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Although I’ve run a successful business for 20 years, it’s never too late to re-invent yourself. Recently I decided hiring a business coach would be a great way to receive an outside opinion. My business survived a number of complex situations, I’ve found ‘surviving’ is different than ‘thriving’.
Running a business to survive for today vs. running a business to thrive tomorrow; I’ve been stuck in survival mode for years. And life has proven I’m capable of more than merely surviving.
The first step was acknowledging I wasn’t reaching my potential. It’s a hard fact to accept but we’re all capable of more. Sometimes we loose our sense of direction and it’s the perfect time to be honest with yourself and admit it’s okay to ask for help. The best business coach is one who’ll shoot you straight.
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A Business Coach holds you Accountable
When working for yourself, it’s challenging holding yourself to the same standards a superior would. My personal limitations are recognized when attempting to compose the ‘perfect email‘ or blog post or I spend hours retouching a photo which never gets printing. I’m a recovering perfectionist…
I’m self motivated to keep my clients happy but this motivation doesn’t apply to book keeping and analytics…
In the past, I had a team and several people depending on me. Personally I find it beneficial when someone else is around to keep me on task. My business coach was constantly reminding me perfection shouldn’t be the goal.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Accountability it really important for me, but any successful business owner will tell you numbers come first and the ‘numbers don’t lie.’ It’s important to keep track of daily numbers but it’s MOST important to know your revenue & spending ratios to insure you are meeting goals & charging appropriately.
Most creatives will agree, keeping ‘score’ is their least favorite part of running a business! But if you do a deep dive into your numbers & ratios, you’ll discover room for improvement. And you might even discover you’re barely making minimum wage!
Shifting the Focus of my Business
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Over the last two decades, the photography industry completely changed, again! With easy access to high powered digital cameras, novice photographers flooded the market with cheap services, mediocre imagery and bad experiences.
I’ve spent more than 25 years learning how to see with a camera & manipulating light. My hands are older & wiser. My eyes need glasses to focus but my vision continues to grow.
Reaching the Next Level
Sometimes we are too busy surviving we forget to push ourselves forward. No one is immune to the pressures of ‘survival’ and we often become complacent accepting things as they are forgetting that life is what you make of it.
I’ve accepted I can’t achieve the next level of success alone. Sometimes reaching out and asking for help is the only way to move forward.
Hopefully this provided a little bit of insight and inspiration into what is keeping me motivated this season! Remember poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price!
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