STOP BUILDING SOMEONE ELSE'S BUSINESS

When solopreneurs first launch, we tend to take our cues from former employers when deciding how to grow, operate, and set objectives. The cubicle becomes a desk in the guest bedroom and the 12-cup Mr. Coffee becomes a Keurig, but we default to the business model we know — and assume that mirroring bigger companies is the true path towards legitimacy in the eyes of prospective clients. 

The liberating (and slightly scary) truth is that your business is much more than single-serve traditional employment. You have a huge amount of latitude in deciding how you run it and what you want from it. When you’re limited only by what works — not what’s expected — a somewhat overwhelming number of possibilities open up. 

Whether you’re in the process of establishing your business or reflecting and preparing for another year, it’s important to make sure that your goals reflect the interests, needs, and values that are truly yours. Here are a few strategies for aligning this year’s objectives with a life you’re excited to live. 

Try the “Wildest Dreams” Approach 

Most of us have had the importance of practicality hammered into us from an early age. We’re taught to resist putting our mental energy towards the fantastical and save it for laundry and taxes — but what if our most impractical daydreams were useful business planning tools? 

Letting your imagination run wild may not manifest your every wish, but it will give you a sense of directionality that can be hard to reach through good old SMART goals. Do you close your eyes and see a corner office in a building with your name on it? Gold chains and jet skis? A less-stressed version of yourself traveling and attending more family events? 

Even if your business fantasy isn’t attainable this year (or ever), it can tell you where to aim. Let yourself explore — it’s entirely possible that your dream scenario isn’t as ridiculous as you think. 

Map Your Ideal Day

You know what a bad day at work looks like, but what about a great day? Take a moment to mentally walk through your perfect day of work from beginning to end. 

What time do you start? When do you finish? Who do you interact with? What do you have for lunch? Organize your thoughts using our Ideal Day Worksheet, and do your best to really throw yourself into the hypothetical. Let yourself experience how this day makes you feel and what it would be like for this to be your new normal. Explore why this is a reality worth pursuing.  

Find the Gaps

Once you have a clear picture of your ideal day, reflect on how it stacks up to your current reality. In what ways are you already living the dream, and where are you less aligned? 

Many of us are conditioned to accept (if not expect) discomfort as a condition of employment. It's one thing to acknowledge that you’re feeling overworked, restless, or isolated, and another to think strategically about what needs to happen in order to improve your relationship with your business. 

How do you want to feel, and what do you need to start feeling that way? The answer is often more concrete than an attitude adjustment. Maybe it’s a change in business hours. Maybe it’s an increase in rates that enables you to make more while working less. Maybe it’s a specific type of experience, training, or introduction that will get you closer to your ideal client. Start asking yourself How do I get there from here? and flex your independence as a business owner to plan a pivot. 

Attack the Gaps

Standard January goal planning can be vague, and anchored in the assumption that everyone starts the year off by wanting to do more, faster. Instead of accepting that the true north of self-employment is a bigger business with more accounts and greater revenue, focus on the specific gaps between your current day and your ideal day. 

The answer to your problems doesn’t have to be conventional, and it doesn’t require anyone else’s sign-off. Tired of working on Mondays? Block scheduling can help you consolidate your workdays so you spend less time tied to your desk. Want to earn money even when you aren’t actively working? Consider adding paid downloads and other streams of passive income to your offerings. Focus on solving for the life you want, and turn the work of creating it into your annual goals. 

Exercise your right to choose your own adventure, whether it’s epic, cozy, or somewhere in between. Self-employment means that work will always be deeply personal, so go forth and build your best life — the other ones are already spoken for.