Change Your Mindset, Break Old Habits and Grow Your Business

Sarah Kalmeta demonstrated the word “pivot” can be used powerfully and authentically in our latest live Entrepreneur Close-Up interview. Sarah exemplifies what it means to break the habit of external forces stringing your business along and how pivoting from these familiar directions can result in exceptional progress.

Stuck in the Mud

In her mindset coaching and success strategy business, Pivot Point, Sarah gets to know your business and the blocks that keep you stuck in the mud, spinning wheels, while your business loses clients and you launch into a burnout cycle. Then she creates a guided pathway to find clarity and exciting change and improve resilience and client retention.?

At the start of the New Year, many entrepreneurs take time to reflect on their business in 2022 and look for ways to forge into 2023 with more energy and intention. With the help of Sarah’s coaching, she helps clients look at the existing business from a different perspective and helps bridge the gaps.

Disruption and Motivation

However, this process requires intention and motivation to disrupt the current state, and Sarah is big on disrupting things. “It’s like a vinyl record,” Sarah said. “We’re just going around in circles, and nothing happens until you get up and manually change that record to hear a new song.”

Motivation is a large chunk of the work to disrupt the norm and move forward. According to Sarah, it’s easy to be passionate about what we do, but it’s another thing to be willing to do whatever it takes to make change happen, even when we’re tired, and the future is uncertain.

Another component of change is leaning on an outsider’s perspective to see what’s getting you stuck in old ways of doing business. Typically, solo business owners work in silos, and at larger companies, workers get caught up in completing their processes without much teamwork. But to fundamentally pivot a business, everyone must understand how the gears and pieces work together to support each other. Eventually, you should have a system that runs smoothly and just needs oil and regular maintenance.

?Learning to Fall Down

For Sarah, an important part of fundamental changes also involves the discipline to learn the different skill sets and how failure contributes to this learning process. Like her time as a competitive ice skater, learning to fall down the right way without injuring yourself is a big part of the training. This translates to the business world too. There is no one way to reset your business, career, and life. And success and growth don’t happen overnight. You may not be equipped at first to handle all of these changes, but a clear pathway, motivation and discipline will keep you on track. ?

Sarah recognizes that her clients can make significant changes to overcome the patterns stalling their business, life, or career. Even Imposter Syndrome, a topic Entrepreneur Close-Up has covered before, can be mitigated if you flip the narrative. According to Sarah, when Imposter Syndrome hits, try seeing yourself from the other person’s point of view. For example, if on your first day on the job you start to feel that at any moment someone will figure out that you don’t have the ability to get the job done, think about the person who hired you. Would they hire someone who wouldn’t be able to do the job? That would mean they don’t have the ability to hire a capable person, completely discounting their qualifications. ”You can see this is a flawed way of thinking, and the logic won’t hold up as soon as you shine a light on the other side of that coin,” Sarah said.

?Finding a New Perspective

Seeing the other side is often difficult when you don’t reach out to others for a different perspective. This especially holds true if you need to see a new way out of habitual patterns. According to Sarah, coaching is a great way to break the mold of old habits that hinder growth. In fact, she contributes most of her success to her willingness to ask for and receive help from others. This saved her from the times when the pressures mounted, burnout crept in, and it felt like there was no clear way out.

A great example Sarah used was with companies that have diversified boards. Businesses with diversified boards do really well, so when you are in your own business, it’s good to think about who you can bring to the board to focus on the best ways to grow the business.

Coaches are the optimum choice for pivoting from old ways. Unlike trainers, who pick up on a plan already set, coaches help re-evaluate where you are and where you want to be and then give you all the support and tools you need to get there.

For small business owners and entrepreneurs, Sarah’s best recommendation is to hire a coach on the same pathway but a little bit ahead of you in the direction you desire. Finding someone who has climbed the section of hurdles you are going through can jumpstart your business from a beginner’s mindset position.

Unfortunately, many small business owners and entrepreneurs are up to their eyes in work and overcommitted and, which calls for even a greater need to set time on the calendar to reevaluate the business obligations and processes that are hindering real growth.

Are you interested in learning more about how Sarah can help your business through mindset coaching and success strategies? If so, please visit her website at https://sarahkalmeta.com/. She can help you develop the insights and skills you need to build your sustainable success.?

Like every entrepreneur, Sarah’s pathway to success is a discovery and unique adventure. What is your entrepreneur journey? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out and share your thoughts in the comments.