Part of being a business owner is that you spend an awful lot of your time soul searching. Examining your choices, your vision for your business and life and what course of action is best to help you get there. Sometimes that means making changes, which may feel scary at best and foolhardy at worst. So how are you supposed to know when it's time to pivot your business and when you should stay the course?
For what it's worth, here's my story - I hope it helps with yours...
It's odd really, but until I started my business, soul searching wasn't a normal part of my life. I never really questioned my reality, I just got on with it. Since leaving my corporate career back in 2016, I've learned that if you want to achieve your goals in business (and life) you have to question every step to make sure you're still going in the right direction.
You're absolutely going to take a few miss-steps along the way - that's just life. It's how we learn and grow. The difference between those who eventually end up at their desired destination and those who don't, is whether they pay enough attention to notice when they've wandered off the path - and then whether they actually do anything about it!
In my case, I left my job because I wanted to find more balance in my life and to spend more time doing the things that I love, like writing, marketing, spending time with my family and yes, sometimes just slobbing on the sofa with a glass of wine, a good film and NO guilt.
Professional copywriting was my first step along the path - my chance to do just that. I loved writing, I was good at it and so becoming a copywriter was pretty much a no brainer for me. So, my first business, 'Just Write for You' was born. My plan was to offer copywriting and other marketing services to small businesses who didn't have time to do their own marketing. I would offer consultancy and coaching to those who wanted to manage their own marketing but weren't sure where to begin and I would create online courses for those not wanting to invest in a coach but who still needed some support and guidance.
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How Many Scary Decisions Does it Take to Reach Your Dreams?
After a few months, something became clear. Whenever I got to work on the coaching side of my business I was super excited and filled with enthusiasm but when I had copywriting work to do for a client, it felt like work. I love to write - but it turns out, I love to write about the things that I feel passionate about.
I worked with a great coach and she helped me so much by getting me to focus on the activities that would help me reach my goals and those which would just get in the way of them.
SO, still in my first year of business - a year of scary decisions, I found myself faced with another one. Should I carry on with the copywriting (which was my main source of income btw) OR listen to my heart and 100% embrace a coaching career. After taking the massive step of leaving my 13 year corporate job just a few months before, how could I not go with my heart again?
I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a tough decision. Just Write for You felt like my baby - I loved the name, I loved my little logo and it felt SO hard to say goodbye to it. But these days, I trust my instincts and I know it was the best decision for me, for my business and for my future dreams becoming a reality.
So goodbye Just Write for You, you will always have a place in my heart because you were my stepping stone from my old life to this latest exciting chapter. Who knows what this year will bring - but I feel confident that whatever it is, I will learn from it and continue to move forwards to bigger and better things.
What Happens Next?
I haven't just been pondering my present - I've been busily planning my future (well the next year of it anyway) and I've got sooo many exciting things in the pipeline that I can't wait to tell you about.
For now though, I'm going to leave you a little in suspense because well, you know - drama.... 😉
What I WILL say is that I am making a commitment to myself and to you that I'm going to continue creating valuable free content. For me, I'm hoping that 2017 will be the year of the video. It's something I haven't done before but that I think will be so much fun. I love watching video - whether it be on YouTube, Facebook Live or whatever. It occurred to me that maybe if I love watching others so much, I probably ought to be doing it too! So watch this space....
2023 Update
I wrote this post back in 2017, and so thought it would be fun to add this little update from 2023.
Choosing coaching panned out. I DID pivot again though... back in around 2019 (ish) I decided to shift my focus from people just starting out with their business to mum service providers who want more clients.
Now, in 2023, my niche continues to evolve... I focus solely on helping service providers to enrol consistently to a high ticket service of £1k or more.
So I guess, my message remains the same - it can feel scary to pivot, but it's completely natural that your business will evolve just as you evolve as a business owner.
design & fully book your £1-3k service
