As a small business owner, you set the tone for the future success of the business. That starts by being willing to give yourself permission to do the three things we’re talking about on today’s episode. So, no matter where you are in your business journey – this one’s for you. I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s get started.
Next Steps:
- Schedule your Mama Business Strategy Session
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Related Podcast Episodes:
- #53: Not Sure What To Say? How to Structure Content That Offers Value
- #44: 3 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting an Online Business
- #28: Is Your Business Strategy Too Complicated? This Can Help!
- #27: Are You Saying Yes When You Should Say No?
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I just want to take a quick moment let you know about my FREE Achieving Goals Workbook. I know, it’s not January 1st anymore, but that’s okay. It’s never too late to strategize how to get your business or your life to where you want it to be. This resource provides five short lessons about goals, along with some resources to help you lay out those dreams. I’ll walk you step by step through this planning process and you’ll walk away with an actionable plan you can implement immediately. Because the truth is, we can’t achieve our goals if we aren’t super clear about what those goals are. So, don’t wait any longer – get that clarity by grabbing yours HERE.
3 Things to Give Yourself Permission to Do in Business
As small business owner it can be hard to give yourself permission to do or not do things. Sometimes it’s because we’ve seen others do it a certain way and think we should do it that way as well. Other times it’s because we are afraid of failing or – possibly!!! – even succeeding. The truth of the matter is that if we aren’t willing to give ourselves the permission to do the following three things, we’ll be unlikely to see long-term success with our businesses.
So, without further ado – let’s jump right in with the first thing which is to:
Give Yourself Permission to Set Big Goals
At some point you decided that starting a business was a goal or dream of yours, right? You put it on a vision board, told a friend or family member, and dreamed about the day it would actually come to fruition.
And that goal didn’t come easy. You had to put the work into getting your business up and running. OR – you might still be in that stage. And if that’s the case – you’ve got this!
But once you get that business launched – the doors open to the public (online or in person), it’s time to grow your business. To make ends meet. Pay the rent and expenses. And look toward what the future holds.
It seems pretty self-explanatory, right? But this is exactly where business owners actually begin to play it small. To lose steam.
They bask in the excitement of this brand new business and forget that if they don’t plan ahead, they won’t see success long-term.
Because that excitement wears off.
The statistics don’t lie. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics a total of 50% of businesses fail within the first 3 years. THREE years! And, up to 25% fail in the first year alone.
Let that sink in for a minute. That’s one in four businesses that will close their doors in a year. And one in two that will close their doors within three years.
I wholeheartedly believe this is because those aspiring business owners don’t set goals beyond getting the doors open.
And, when they don’t have goals in place, then they don’t take risk, they don’t look for the bigger opportunities, and they don’t allow themselves to dream bigger than what they see right in front of them.
There are really two reasons for this:
- They don’t know how to set goals that they can actually achieve for their future business.
- They don’t want to set a goal that’s they might not achieve, so they don’t set goals at all.
Do you find yourself in either category today?
If you do, you aren’t alone. This is something that a great majority of business owners struggle with.
So, as a business owner yourself – or an aspiring one – what do you need to do? Give yourself permission to set those big goals. Because, like I’ve said before, if you don’t know what your goals are, you can’t plan ahead to achieve them.
Alright, so the first thing we have to give ourselves permission to do is to set big goals. Which leads us to the second thing which is to:
Give Yourself Permission to Be Yourself
When a client starts working with me, we jump on a consultation call – it’s typically an hour – and I get to hear all of the great and not so great things that have gone on within their business, many times since the very day that the doors first opened. I get to hear about their dreams for the future, the way they serve their ideal clients, and all of their excitement about the possibilities that might come down the line.
It’s enlightening and really it’s just so much fun.
Then, after we finish that “get to know you” stage, we switch to talking about how they see their business showing up in the online world – their website or social media or whatever it is.
And, more often than not, it’s a pretty immediate jump to what they like (or don’t like) about their competitor’s online presence. They like the colors. They like their logo. They like that they have pictures of their cats. They like…
…you get the picture.
Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with looking at what you like or don’t like about someone else’s business as an example. The problem comes when we don’t give ourselves permission to just be ourselves.
