Accepting Change in Business
Change is scary. We, as humans, like to stay where we’re most comfortable. But sometimes, change is necessary, and we need to accept it. Capturing Your Confidence (CYC) is going through a transitional period where I’m really focusing on who I can best serve.
With transition comes new services, strategies, and processes. It’s a scary (but exciting!) time for me and my business, and that’s what inspired this blog. If you’re going through change, these are the strategies working for me, which means they could work for you, too.
Knowing it’s Time for a Change
How do you know it’s time for a change? Sometimes change is forced upon you. Entrepreneurship is a tumultuous career. You might lose clients unexpectedly, the market may impact your services, you don't have a work-life balance, or you aren't booking your ideal clients. But sometimes, if you’re lucky, change is up to you!
Here are a few things that will indicate if it’s time for a change.
You aren’t happy with your work anymore.
You know the feeling when work feels like, well, work? You should enjoy what you’re doing. If it feels like a drag or you aren’t excited about your work (even though you’re your own boss), it’s time for a change. It may involve working with new clients, creating new products or services, or updating strategies and processes to get in a better, more inspired headspace.
You get irritated over little things.
When little things turn into a big deal, it’s time for a change. Small inconveniences, annoyances, and frustrations that cause big headaches mean you aren’t happy with your current situation. When you’re building a business you love, small irritations are much more avoidable than in a job with other people making decisions on your behalf.
You dream other dreams.
Your goals change as your skills develop and you’re exposed to new things in the world of business - and that’s totally okay! You should go after new goals and dreams as you advance in your career. When your work doesn’t align with your goals, it’s time to move on.
Your work frustrations bleed into your personal life.
Taking your work-related anger out on your family or friends is never okay. If you come home angry, exhausted, irritated, or short-tempered (or you stay that way all the time because you work from home), it should be your number one sign that you need a change in your life.
When it comes to business, it’s good to listen to what feels right. If your current job doesn’t ignite a fire in you anymore, listen to your mind telling you it’s time to move on.
Change Management Strategy
You want to make the best of the change coming to your business. I’m working on implementing these as I navigate changes coming to CYC soon.
According to Transformation Strategies, here are a few principles to help smooth the jagged edges of change:
Leverage the existing culture: Use the culture already established in your company to drive behavioral changes.
Lead from the top: The leadership team (if you’re a solopreneur, that’s you) needs to have a positive influence on employees or contractors by showing commitment, alignment, and agreement to the change they are implementing.
Evaluate and reconfigure: Assess and adapt processes, structures, or situations to improve strategies.
Take these steps to positively transition with the change. You, as the business owner, need to be 100% on board with everything happening. If something feels wrong, even just a little, trust your gut instinct and ditch the idea. Something better will come along that will align with your values and needs.
Small Changes Make Big Differences
Here are a few changes you can make in your business that will have a big impact. If it sounds "“too simple” to be true, that’s because it is. We tend to make things much more complicated than they need to be (myself included!) - it doesn’t have to be that way.
Clients
Serving the wrong clients is draining. Trust me, this comes from a true place of experience. When you nail down your ideal client, you feel much more fulfilled in your work. Take some time to really decide who you want to work with and how your services can help them. It’s SCARY AS HELL to narrow down your ideal client. Seriously. But when you' take the leap, it WILL feel better. There’s nothing saying you can’t expand in the future.
Hiring Help
Hiring a contractor was seriously one of the best things I did for my business. I passed off work I knew was important to growing my business but no longer had the time to do myself. Also, it wasn’t fun anymore! Realizing the need for support is a great first step. Not sure if it’s the “right” time? Check this out, it’ll help.
Setting Boundaries
Oftentimes, workplace frustrations come from people breaking boundaries. This could be partners, clients, or anyone else you interact with regularly. Set clear boundaries with yourself and your clients to ensure expectations are being met on both sides. Once they’re in place, stick to them. No one is being harmed by boundaries you set around your business. If someone says that, you don’t need to be working with them to begin with - set them free and move on.
Change is scary, but it’s a good thing! With change comes personal and professional growth that will benefit you in the long run, even when it feels messy now.
As I’m going through a period of change, I’m learning and making mistakes along the way. It’s all part of the journey. I know what’s coming will help a lot of people, and that’s what matters most to me.