Recently, my daughter figured out how to fasten the harness on her high-chair, except she hasn’t quite worked out how to undo it. So “stuck” or rather “duck!” has been a very common word in our kitchen!
I’m wondering, what are the most common things that business owners get stuck on?
From my own experience and from working with my clients, I would say my top two ‘biggies’ are:
Indecision – not knowing (deciding and committing to) what to do; and
Insecurity – that feeling of doubt, of whether you can actually do it, that has us hesitating, freezing or backing out
Then there’s technology, time, overwhelm, guilt…
And like the harness on my daughter’s high-chair. I wonder if there are things that were originally intended to protect us, that are now getting us stuck?
What do you think? What are your biggest sticking points? Or what do you see other business owners getting stuck on most often? Let’s talk about it – I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments box below.
It has to be making decisions. I feel like I have lots to make but with practise I am getting better. I used to take ages to make a decision – deliberating lots. Now I find I use gut instinct.Â
I agree, practise really helps, as does trusting your gut instincts. I find setting deadlines help me to put a limit on the deliberating, and get more accustomed to making decisions and seeing them through. Thanks for sharing Naomi x
I use instinct like Naomi Grace but like you self doubt creeps in, that “does anyone really care what I’m offering?” feeling. At the moment though the thing which is making me feel “duck” is having too many ideas and not knowing which direction to focus on! I need to sit quietly and let my gut tell me which way to go but it’s finding a quiet moment that’s the challenge isn’t it? 😉
Ah the predicament of the creative entrepreneur – I call it inspiration overwhelm 🙂 Definitely do take time to listen to your instincts, to work ‘on’ your business as well as ‘in’ it. Your thoughts will be creeping in and taking your time and energy anyway, so might as well give it some direct attention and get your focus clear.
I use instinct like Naomi Grace but like you self doubt creeps in, that “does anyone really care what I’m offering?” feeling. At the moment though the thing which is making me feel “duck” is having too many ideas and not knowing which direction to focus on! I need to sit quietly and let my gut tell me which way to go but it’s finding a quiet moment that’s the challenge isn’t it? 😉
I’ve heard some business owners recently saying that they find self-promotion really hard to do. Makes them feel uncomfortable like tooting their own horn. I kinda know what they mean!
I’ve heard some business owners recently saying that they find self-promotion really hard to do. Makes them feel uncomfortable like tooting their own horn. I kinda know what they mean!
I know what you mean – especially in British culture as well, where we have this thing about not getting ‘above ourselves’. At the end of the day most of us offer something that serves people in some way, and the only way for us to be able to do that is to tell them about it. I do believe it’s important that we promote with integrity – and that means being comfortable with what we say about our business. Using other people’s words can be a good start – testimonials from clients, quotes of how other people would describe you, and talking about what’s important to you – so for example, if you were an artist and felt uncomfortable describing your paintings as beautiful, you can talk about how you try to capture the beauty of your subjects. Thanks stopping by and sharing your thoughts 🙂
You’re welcome and thanks for your reply. Some good points there!
THIS is my sticking point exactly. I’ve recently started my business and find it hard to self promote because I don’t know how to pitch my ‘sale’. I find a million excuses why I have more things to do today than tout my business around the salons because of this so this is my ‘stuck’ (or ‘duck’)
Hi Gill, thanks for your comment. I think effective sales is as much about authenticity as it is about persuasion (see my comment below). Go back a step – think back to why you’re in business, how you serve your customers (what problem you solve, what benefit you provide) and start a conversation from that point of view, rather than from a ‘touting your business’ point of view.
For me, it is the age old tension between spending time away from what I feel is my first priority, my son, and the work I need (and want) to do to make my business successful. So I end up spending my “left over” time on my business, which is inevitably late at night, or on weekend, when I’m tired/have low energy levels.
Thanks so much for your comment Angie. You’re definitely not alone in this. You might find some of the ideas useful in this post: https://gracemarshall.com/how-to-boost-energy-levels-in-the-evening/ Also, give yourself credit for what you are doing, and watch that guilt (that you’re not doing more) doesn’t rob you your precious time and energy.
Currently, it’s a lead generation tracking system for my Real Estate Investing Wholesale business and after reading your “YesYouCan-10 Ways to Grow Your Business” I think I need to work on a more detailed plan outside of the one in my 47 page Business Plan…
You “YesYouCan-0 Ways to Grow your Business” was a good starter guide and thought initiator which I will re-read and start applying.
Thanks for All You Do
Dad from Pasadena, Texas
Thanks for popping by to say hello Chavel! What details do you feel are missing at the moment? What are the gaps? Remember to take Baby Steps – and you don’t have to have everything worked out before you begin 🙂