Being a business owner is a journey that involves wearing many hats. Between balancing work and life, pricing your goods and services, and managing growth, it can become far too easy to get engulfed in endless day-to-day tasks. Before you know it, you’re swimming in a sea of to-do lists, teetering on the brink of burnout, and potentially losing sight of why you started in the first place.

There’s a better way…

I’ve learned a lot of wonderful lessons during my 11+ years of experience building two (yes, two!) successful businesses. I’ve navigated challenges and learned to develop healthy systems and routines that improve my personal life and business growth. Now, I have the freedom to do things like pick my son up from school each day, enjoy lunch out with my team or a friend mid-week, and have Fridays off.

You should have the opportunity to experience this freedom, too!

Whether you’re just starting out and full of sooo many questions (been there!) or shifting your current business to support your desired lifestyle, I’m here for you. The following tips will help nurture your creativity as you take ownership of your business and life. Spoiler: You’ll want to bookmark this one!

Establish CEO Days

You might be thinking, “Staci, what is a CEO Day?” Plain and simple, it’s a designated day to take a deep dive into the heart of your goals. Devoting one day per week to setting aside client work, calls, and daily tasks allows you to focus on the internal workings of your business. This is a great time to update your accounting, clean your digital workspace, work on your marketing, and plan for the future.  Mine are on Mondays.  🙂 

As part of your CEO Day, you could ask yourself reflective questions like, What has been the most successful part of my business? What tasks are becoming time-sucks, and how can I become more efficient? Is there any room to work smarter instead of harder? This type of personal work is what really moves the needle forward quickly and in the right way.

Change Your Scenery

Find yourself in an unproductive slump? Sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to break up the monotony and inspire fresh, creative ideas. Consider working from somewhere that will stimulate your senses. I find that hopping around cute coffee shops, beautiful restaurants, and cool hotel bars is a great way to refocus and bring excitement, energy, and productivity into my day. 

Set 90-Day Goals

When you think of goal-setting, your brain might automatically run toward long-term plans. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that the landscape of entrepreneurship is ever-changing. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big, but giving yourself a list of unattainable goals will only lead to overwhelm and discouragement.

What can you do instead? Rather than hold tightly to significant long-term goals, set yourself up for success by focusing on only 90 days at a time. For me, this time period provides exactly what I need to achieve actionable goals and move my business forward. Another great practice is identifying your longer-term goals and breaking them into smaller realistic goals. This way, you’ll have a practical road map for achieving your dreams.

Set the Right Goals

Lastly, there is a world of disappointment to be found in chasing goals that are purely based on what you see other people doing. It is so easy to get stuck in the trap of comparison, but you’re not building the same business as that lovely woman you’ve been following on Instagram for the last year (she’s probably 15 years ahead in her business, by the way, so please stop comparing yourself to her). And your personal life goals probably look different, too.

Your business should be about what you want. What hours would you like to work? What would you like to be doing on a day-to-day basis? Do you like the idea of working with a team? If so, how big would you like your team to be? When you can answer these (and many more) questions for yourself, you will be on track to get even more creative in building the business that is right for you. That’s empowering!

How I Can Support You 

Throughout the years, I have navigated building two successful businesses, hiring teams, maternity leave, developing multiple revenue streams, creating systems that allow my businesses to grow and allow me to have freedom, and so much more. But the truth is, what works for one business isn’t always right for another. As a result, I have developed a personal passion for supporting other creative entrepreneurs on their individual journeys.

Are you in the early stages of your creative business and feeling frustrated and overwhelmed? Not sure what to prioritize to align your business with your lifestyle goals? I’d love to help you!

My 8-week mentorship program is my latest labour of love, designed to help you sift through the chaos and discover what will create lasting, life-changing results for you. Click here to learn more about my new 8-week mentorship program. I can’t wait to help you thrive!

xo

Staci