Do you ever feel as though your business is like a roller coaster? Do you feel like when it’s good, it’s great; and when it’s bad, well, it’s white-knuckle time? Running a business can be a daunting task. Just as in life, business naturally has an ebb and flow pattern. How you react to this pattern determines how low your next ebb will be and how high your next flow.
How do you feel when your business is at a low?
Do you start to question yourself? Does panic set in? Do you feel frustrated or discouraged? It is understandable why you might feel that way, but the more you react to your fear, the more power you give it. You are potentially setting your business up for even lower ebbs in the future. In order to stop feeding your fear, it is important to have a strategy in place for just those times. A healthy strategy can help you get through those challenging low points.
What can you do during the low times?
Is there a new product or service that you have been thinking about adding to your business? Are there new marketing approaches that you have been looking to explore? This would be a great time – because you have time – to research, create and implement something new into your business. When you hit slow times, see it as the universe opening up the space for you to move your business to the next level. It’s time to GROW!
This truly can be an opportunity where accelerated growth is on the horizon. It may not appear so as your appointment book glares back at you with all its empty space. Brainstorm or implement that idea you have been kicking around but haven’t gotten to because you just didn’t have the time. This is the time to get SERIOUS about putting these things into action. No more dawdling, it’s time to get busy, get out of your comfort zone, and bring your ideas to fruition. Upon the launch of your new creation, you may be surprised to see all the business that starts rolling in.
For many years, I knew in my heart of hearts I was to be teaching. In 2012, even though I taught a handful of workshops, I wasn’t all in. My business slowed considerably at the beginning of 2013. I knew it was time to step further out of my comfort zone and get serious about teaching, so I created a series of ongoing weekly workshops. As I launched my new program, my business flourished. By the end of 2013, I had my best year to date. As I continue to teach, I continue to reach even higher highs. Embrace the low times, and use those times to get creative. When you aren’t growing, in business or in life, the universe has a way of giving you a nudge. You just have to recognize that you are being nudged!
How do you feel when your business is at a peak?
Do you feel as though nothing can stop you, or are you waiting for the other shoe to drop? Do you have a self-worth issue that pops up to question whether you deserve all your success? Or, do you become complacent? Too often you can ride on the wave and not plan for the eventual ebb ahead. If you slow down your marketing efforts to bring in new business, at some point you can lose momentum and have to rebuild it all back up again. Implementing strategies at this stage, emotionally and practically, is as vital as when business is slow.
What can you do during the peak times?
Keep networking, keep marketing, and keep growing. If you aren’t able to keep up with the demands of your business, then delegate or hire someone. Fire yourself from the tasks that keep you from focusing on what you do best. If your worth issues surface, you can begin to sabotage your success by pushing it away, not consciously, but on a subconscious level. If your negative self-talk increases, recognize it for what it is, your own fears creeping in to taunt you. Just as you have a negative inner voice, you also have a positive one, use it. Take to journaling, or talk to a friend or coach as a way to shift your perspective to an empowering one.
And that other shoe that you are so worried about, remember this, what you focus on expands, the more you focus on that shoe, the more you bring it into reality. Accept that there are ebbs and flows and ride them courageously with your eye on the big picture. Just as the next ebb will come, so shall the flow!