All or nothing thinking.

It’s a go, go, go, type of world out there for businesses and sometimes the best thing you could do for yourself and your business is to STOP. It’s time to re-think this 24/7 thing you may find yourself in.

As a solo entrepreneur you are probably doing everything (or most of everything) yourself. It might be you feel you have to, you want to save money or you have no money to spend on help. While I don’t necessarily agree with that for the long haul, there may be really good reasons you are doing it now. And while you may not be able to afford help, you definitely can’t afford to burn yourself out.

I mean, if you are the only one doing the work, if you burn out, who will take your place? Um, that would be no-one! That means the best thing you can do for yourself and the business is to stop. Put a pause on what you are doing and take a rest.

Why you not only can take a rest but must do so.

As someone who is doing it all, you are burning the candle at both ends. Let’s list out what you might be doing on a daily and weekly basis:

• Networking with potential clients
• Email correspondence
• Social Media Marketing
• Marketing
• Having sales conversations
• Enrolling new clients
• Onboarding new clients
• Setting up and scheduling client appointments (and many more)
• Bookkeeping
• Daily, weekly and monthly administrative work

I could keep going, but you know what I’m talking about. In order for you to be fresh and keep your perspective open and receptive, it is imperative for you to have a fresh brain, body and attitude. Nothing turns off a potential client than someone who is frazzled and disheveled all of what can happen when you run yourself ragged. Is that the image you want to present to the world when you are out networking to get clients. I didn’t think so.

What taking a rest can do for you and your business.

If you are thinking “but I can’t take time off” hear me out. I’m not asking you to put your business on hold indefinitely or even for longer than say a weekend, what I’m hoping you’ll take away from this is that by taking time off, even if it is a weekend is that you will come back refreshed and with a new perspective. See time has a way of helping us see things differently.

When I first started I worked pretty much round the clock – and would have continued to do so if it wasn’t for a colleague of mine, Julie Gray who wrote an article on why I was procrastinating (well, she wasn’t saying “I” as in “Kim, here is why you were procrastinating,” but she might as well have, it hit me like a ton of bricks). What she said was the reason we procrastinate was because we weren’t taking breaks or even time off.

After I read that I basically came to a stop. I couldn’t move, it was so true. I had been pushing, pushing, pushing and finding that I wasn’t getting all that far because I was procrastinating! So, I took her advice and decided to take weekends off and viola, Monday came and I was ready, willing and able to get my work done. I found I had more successes, I attracted more clients, I felt better and get this, things were easier to get done!

What would you rather, harder or easier?

Here is the good news, it’s all up to you. You can have it harder or easier, which would you like? I’m thinking easier. So then WHEN is it you will stop? When will you take a break? When will you give yourself the rest you not only need but that is paramount to the success of your business? Go ahead, pull out your calendar and then schedule in time off in the next 3-5 days (yes, that’s right – or even for the upcoming weekend), you won’t be sorry if you do, but you may be sorry if you don’t.

In the meantime, are you looking to build your business with ideal clients? Ideal meaning those that aren’t needy and make you feel you have to give them way more than you want? If so, sign up for my free offer below because it will help you find them!

I’m big on keeping things simple. I spent a lot of time making things difficult and try as I might it was not the best thing for me. Which is why I like to teach other solo-entrepreneurs how to be successful keeping things simple.

What that simple thing is.

The last blog I wrote was to share with you that YOU were the advantage to your success.

Now I would like to tell you that the one simple way to improve your business is to trust that you are the advantage to it’s success. See, most of our wins or lack there of happen in between our ears. What I mean by that is the thoughts you think will either make or break you. Your mindset is the #1 thing that will improve your business.

Do you remember The Little Engine That Could? If so, then you’ll remember that may other trains didn’t help them, until along came the Little Engine who thought “I think I can”. The reason the Little Engine succeeded was because it had faith in itself.

Do you have faith in yourself?

Are you someone who knows you can do something and when the going gets tough, do you have thoughts that say “I think I can” even when you might not know for sure?

One simple thing you can do to improve your business is to have faith in yourself. If you have a strong belief in yourself and you always succeed, I’d love to hear about how you do that. If you need to have a little more faith in yourself, here are several questions for you to help you:

• Write down 5 “I AM” statements that are true right now. An I AM statement is something that you know is true for you. Such as I AM resourceful, I AM strong, I AM someone who can figure things out. It describes the essence of who you are.
• Write down 5 “I AM” statements that you want to be true. These may reflect who you really want to see yourself as.  Such as I AM willing to ask for help, I AM known for having the answers, I AM valued.
• Look for gaps. Look at your I AM statements that you want to be true. Is there a gap between where you are and where you want to be? Does it feel like too big of a stretch or is it a do-able stretch.
• Determine 1-2 actions that you are willing to take to bring you to your ideal I AM. This will help you gain more faith in yourself.

This exercise will help you: 1) see where you are perfectly tuned in to yourself,  2) see where you may not have faith in yourself and 3) see where you will be able to get to where you want to be.

The importance of your level of consciousness.

When you raise your level of consciousness about yourself it is impossible to be where you started. Once you begin to have faith in yourself, you will be just like the Little Engine That Could, on your way to business success.

When you are truly you, feeling comfortable with who you are, having faith in yourself for your successes and knowing that you have what it takes to get there, you get there in the most simplest way possible. Which means that you’ll do whatever it is that feels good for you.

So what’s it going to be? Will you do what needs to be done to have the mindset that brings you all the successes you want? I think I know the answer!

Are you a solo-preneur looking to build your business with ideal clients? If so, sign up for my free offer below because it will help you find them!