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Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the show. I’m Sarah, your host, and today I have a special topic that I’m excited to chat about with you. But first, I want to acknowledge those of you who have been patiently awaiting new episodes. Thank you for hanging in there and bearing with me. I’ve seen your DMs, and I know I’ve kept you waiting longer than I promised. I really do love showing up here and hanging out with you, but it’s been a season of my life where I’m juggling a lot of changes with a toddler and deciding on a direction for where I want to take Mulberry and Moss. My brand has grown a lot in the past four years in beautiful ways, and there is a lot of opportunity, but there is only one me.
Being a solopreneur is something I chose because I love the freedom it comes with. I’ve never had a desire to change that by hiring more team members. I love handling my social media, content, wedding clients, education, and this podcast. However, with this choice comes tough decisions, especially as my family grows and life moves in different directions.
This ties into the topic I want to discuss with you today: crafting an aligned business. It’s an idea that I’ve held closely for many years now. The concept of creating a business that fits seamlessly into your life is exciting and challenging. It means as an entrepreneur, you are in control, which can be both thrilling and terrifying. Committing to an aligned business holds amazing possibilities, but it often requires doing hard things. Today, I want to share my story and encourage you that sometimes taking the rocky road leads to the best view.
The Importance of an Aligned Business
Making a choice to align your business with your personal goals and values is unlike any other business decision you will ever make as an entrepreneur. It’s a choice that takes bold determination because it means doing things differently from everyone else and carving your own path. This can be extremely terrifying but also extremely rewarding.
I want to talk about what it looks like to really commit to a life-first business journey, what it can mean for your experience as an entrepreneur, how you can start steering your business in a direction that aligns more authentically with who you are and the life you want, and some of the unique challenges that you may encounter that may require tough decisions, and the amazing rewards that lie just on the other side of those hard choices.
Since I started this podcast, I have felt deeply passionate about this topic. We can talk about pricing and strategy, but to be empowered to make decisions about your business, you need a rooted sense of direction that comes from a deep understanding of your goals and dreams. This understanding serves as the compass that guides you through tough decisions, allowing you to make bold moves and go against the grain with confidence because you know what is best for you and what will bring you the most satisfaction and joy.
Noticing When It’s Time for a Change
Have you ever felt like you’re just going along in the same pattern, feeling burnt out, exceedingly stressed, or tired? Maybe you’ve felt a lack of motivation, stagnation, and a lack of inspiration and excitement. Perhaps you’ve felt like your business has veered from your values or beliefs, leading to a sense of guilt or inauthenticity. Or maybe you’ve felt like you’ve stopped growing or progressing, feeling trapped or restricted by your business, which limits your freedom and takes up all your time and resources, leaving you feeling depleted. These can all be signs of misalignment.
To combat this, you first need to recognize the areas of your business that are depleting you or not serving you. This requires an honest assessment and taking inventory of the areas that need improvement. When you start noticing signs of discontentment, it’s your business telling you something isn’t working. One of the amazing things about being an entrepreneur is that you don’t ever have to feel discontent in your job. You are in complete control.
If you ever feel like you’re not in control, all you have to do is take action. It’s up to you to make a change, and you can take steps to improve your physical, emotional, and financial well-being by making small changes to how your business affects your life.
Know That You’re in Control
One thing that often surprises me is how easily some of us as entrepreneurs forget that we are in the driver’s seat. I’m sure you’ve felt at times like your business is running you, not the other way around. Even if you understand your position as a leader, you might overlook certain ways that your choices are not truly your own.
At our Spring workshop earlier this year, during one of the breakout sessions, an attendee named Emily shared her story. She was doing 30-40 weddings per year and mentioned that she needed to start focusing on raising her minimums to take on fewer weddings, but she seemed hesitant. Listening to her, I felt the urge to ask, “Are you happy with the way your business looks right now?” It turned out Emily was really happy with her busy schedule because it fit well with her lifestyle. She didn’t have to change it just because that’s what others were doing. She needed the permission to stick with what worked for her, even if it didn’t look like everyone else’s business model.
When making decisions about your business, remember to ask yourself why. The whole point of building a business from scratch is to be in control. Many of us forget that we have control and end up doing things the way we think we’re supposed to. We need to remember that we can make choices based on our unique goals and values, not on what others expect of us.
Recognizing Where You Want to Go
Sometimes when I notice discontentment in my business or life, I like to think back to the beginning of why I started. Many of us have a reason why we started our business and began this entrepreneurial journey. The path of an entrepreneur is rarely a straight line, and our dreams, values, and motivations change. As you navigate different seasons of your life, it’s essential to take a pause, reflect on where you started, how far you’ve come, where you are now, and think hard about where you want to go next.
If you want a business that is truly aligned with your life, it’s natural to sometimes course-correct. Maybe you’ve taken an unplanned detour. Maybe there’s a decision in front of you that could alter the course of your future, and you need to think about the right path forward.
A couple of years ago, I was offered a huge business opportunity to be the in-house florist for a prestigious golf club community in Orange County. It could have generated $80-100,000/year for my business, but I turned it down. My husband and I had just bought our first home, and we were planning to start a family. Taking on this account would have required commuting to OC, hiring employees, and investing in a van. It would have forced me into a business structure that went against my values of having time-freedom and being present for my family. It wasn’t the right opportunity for me, and I confidently said no.
If you don’t have a solid understanding of where you want to take your life and business, you won’t feel confident when faced with important choices. Sometimes you might make a choice out of habit without giving it much thought. But if you want to be in control of your life, you get to say no and make bold choices. You get to dream up whatever life you want and drive your business directly to that outcome.
Transitioning and Doing Hard Things
Sometimes, to achieve better results, we have to do hard things. Not only do we need to embrace change and not be afraid to take a different path, but we also need to take the hard step of actually making that change.
Currently, my business is shaping up to be a small fraction of my real life. While I still have a thriving wedding business, most of my days are filled with activities with my toddler. I sometimes feel like I’m drifting away from my brand, which tells me it’s time for some realignment. This might mean sharing more of my everyday life with my audience, even if it feels uncomfortable. Just because what I choose for my floral business journey looks different from anything I’ve seen before doesn’t mean it’s not the right choice for me.
Here’s something I heard recently that resonated with me: The one thing standing between you and everything you want is a brief moment of discomfort. It’s like diving into a pool or taking a dip in the ocean. You have to get past that initial chill, but then you get to enjoy the lasting reward.
Conclusion
Choosing to own your business comes with so much freedom, but it also comes with risks and takes a lot of courage. It’s true that you can have everything you dream of, but that requires making tough choices, knowing exactly what you want, and being steadfastly loyal to your future self. Many people may not understand your choices, but that’s okay. The more you’re confusing the rest of the world, the more you’re winning at life because it means you’re sticking to your path and writing your future.
I hope this episode resonates with you and gives you some encouragement. As always, thank you for tuning in. Have a great rest of your week, and I’ll see you back here soon.
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