Growing Pains
“It's so hard to get together these days!” said every person over the age of 30 😂.
The other day I was chatting with a close friend of mine who recently had her first baby. Even though we love hanging out, we're in such different stages of life that it's challenging for us to actually do it.
But while our lives look kinda opposite, we're both in a season of growth – my friend expanding her family and getting to know herself as a mother, and me expanding my business and navigating my busiest quarter to date. And while growth is amazing, it also comes with growing pains, no matter what situation you're in. As an entrepreneur, sometimes it's being so busy you can barely think straight, and sometimes it's wanting to be busy so badly you just want to give up all together.
I've been through both, and I'm sure I'll cycle through these over and over again, because growth isn't linear – it's cyclical. So if you're in one of those “where is my next client coming from” phases right now, hear me on this:
It. Is. Normal.
It doesn't mean you suck, or that your business will never recover. It just means that it's time to stay the course and keep showing up. I'm not saying that's easy - it's not. But here are a couple of things that can help:
-Remember WHY you're doing this. Why did you start your business? Why do you love it? Why do you keep going, even when it's hard? What's the long-term goal that you're working towards, and what does it mean to you?
-Focus on your differentiator. Spend some time reflecting on what makes you you, and how that's valuable to your audience. Is it your range of experience? A fresh approach to your industry? Your excellent [insert skillset here]?
-Invest in lead generation. When it doesn't make sense to invest money, invest your time and energy. This can look like building relationships with people online or in your community, reaching out to your personal network to share how you can help, talking about your business in your day-to-day life, or cold pitching some ideal clients.
If you're cringing at the idea of cold pitching, I get it. But honestly, it works, and it's actually not cringe when you do it right. Don't just email and pitch your services, email showing the value of your services.
When I was starting my business, I emailed a ton of local companies and shared an in-depth audit of their Instagram accounts. This showed that I knew what I was talking about, could actually help them, and offered a taste of the transformation.
-Binge free content. Free content can get a bad rap, but there is great stuff out there. Join the email lists of people you hope to spend money on in the future to start learning from them now! You can also check out MyWolf Design's monthly guestspeakers (featuring yours truly 😉).
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