Ask Steph: "Help! I'm an introvert but I want a business!" and more.......

Q: I would say I am slightly introverted, how do I make a name for myself and make my brand known?

A: Yes, the old dilemma of people being ‘introverted’ yet wanting everyone to buy things from them. Having a business doesn’t have to change your personality, but it just might. First thing, you never have to be anyone you don’t want to be. You never have to be ‘fake.’ But let me ask you, how does pushing publish on Instagram ACTUALLY make you less introverted? You’re presumably sitting in a room by yourself pushing publish. In fact, my business is hugely popular and public, yet that is not my daily life. I still am alone much of the time. My instagram is public and doing it’s extroverted thing, yet there I am, sitting alone with my dog + cats still being solitary.

Now, maybe you’re thinking about networking events or in-person stuff. And again, just because you’re an introvert doesn’t mean that you can’t participate in these types of things- or you find a way to build a business without it. You can TOTALLY do what you want. No one says that in-person networking is the way to build a business. And if you’re opting out of it, fine! But then embrace that and still find a way to make your business as successful as you want it to be.

It’s not a roadblock, it’s the fork in the road you need to take.

Take it. Build a business that protects your introverted nature.

You can do it.

Q: What tips do you have for balancing a full time job with an inconsistent schedule and trying to grow my own brand at the same time?

A: I think you should really sit down and make your schedule as consistent as it can be. All you need to do is find time. Sit down for 30 minutes and list everything you do daily. Is your schedule inconsistent because of you? Is it inconsistent because you’re an ER doctor who is on-call and never knows when they will be called in for trauma? I’m guessing you have much more control over your schedule than you lead on. Most of us do. So then when you’re looking at your exact schedule (even if it’s inconsistent), you’ll see the truth of where you spend your time. Another version of this is to track what you do daily. By the minute. Like this: wake up and get ready 8-9am, 9-9:30 breakfast, 9:30-10 commute and get settled at work, etc. If you really do track where you spend your time, then you can go back and play around with it. You might also find out that you spend time doing stuff like being on facebook, procrastinating,

You only have so much energy each day. You will run out. What will you do to make the most of your time? Will you mediate the inconsistency? Or will you let it continue? Will you plan (and stick to the plans)? Will you give something up in order to follow your dreams?

If not, you’ll remain here in ‘never enough time with an inconsistent schedule.’ In other words, it’s up to YOU to solve this.