Latest / Online Business Tips: Mind Your Time / Coffee Chat Take 12: Why Doesn't This Feel Easier Yet?
Transcript
- 0:03SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to another coffee chat.
- 0:06SPEAKER_00: I want you to grab your coffee and settle in for a few minutes because I want to share something that's been on my mind lately.
- 0:14SPEAKER_00: It's amazing how sometimes one conversation helps you make sense of a dozen others that you've had, and that's what happened to me recently.
- 0:22SPEAKER_00: So over the past few months, I've attended several virtual networking events and had several coffee chats.
- 0:28SPEAKER_00: And as I've looked over the things that I've jotted down, I realized I wasn't hearing different problems.
- 0:34SPEAKER_00: I was hearing the same thing over and over again from women business owners.
- 0:38SPEAKER_00: I thought this would feel easier by now.
- 0:41SPEAKER_00: And maybe you've listened to a few episodes of the podcast where I've talked about documenting your processes and you started doing that.
- 0:48SPEAKER_00: You may have even put some boundaries around your schedule, but you may also be giving too many exceptions.
- 0:55SPEAKER_00: And this rarely happens all at once.
- 0:57SPEAKER_00: It's one client exception, one last-minute favor, one process you decide is faster for you to do yourself.
- 1:03SPEAKER_00: And then one day you realize your team is waiting for approval before they can move forward.
- 1:08SPEAKER_00: Clients still text you instead of following your process and even simple decisions they end up back on your desk.
- 1:15SPEAKER_00: And it probably happened so gradually that you didn't notice it until everything started coming back to you.
- 1:21SPEAKER_00: And that's usually the moment when people start questioning themselves.
- 1:25SPEAKER_00: They wonder if they missed something or if the system that they built weren't good enough, or if they should have worked harder to get everyone on board.
- 1:32SPEAKER_00: Sometimes they even start looking for a completely new solution because they assume that what they've built simply just doesn't work.
- 1:39SPEAKER_00: But that's often not what's happening.
- 1:42SPEAKER_00: What's really happening is that businesses are not static.
- 1:45SPEAKER_00: They grow.
- 1:46SPEAKER_00: You grow as the business owner, relationships evolve, clients become more comfortable, teams change, and your expectations change too.
- 1:54SPEAKER_00: But the structure that supported you six months ago or even a year ago simply may just need attention so that it can continue supporting where your business is today.
- 2:04SPEAKER_00: And I think a lot of us assume that once we built something well, it should keep working.
- 2:08SPEAKER_00: What most people don't realize is that maintenance is always a part of the process.
- 2:14SPEAKER_00: Yesterday I was talking with someone at a local event and she told me about a coffee shop that's only open from 9 a.m.
- 2:20SPEAKER_00: to 5 p.m.
- 2:21SPEAKER_00: Why?
- 2:22SPEAKER_00: Because the business owners aren't morning people.
- 2:25SPEAKER_00: And I laughed because those are not typical coffee shop hours.
- 2:28SPEAKER_00: But then she told me this place is always packed.
- 2:32SPEAKER_00: That reminded me that successful businesses don't have to look like everyone else's, it just has to work for the people that's running it.
- 2:39SPEAKER_00: So you can build something that runs on its own, but with a coffee shop, think about it.
- 2:44SPEAKER_00: Orders have to be placed, you have to adjust schedules, someone has to notice that things are getting low before they run out.
- 2:52SPEAKER_00: And most of that happens behind the scenes.
- 2:54SPEAKER_00: Customers never think about it.
- 2:57SPEAKER_00: But that's what keeps the client experience running smoothly, and it applies to your business too.
- 3:02SPEAKER_00: You need to revisit something, and it doesn't mean that you failed or you missed a step, and it doesn't mean you need to start over.
- 3:09SPEAKER_00: But something subtle could be happening.
- 3:11SPEAKER_00: Your business is not the only thing that changed.
- 3:13SPEAKER_00: It could be your family, your priorities, your energy, or just the season your life is in.
- 3:18SPEAKER_00: And that distinction matters because maintenance and failure, they're not the same.
- 3:24SPEAKER_00: But sustainable growth, it doesn't work that way.
- 3:27SPEAKER_00: Protecting what you've built requires routine care.
- 3:30SPEAKER_00: You notice what needs attention, make small adjustments, and then you keep going.
- 3:35SPEAKER_00: So if you've been wondering why things don't feel easier by now, maybe you're simply experiencing what true leadership looks like.
- 3:42SPEAKER_00: And perhaps the question isn't why doesn't this feel easier yet?
- 3:46SPEAKER_00: The better question is what requires my attention right now so I can continue creating more breathing room and growing.
- 3:54SPEAKER_00: And I've been doing maintenance in my own business lately too.
- 3:57SPEAKER_00: Not because something is broken, but because what worked a year ago, it doesn't work now.
- 4:02SPEAKER_00: And that's true whether your business is in its second or its tenth year.
- 4:06SPEAKER_00: Growth doesn't eliminate maintenance, it just changes what you need to give attention to, which is also why I created the Legacy in Motion session, because your business doesn't have to be broken to deserve your attention.
- 4:18SPEAKER_00: But it's a chance for you to step back and see what your business needs now so you can adjust and move forward with clarity.
- 4:25SPEAKER_00: So this month, that's what I want to explore with you.
- 4:27SPEAKER_00: Not how to build more, do more, but how to care for what you've already built.
- 4:31SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes growth isn't about doing more, it's about making sure the business you've built still works for the life you're living.