Episode 5: 3 Essential Habits For Business Owners & Solopreneurs

No matter what stage of business you’re at, these three things will make a huge positive impact

After last week’s episode, where we talked about shifting your marketing energy, this week I’m sharing some practical, game-changing habits for you to do regularly in your business.

1. Checking your numbers regularly.

I see you, avoiding looking at your bank account, sales figures, tax return, and open rates. I know it’s vulnerable. I know it opens you up to feeling bad about your business, your ideas, and your self-worth. I’ve been there.

But it’s soooooo worth getting courageous on this one!

What you need to do: 

Here’s what I recommend: choose 5-10 key numbers you’re going to check each month, such as your turnover, your expenses, your profit margin, and a couple of key marketing numbers, like your email open rate or Instagram followers. Book a time in your calendar every month, and try to make it the same time and day, like the first Tuesday afternoon of the month.

Key action: 

Make it enjoyable! If that means ordering “I’m a proper business lady” brownies or going to a local coffee shop, do it. You could meet up with a business bestie, take the afternoon off afterwards, or get yourself all cosied up with a candle, some good music, and a pot of tea in the studio.

Why it helps: 

The reason checking your numbers regularly is a game-changer is that it gives you a whole load of accurate, up-to-date data on what’s working on your business, and what’s not. That data, in turn, helps you make smarter business decisions that are totally right for you.

2. Valuing your creative skills and talents

Hooooooo-eee. If I had a pound for every creative who undercharges, doesn’t value their own skills, or doesn’t prioritise their creative time, well, I would go on a nice fancy holiday!

You’ve been creative most of your life, and you’re pretty damn good at illustration / graphic design / sewing / [insert your own talent here]. So you wouldn’t pay someone else to create something like that for you – because you can do it yourself! But there are millions (billions?) of people across the globe who CAN’T create the way you can, but they want a home and life filled with creativity nonetheless.

The other part of not valuing your creativity is that you don’t prioritise creative playtime. Your creativity is your greatest asset. It’s the golden goose that will create income-generating designs for years to come. As long as you allow yourself to cultivate it and develop. If you can’t remember the last time you had time to brainstorm, play with ideas, go to an inspiring art gallery, it’s time for that to change.

What you need to do: 

First, check your pricing. Are you charging in a way that values your time, energy, and talents? Chances are, you’re not. (I typically tell 75% of new clients to put their prices up by 20%.) Plan a price increase and get courageous with it.

Key action: 

Book design time into your week or month. I’m not kidding! Regular time to play with ideas (without the pressure of creating the next bestseller) is a HUGE investment in the future of your business. Make it a regular habit now, and you’ll thank me later. (And please do – I like hearing it’s paid off!)

Why it’s important: 

Oh boy, this one’s not just important for you, it’s a whole movement; it’s important for society and our culture and our children and our future. Ultimately, this one’s a mindset shift, as well as actions to take. But shifting that perspective will allow you to continue building a business that is profitable, sustainable, and a powerful force for good in the world.

3. Prioritising your time (and your to-do list).

Did you notice both the first two points included adding some time to your calendar? That wasn’t a happy coincidence. Lots of creatives like going with the flow (me too!) and being in the mood to create (still me too), but we can also end up trying to do wayyyyyy too many things at once, without any of them paying off.

You can still have fun creative time (see above), but prioritising your time and to-do list is so worth doing, I’m tempted to march round right now and help you do it!

What to do: 

Choose three or so goals to focus on. That means you’re not trying to do a billion different projects all at once. Once you’ve set up your new website THEN you can get stuck into Facebook ads – just don’t do both at once! 

Key action: 

With your goals in mind, you can prioritise your to-do list on a daily or weekly basis, so that your time is spent doing urgent and important things that are really going to make a difference.

Why it’s important: 

When you focus and prioritise, it’s much easier to learn about what you’re working on, and do it well. If you’re just focusing on Instagram, rather than allllll the social channels, you can learn which hashtags work for you, you can get excited about creating content that people enjoy, and you can really get into the swing of making it work for you. Trying to juggle too many things leads to burnout, lack of enthusiasm, and big business disasters. 

Stop avoiding these three key things!

I’m not saying these are the only things you need to do in order to get that thriving, sustainable, and meaningful business. But they are things creatives commonly avoid (at various levels), but that really unlock potential.

So maybe you’ll just do one at a time, or maybe you’re ready to get going with all three. If you do get started, let me know so that I can cheer you on!

And if you’d like some help, I thoroughly recommend checking out The Better Business Collective, the membership group for makers and solopreneurs ready to strengthen their business from the inside out. Membership opens next month, and waitlisters will get a special bonus when it opens!

Do you need to change the journey or the destination?

If you’re a maker, solopreneur, or creative business founder, there’s a possibility that you’ve been reviewing your business and considering your goals for the year.

Chances are, you feel like there are a lot of possibilities, but you maybe haven’t really clarified your vision just yet.

I get it. There are lots of moving parts to business (and life), and 2021 isn’t exactly the most straightforward of times to be living in.

And as humans, we have this amazing ability for our monkey minds to be noisy chatter about all kinds of things that don’t really matter.

So let’s quieten down that voice and cut to the heart of things.

