going to have a tough time growing.
There are a lot of subconscious beliefs that you have, and many of them are likely no longer serving the new version of yourself… the “you” that you want to become.
And no matter how much you consciously want to make money, if subconsciously you think money is the root of all evil, you’re not going to get very far.
If you subconsciously have no confidence in yourself, you don’t trust yourself, or you think you aren’t deserving of the success, money, and dreams that you want… you’re not going to get very far.
Or, if you do, it’s going to be done the hard way. By forcing, pushing, and controlling.
Not flowing, gentle, and easy where you let your manifestation come to you instead of going after them yourself the hard way.
A few ways you can fix your mindset is by even realizing what beliefs you have that are no longer serving you. You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken.
So try journaling, meditating, or even my coaching session where we’ll talk about your mindset and limiting beliefs.
In the Blog Kickstarter Coaching Program, we’ll go through what’s holding you back and give you a path to help you move forward.
Once you know what you need to fix, then it’s time to create affirmations that align with your beliefs and begin telling yourself them until they resonate with you and change your beliefs.
It’s not an easy thing to do and it’s definitely not happening overnight, but some beliefs will be easier to change than others and it’s going to be worth it in the end!
I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you’re interested in; hearing the podcast version, check it out right here!
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