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Solocast: The Conflict of Being an Anti-Hustle Entrepreneur · Lean Out Podcast

• 0:01
  Welcome to the lean out podcast.
• 0:03
  I'm your host, Dr.
• 0:04
  Don baker.
• 0:05
  Are you looking for a new approach to finding authentic and sustainable work-life balance?
• 0:10
  You've come to the right.
• 0:11
  Place.
• 0:11
  For inspiration.
• 0:12
  information.
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  and a community.
• 0:14
  community.
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  of like-minded.
• 0:15
  Professionals.
• 0:16
  Let's get to the show.
• 0:18
  Hello?
• 0:19
  Hello.
• 0:19
  Thanks for being here.
• 0:21
  I'm happy to report that the snow is starting to recede at our high elevation mountain property.
• 0:27
  And that's been really nice because the temperatures are really getting warmer.
• 0:32
  Tomorrow.
• 0:33
  as of the time of this recording, we're going to get our new baby chicks.
• 0:36
  So we're excited to have chickens and have eggs on our homestead I'll make sure to share lots of cuteness overload pictures.
• 0:45
  So if you're not following me on Instagram, go over there and give me a follow.
• 0:50
  My handle is at practice balance so that you can see all the.
• 0:55
  Happenings of the homestead and sometimes some musings about work-life balance and anti hustle and things like that.
• 1:02
  Today's solo cast is actually inspired by a DM that I received from an Instagram follower.
• 1:09
  Part of my work-life balance involves writing podcasting and coaching.
• 1:14
  But wait, don't those things involve some amount of hustle to get business.
• 1:18
  I mean, there are messages everywhere telling entrepreneurs that the way you need to do businesses to go bigger, go home.
• 1:26
  Leveraging grow scale, scale, scale.
• 1:30
  I remember watching this Gary V video on YouTube once, where he was talking about his success.
• 1:35
  And he said something about working on Christmas.
• 1:38
  And his quote was while everyone's drinking some goddamn eggnog.
• 1:42
  I continue to hustle.
• 1:44
  Obviously you have to put some time in when you have a business.
• 1:48
  And I've always said that there's no truly passive income.
• 1:52
  You cannot expect to make money and just sit there and not do any sort of work even if you're just investing in someone else's endeavor, you have to put some time in.
• 2:01
  But entrepreneurial work does not have to be all hustle and grind.
• 2:05
  And that's what I want to explore in today's episode.
• 2:09
  So the other day I posted something on Instagram.
• 2:12
  That was just a reshare from a like-minded colleague, talking about achievement culture.
• 2:17
  And he said resist the race to nowhere.
• 2:20
  And then followed with you, do not need to do more or achieve anything else to prove yourself to anyone.
• 2:26
  And prompted by that share a follower, sent me a message that was basically asking me, how do you manage the dissonance of staying away from hustle culture while also at the same time, trying to promote your work?
• 2:41
  This is a really good question.
• 2:43
  But before we get into, get into it, let's talk a little bit more about the appeal of hustle culture and what this follower coined as side gig medicine.
• 2:53
  I love that term.
• 2:55
  This is a little bit different then what I refer to as the treadmill of achievement, though, you can be on a treadmill no matter what kind of work you're doing.
• 3:04
  In this age of endemic burnout, the idea of entrepreneurship and side gigs for doctors has really been about giving yourself options and freedom to leave something like a malignant clinical job or a toxic work environment.
• 3:18
  Well, being able to have another steady stream of income.
• 3:23
  And of note, my point of reference here is often medical professionals, but of course this phenomenon exists in law and in other professions, The problem I have with this culture is that if you don't gain self-awareness and shift your mindset away from the hustle.
• 3:40
  You're bound to be right where you were in the toxic situation that led you to want to start that side gig or invest in whatever it is that's supposed to.
• 3:48
  Uh, lead to the riches and the freedom and the departure from your profession.
• 3:53
  For sure there is irony.
• 3:56
  In sharing content on the importance of work-life balance boundaries.
• 4:00
  Not succumbing to the hustle culture and not always saying yes to everything.
• 4:05
  Because sharing those exact things takes my time and resources.
• 4:09
  And of course the consumption of said, content could potentially make money or lead to me getting hired for money.
• 4:17
  Full disclosure on the money side of things.
• 4:19
  I want to give you a little insight into the way that my business works.
• 4:24
  The work that I'm doing on the scale that I'm doing, it is not get rich kind of work.
• 4:29
  My book is self published and it makes me a tiny bit of money each month.
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  My podcast is completely sponsored free at this point.
• 4:36
  And I do all of the work of editing and getting the, artwork and the podcast episodes together myself.
• 4:44
  And these might not always be the situation in the future.
• 4:47
  I may change it, but that's how I'm rolling right now.
• 4:51
  I do occasionally outsource, specific technical problems I face like with my website or something like that, but I do not have a VA or a support staff.
• 5:00
  I always have a very small coaching practice of one-on-one clients.
• 5:04
  And I am currently working on a self guided course.
• 5:08
  That will be something that is a mid tier priced thing in between buying a book and DIY buying and having a one-on-one coaching experience.
• 5:17
  So let's just say that even on a part-time basis.
• 5:21
  My clinical work has an anesthesiologist is much more lucrative than my side gig.
• 5:27
  So why do I do it?
• 5:29
  That's the really important question.
• 5:30
  And it was the central point in my response to the follower who had sent me the DM.
• 5:35
  I do these things because I want to, because I enjoy them.
• 5:39
  They're in line with my values.
• 5:42
  I'm not doing them with the primary goal of having additional revenue or to leave my clinical practice and pivot to something else that would make me an equivalent salary.
