Push Past Your Business Plateau

You've been in business for years and you've gotten accustomed to driving as hard as you can, juggling all the parts, putting out fires, and trying to keep it all together.

While others see you as a big success, you're not having fun. The hard work feels never ending, the decision fatigue and constant worry about not making enough money is wearing you down, and it's not what you thought you were signing up for when you started your business.

You can shift things in your business life and personal life without losing what you’ve built. In fact, most business owners find that their business inexplicably grows faster as they work less.

Ponder that for a moment.

Work less, make more, have more fun. Sounds crazy, right?!

But if all you're doing is working or thinking about work, accomplishment and satisfaction will continue to be elusive.

You've worked super hard to grow your business to support your other interests and passions, only to find that you can't figure out how to make it hum without your finger in every pie so everything else flies out the

You crave the freedom to live the life you envisioned. It's why you got into business in the first place.

You've tried everything you know to get there, and it's not helped the way you thought.

I'm telling you, there are some specific steps that are essential to get there.

1. Your business has to make more money, enough to get beyond the feeling that you're living hand to mouth.

This means digging deep and getting super clear about the numbers: not just revenue, but all the numbers; profit margin, sales conversions through your pipeline, overhead VS billable, metrics and tracking, expenses, leaks, all of it.

Once you know exactly whats happening with the dollars, making the cash register ring is #1 priority. Increasing sales means generating leads which is all about filling your pipeline.

This is where honing your messaging, understanding your market, and making sure what you're selling is exactly what your people are wanting.

2. You need to work less hours so you have the time to live life.

That means being super honest with yourself about what truly can only be done by you, and delegating the rest.

Not haphazardly, but strategically understanding what needs to get done, what 'job' titles are there, understanding how to fund the A Players you'll need, and then onboarding, training, and creating a culture your team can be proud to be a part of.

Creating time also means understanding your own personal productivity patterns, eliminating distractions, allowing for bio-rhythms, and making self-care regeneration an integral part of the process.

This leads to designing and implementing systems, protocols, and procedures, not just aimed at efficiency, but stress-reduction and lessening decision fatigue.

3. The third essential ingredient in growing a business that supports you instead of owns you is shifting your identity from an employee working for your company to CEO, leading your company step-by-step into it's future.

This is the personal development piece of leadership that cannot be ignored.

Your company can only grow as much as you're willing to shine the light on your blinds spots, your unconscious sabotaging patterns and thought processes, and your steadfast hold on staying within your comfort zone.

Building a business that not only supports itself and pays you enough to live the life you want is absolutely possible, but it doesn't happen by just willy-nilly putting one step in front of the other. That's a prescription for becoming a fire-fighter (ie constantly putting out fires - when everything is classified as urgent, nothing creative can get done).

Tackle one thing at a time, starting with carving out an hour or so a week to strategize, plan, and then implement more efficient ways of doing business.

It takes intention, commitment, and maybe some trial and error. But it’s doable.