Are you feeling reflective as you start to slow down for the holidays?

2022 has undoubtedly been a year of balance for me.

It's hard to feel truly successful when things feel out of kilter - when your business is going amazingly but you're wracked with mum guilt because you haven't been present, or you're physically and mentally drained because you’re working so much that you haven't had time for self care.

It took me a long time to learn this. I couldn’t understand why I’d feel flat even if I had a great month sales wise, until I realized that to actually feel successful I needed to have balance. After all, I started my own business because I wanted the flexibility to be hands-on with the kids, to not feel stressed out, and to do something I really enjoyed.

So I’ve stuck to my boundaries firmly. I work roughly 25 hours a week, around school hours. I don’t take calls after 2.30pm. I don’t take calls during the school holidays. I create white space during my week so I can work around my energy and creativity. I allow myself time for a nap, Netflix, or exercise during the working day. I work in my zone of genius and have built a team of support around myself.

These are all my non-negotiables. They come first. And I’ve molded my business around them.

It takes time to build solid foundations and to find the business model that works best for you. You can go for years feeling like something just hasn’t quite clicked. And we have to keep tweaking to find out what that is. But when you do work it out, you’ll be able to reap the benefits of all the hard work.

And I hold my hands up and confess that I often judge the success of my business by how I *feel*, which is important, but it's also crucial to look at the numbers and the evidence.

This is why we need CEO time to review the bigger picture.

In my Business Review session (i.e. cup of coffee, notepad, sofa) I reflected that this year I have:

 Continued to work 5 hour days (roughly 9-2)
 Kept my stress levels very low
 Spent 34 days on a Canadian adventure with my family leaving my laptop at home
 Enjoyed every single day working on my business serving incredible women
 Made time for exercise, coffee dates, shopping during the working week
 Made a positive impact through my work

For me, these are all important elements of my life-friendly business approach.

But working in this flexible way does NOT mean that I have had to sacrifice my income.

In the last calendar year I have increased my turnover by 30%. Working the same hours. And on the whole, apart from a few crazy moments here and there, without the overwhelm.

You do not need to subscribe to the hustle and grind culture.

You need to develop a business model that works for you. It might not be the same one the person next to you is using. And that's ok.

Take some time to reflect. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What's gone well?

• What's not gone so well?

• What would you like less of next year?

• What would you like more of next year?

• What support do you need to make this happen?

 

Remember - if things haven't been going as you'd like, you have the power to turn it around.

Carve your own path.

And keep it life-friendly as we enter 2023.

Erin x



Ps. If you’d like support in doing that, come and join me for Evolve in the New Year. More info here