• 5:53
  Not to say that there's anything wrong with the people who want to start a side business to maximize or diversify their income.
• 5:59
  I do get that.
• 6:01
  I wouldn't mind making more money, but the thing I do mind is spending a ton of time to do it.
• 6:07
  I have too many other interests and things that I care about.
• 6:10
  That I'm working on to do that right now.
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  I take a more simple DIY approach to most of the things I do, because I don't want to be beholden to making back a huge amount of money that I invest.
• 6:24
  For example, people will hire business coaches.
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  And do very expensive certifications and then they have this investment hanging over their heads.
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  That they feel they need to recoup.
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  I suppose you can look at it as a motivator to get things done and build your business.
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  But to me it actually feels like shackles.
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  It feels like something that could stifle my freedom or ability to pivot.
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  If I'm not really loving it.
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  And that's a very strong part of my core values.
• 6:53
  So, despite all this at times, the lure is definitely there to do more the internet and social media, as I have talked about before, makes it very easy to compare yourself to anyone and everyone.
• 7:05
  I have talked about this in a solo cast back several episodes ago.
• 7:08
  And I called it a dream that may me question my path and I'll link that in the show notes as well.
• 7:15
  I had this dream that was symbolic of not keeping up with the other cool kid physician entrepreneurs that I know.
• 7:21
  Often the purveyors also have this side gig medicine type culture.
• 7:26
  So here are a few tips that helped me when I'm feeling that nudge that I'm not doing enough and I want to feel centered again and excited about the interests and creative endeavors that I have.
• 7:39
  Number one.
• 7:40
  Recognize that with everything you do, there are going to be trade-offs.
• 7:44
  We only have a finite amount of time and energy in each day.
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  So you cannot possibly do everything that's on your plate or everything that you can think of.
• 7:54
  I've always said you can have it all, but you can't have it all at the same time.
• 7:59
  I talked about this a little bit in the preamble to my last podcast episode, which was the reading of chapter, one of lean out.
• 8:06
  When I'm on a clinical assignment, I tend to put the podcast and writing or working on my course on the back burner.
• 8:12
  But when I do the entrepreneurial work on my time table in this manner, then sometimes the trade off is that I miss out on opportunities.
• 8:22
  For example, I might have an idea for a post or an article, but I shelve it in the name of work-life balance.
• 8:27
  And then someone else who has more visibility than I do comes out with something very similar to my idea.
• 8:34
  This happens frequently.
• 8:35
  Actually, a lot of people are thinking on the same wavelengths as you are.
• 8:39
  And sometimes someone beats you to the punch and gets that same message out there.
• 8:44
  I know that sometimes I'm missing out on opportunities, revenue, or networking in the wellness space.
• 8:49
  And just like any work-life balance issue you have to know and accept a trade-offs.
• 8:54
  If you don't accept them, then you need to rethink your balance.
• 8:59
  Second as an Enneagram nine and a Clifton strengths relator.
• 9:04
  I have strong values of continuous improvement, learning and connection.
• 9:09
  And so I try to remember those as my why for the creative work that I do.
• 9:14
  As I said earlier, the bottom line is that I do it because I want to, and not because I have to, and I like to get into the mindset even better that I get to.
• 9:24
  By choice.
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  I'm not beholden to anyone for doing this work.
• 9:27
  I don't need the income at produces.
• 9:30
  And on the scale that I'm doing it, the balance feels right to me.
• 9:34
  You could argue with this aim that maybe I should be giving everything away, but actually that gets to another complex argument about perceived value and investment.
• 9:45
  When you invest in consuming material, it's not just your money, but it's also your time.
• 9:50
  And there's credibility and merit tied to putting work out there as an entrepreneur in a business sense, as opposed to just giving things away for free, because.
• 10:00
  The services that I offer require a reciprocal investment of time and or money by the client to get something out of it.
• 10:08
  The other thing is I try to remember that my why is not going to be the same as other people's why.
• 10:13
  Which leads me to my third tip.
• 10:16
  There is enough room for everyone in this space.
• 10:20
  There are infinite voices and perspectives, and yours is going to resonate with some people and not resonate with others.
• 10:27
  You are not going to be everyone's cup of tea.
• 10:29
  And that's okay.
• 10:31
  This is key when you get the urge, like I do sometimes to compare yourself to other people doing business in your same niche.
• 10:38
  I consider the other people on how they likely have different life experiences and values than I do.
• 10:44
  And those things, their circumstances and values push them to work the way that they do.
• 10:51
  And none of it is truly my business.
• 10:54
  I hope these tips and stories are helpful to you.
• 10:57
  If you're feeling like you want to put some creative entrepreneurial work out in the world, but worry about seeming like a hypocrite or just really worry about balancing it all.
• 11:07
  My tips apply to any work-life boundaries that you're facing as well.
• 11:12
  I have a lot of exciting interviews coming up with a variety of professionals.
• 11:16
  So don't miss the upcoming episodes.
• 11:18
  And thanks again for all your support.
• 11:22
  Thanks for listening to the lean out podcast.
• 11:25
  If you find these conversations inspiring and useful, please forward them to a friend and also leave a review on iTunes or Spotify so that other people can find them easier.
• 11:37
  If you want to get in touch with me, you can find me at my website, practice balanced.com, where you can subscribe to my newsletter and get updates regularly about new podcast episodes, blog posts, speaking, engagements, and coaching services.
• 11:53
  You can also support my work by buying my book, lean out a professional woman's guide to finding authentic work-life balance for yourself, a friend, family member, or coworker.
• 12:05
  Have a great day and we'll see you next time