Because the truth is that you and your business serve a specific audience. That audience wants to hear from you – not your competitor. So, it’s really important that you allow them to hear from you. To be influenced by you. T
And that starts by giving yourself permission to be yourself.
I recently worked with a local, family run business that exemplified this mindset. This husband and wife run a self-storage facility on their own large rural property and it’s been in the family for nearly three decades.
When I spoke to them the first time, they knew exactly who their ideal client was. They also were very open and upfront about how they serve their clients.
Unlike a good majority of the self-service storage facilities in our area, they aren’t a 24 hour facility. They are open from sun up to sun down and will be there on move in day to make sure everything goes as planned. They also don’t allow online booking – they use their website to attract interested clients, but then they have a quick chat with each potential client BEFORE they book their space. The reason? They are small and family-owned and they want to make sure that they are working with people that fit their values and won’t end up becoming a liability for them.
…and you know what – they are rocking their business. They didn’t need to change who they are just because someone else does it differently. They are attracting their ideal clients and filling their spaces each month.
It’s a great example for all of us.
I came across a quote the other day that reads,
“Be yourself because an original is worth more than a copy.” – Suzy Kassem
YOU are worth more as an original.
So give yourself permission to be that original – to be yourself, especially within your business.
Give Yourself Permission to Change Course
When you start out in business, you have to know the answers to a few questions – well, quite a few to be exact, but these are some main ones:
What will I sell?
How will I sell it?
What prices will I charge?
Who is my ideal client?
…and so on and so forth.
And this is exactly where small business owners get tangled up in the details and forget that they have to actually DO something in order to have the business.
So, today I want to offer you a bit of permission to get started without knowing how it will all play out in the future. Because no decision you make today has to be permanent.
Want to charge $47 for a course you’re creating. Go for it. You can always make the decision to raise that price in the future. (And you probably will because the more results you get your clients, the more people will want to pay you!)
Want to offer social media marketing in addition to website design – go ahead! You can always decide to eliminate that offering in the future or dig deeper into the social media platform management you offer.
Want to sell your bath products online only? Go for it! You can always make the decision to open a brick and mortar shop in the future.
No matter where you are in business – the key is to get started. And, part of that comes by realizing that no decision you make has to be the end all thing you are stuck with until you hang up the closed sign for the final time.
I’m the perfect example of this with my own business. When I started offering marketing services to online business owners, I offered the entire gamut. I helped with email marketing, content creation, social media, implemented automation services, designed and managed websites, and much more. Over time, as the cost of the products and services I was using increase, I began increasing my prices as well. And – it wasn’t until nearly three years into my business that I decided to streamline my service offering with the ones that got my clients the best results.
And if I hadn’t made that choice – my business growth would not be in the same place that it is today.
But…if I hadn’t started where I did, I wouldn’t have known any better.
So, give yourself permission to pivot, to change or modify your course along the way without feeling shame or guilt. Because each step you take now sets you up with knowledge that will help you achieve success now and into the future, no matter which direction you choose to take.
Your Turn to Give Yourself Permission
And that brings us to the action part of this episode. I’m a huge proponent of taking action, because action is where the dreams turn into the reality. And that’s why every Mama Business episode comes with action steps you can take immediately to up level your mama life and business. Ideally you’ll take action on all of the things we’ve discussed today, but if you only have time for one, it’s this:
ACTION: I want you to take a quick look at the mindset you have around your business. Where do you need to focus on giving yourself permission in this season? Do you need to give yourself permission to set bigger goals, to be yourself, or to pivot? Whatever it is, now’s the time to do so. Because the longer you hold yourself back, the longer it’ll take to achieve success with your business dreams, whatever those might be.
Remember: as a small business owner, you set the tone for the future success of the business and it starts by giving yourself permission.
Now, I know from personal experience that I am more likely to accomplish what I set out to do if I am accountable to someone. So DM me on Instagram and let me know in what ways you plan to give yourself more permission so that I can cheer you on throughout the process. Because, mama, we’re in this together and I am cheering you on.
Have an amazing day and I look forward to chatting with you again soon!
