Transitioning to your new business identity.
As we grow and evolve as business owners, we often need to embrace a new identity to get us to a new goal. And our brains will most likely try to convince us to stay.
Most of my clients begin as solopreneurs. They wear all the hats. At a certain point, wearing all the hats begins to weigh them down–personally and professionally.
It begins to limit their growth.
They’ll decide they want a new website, but are resistant to spend money, thinking they should do the work themselves.
They want better content, but then panic around what it will do to their existing client base sets in and they decide they just shouldn’t do it.
They tell me that what they want is more time to create, write, share, and be in connection with their community–then they pack their schedules even more than before.
So, what’s going on?
Do they want to grow? Or remain the same.
Well, the answer is both. But obviously that’s not a good place to stay in.
Allowing yourself to grow will require you redefine where you spend your time and energy. It’ll also most likely require you to redefine your relationship to work, customers, clients, team and yourself.
Doing everything yourself saves money and time–at the very beginning. But quite soon after you begin a business, it also takes away more money and time than it saves.
If we’re analyzing numbers, we’d easily make the decision to hire out for website design, content creation, marketing help, a personal assistant, podcast editing, and more.
We’d realize we’re trading money for more time, which allows us to create more money and more time. When you hire someone who is better at something than you are, and who can dedicate a huge amount of time being an expert for you in this way, you’re massively improving your business’s ability to deliver to your client base. And you’re probably increasing the amount of people you’re relevant to, as well.
All good things, right?
But your brain might just freak out.
Knowing how brains work, that’s not a big surprise.
You’re changing the rules. Your brain has gotten used to where you are now. Your schedule. Your routine (or lack thereof). Your title and relationship to your work.
Now you’re redefining it.
It’s natural for your brain to object.
But you decided you’re already going to the next place. So, it’s your job to talk TO your brain not let it talk to you.
You will most likely feel unease.
Here’s why.
Your brain will be presenting some worst-case scenarios to you. You’ll be tempted to believe this brain. But it’s just an attempt to get you to stop changing and growing and evolving.
Don’t fall for it.
When your brain tells you all the things that could go wrong, what do you say?
“OMG you’re right!!”
or
“Thanks for the thoughts–I’ll note them. But we’re headed that way anyway.!”
or
“I’m soooooo excited about my new life- and part of that is adjusting and changing and growing! Let’s do this!”
Your brain is just doing its job. But you have to take the reigns.
You’re the adult here.
Yeah, there will need to be change to change.
There will need to be different actions to get different results.
But that’s what you want, right?
It’s suffering to think you can get somewhere new with a map that only goes to places you’ve already been.
Your new identity is waiting for you. And the way you get there is to have a new adventure. To take a few ‘risks’.
Don’t let your brain spoil the excitement of life by requiring you stay in the cave and avoid all new experiences forever.
THAT would feel terrible.
Take a peek at how I helped my client, Meg, transition to her own new identity.
