{Rewind “ten-ish” years} My day started out at 5 AM and I was in the studio I taught in by 5AM. I had the luxury to leave at noon, but by 3:30 I was back again until at least 8PM when my final client left. At some point in this never ending cycle of early mornings and late nights, I looked in my mirror and realized this couldn’t go on.
Now I had great ideas. I am a family of entrepreneurs and I had already started on successful company. But, I had moved myself home to New Orleans with the idea of pursuing my passion of wellness and coaching client. Now I was doing that in the studio I worked in and every hour I added to someone else’s bottom line. I was literally working with no end in site. Even more I knew that my vision was different than what I was doing and I could see the possibility for success.
I had a small nest egg, but the idea of taking this leap into financial terrified me. Could I make it? Would I be able to pay my bills? Would the stress of these thoughts overwhelm my fledgling company before I even started?
So I made a decision. I knew that I could keep my current job and clients and begin my business slowly while still having an income to rely on. Now I’m not going to lie. This is not an easy decision. I knew long hours and many weekends of work were ahead of me. But, I understood that short-term sacrifice could yield long-term gain.
During this crazy period in which I birthed a business while working over 40 hours a week, I learned a four crucial steps to keep my sanity, while growing my new business.
- There is a season for everything. I like to do it all. Okay, I like to do it all and then some. But, in this season of my life I had to learn to say no to many things. This wasn’t just as simple as saying no to dinner invites. I had to say no to reading my favorite fiction writers {there were way to many business books I needed to consume}, to fear {hello meditation} and to many people’s opinions of what I was doing or should be doing. Most people will never have the audacious presence to start a company. Fortunately you are not most people. So you understand that this season, when the hustle actually does matter, is only going to last for a time. And, your life will return to normal and in fact, it’s likely going to be so much better. So you take a deep breath, you let go and you settle in to this season.
- When work time is limited, there can be no distractions. I have a problem with distractions. My husband teases that if he yells out the right thing I will stop anything to turn around. But, when you’re time is limited and every minute counts, distractions cannot be part of your day. During these times in my life, I made decisions to cut off cable, turn off my phone prior to work, walk out of my house and walk into a place I could focus 100% in. And, when I am on, totally focused, I am amazed at what pours of me. Give your business this gift…give it the chance to have you 100% focused on it. You’ll never regret this.
- Juggling two careers takes finesse. Juggling two careers is not for the feint of heart. In fact, it’s downright overwhelming. In this time in my life, I learned a schedule was the only way I could make it happen. If it wasn’t on my schedule, it didn’t exist. For a spontaneous person {aka me} this took some getting used to. But after a short period of adjustment, I came to revel in knowing what I need to accomplish each day, what I could expect at the end of week and how I could meet a deadline with no problem. Use your schedule wisely. Every moment counts and you want to book based on priorities. And, the time will come soon enough where you can have as much freedom as you dreamed of.
- Small is okay. I dream big…huge…almost too much. So taking small steps seems like I’m going backwards. It’s the feeling that you know what you can do, but you’re strapped for time, money and energy. Ten plus years on, I’ll tell you that starting small is the best thing you can do. When you allow for organic growth, for your business to take its time, you’ll find yourself very naturally moving to the best of places. And, this method will force you to focus on action steps. Slowly but steadily you’ll reach where you want to go and the full time career you dreamed of!
I can’t wait to see what you do to turn your passion into reality! Email us at hello@lisekuecker.com and share your story, connect with us on Instagram and Facebook and sign up for the Kismet Club where we share our biggest and best ideas!