I have a metaphor (full disclosure: I love a metaphor!) that may just help you to see things differently…

The train metaphor

Imagine this year, or perhaps this phase, is a train journey. (Remember them?!)

You’ve got a ticket, you’ve found your seat, you’re ready to enjoy the ride.

Well, maybe you’re ready to enjoy it. Let’s just check in with that, shall we?

Are you headed to a destination you’ve been to before? Is this year looking pretty much like the last? Or are you headed somewhere new?

You can go to the same destination: reach more or less the same financial position, help the same customers, do the same things. For some of my clients, that’s actually really brilliant. For them, I invite them to buy a first class ticket, or maybe take the fast train with fewer stops. (Or even take the slow train and pause along the way…)

If that’s you, perhaps you can imagine how to upgrade your journey this year. Pack better snacks? First class seat? A welcome party when you get there?

And maybe you’re changing the destination…

The thing about trains is that there are a lot of them. You could go somewhere nearby, or you could board a train to another country and get halfway around the world.

Where will your ticket take you this year?

Is it close to where you’ve been before, or somewhere new?

Are you taking a stopping train through somewhere beautiful? Or a fast train to somewhere vibrant and exciting?

Where would you like to end up? And how can you make the journey smooth, enjoyable, and totally right for you?

The journey matters

We get caught up in the destination a lot – and that’s important. Especially when you have business goals that feed into the quality of your life.

But we spend a lot of time on metaphorical trains, moving from one place to another.

So my invitation for you today is to consider how you could make your journey work better for you.

You don’t have to take the same old train, sit in the same old seat, feel the same old weariness. We’re not commuters, worn in by habit and trying to get everything done as quickly as possible.

Instead, see the full possibility of what’s available to you. Trains headed in all kinds of directions. A ticket to platform 9 3/4. Trains through beautiful countryside with stunning views. Journeys that are just as much fun as the destination.

I can’t wait to hear if this helps you think differently about your business and plans for the year ahead! I’d love to know more about the train you’re on.

And if you enjoyed this metaphor, you might also like this one about cake, this one about cooking, and this one about movies.

It’s not too late (or too crazy) to plan for 2021

I mentioned recently in my weekly pep talks (over on IGTV) that I get reallllllly opinionated in January, in particular about the semi-aggressive planning culture we live in.

I feel like a mama bear protecting all my bear cubs (aka clients, colleagues, and friends) who are just recovering from a busy Christmas in retail, just starting to get back on their feet, and only just able to start reflecting on the last six or so weeks.

If you’re a maker or a female founder of a product-based business, you do not need to have a comprehensive plan for the year on 1st January.

In fact, I think the best business plans aren’t thrown together in a fit of panic or needing something to cling to. Instead, they’re made with integrity, with consideration, and with full awareness of who, where and what you are.

As I write this, we’re not even halfway through January (and a dramatic January at that), and already it can feel like it’s not worth planning at all – the window of opportunity has gone.

And any plans you did make might have gone out the window – so why bother.

It is never too late to make a plan, find your focus, and commit to the future you really want.

But is it too crazy?

Okay. So the plans you made this time last year might be laughing in your face. 2020 was no year for plans going exactly as anticipated.

But you know what? Plans rarely get pulled off without a hitch.

Even if you don’t stick to a plan, or life takes you away from it because of a pandemic or a family illness or really anything else, it is so valuable to have a focus.

It’s 2021, and I think we all know that the world is unpredictable. We’re not expecting much “normal life” – as much as we’re longing for it and hoping for it.

Why bother? Why bother making a plan? Why not take one day at a time, go with the flow, and try to do anything too specific or too big?

Because having a focus and a direction helps. It helps your mental health, your inner business strength, and your bottom line.

You can still take one day at a time, flexing with lockdown rules, homeschooling, sales, and your own needs.

But have a direction that you’ve chosen with intent, whether that’s a product range you’re focusing on, or a marketing strategy you want to give yourself to 100%, or staying really committed to a specific turnover number.

I don’t know what focus is right for you, but I do know that you’ll reap rewards when you choose one thing.

Having a plan means taking your limitations into account.

Having a plan means it’s easier to adapt when needed.

Having a plan means you’ll know what to do in those 20 minutes you have to catch up on things (hello, parent/business juggle).

Ultimately, your plan works best when it integrates with your creativity, your intuition, and your impulses. They’re valuable assets, and they need structure in order to thrive.

I need a plan! What should it be?

Ah, you’re in the right place.

Come and join me for a 5 day challenge to create a business plan that’s designed to give you a more resilient business in 2021.

It’s totally free, and we’ll spend time reflecting on where you are, how lockdown life has affected you, and where you (really) want to go from here. Then we’ll sift through your dreams, your possibilities, and your practical limitations, to discover your focus for right now. We’ll map out a unique-to-you plan that builds in strength, courage, and creativity.

The Better Business Plan takes place in the last week of January, Monday 25th to Friday 29th, with live coaching every day, as well as a private space on Instagram for support and questions. Not to mention a workbook for you to work through and keep as your 2021 map.

Don’t miss this transformative event!

>>> Read more and register here. <<<

I can’t wait to see you there!

Jenny x

optin-cup

Enter The Forge

Life's too damn short to chase someone else's definition of success. I'm here to give you the courage and tools to forge your own path.