Hey Thrivers, I have been thinking a lot about how to keep thriving in business in unexpected times and circumstances. I noticed that business owners, myself included, often think that thriving in business means we feel stable, successful, and certain. In reality, entrepreneurship can include cash-flow problems, fear, exhaustion, unexpected crises, and moments when you genuinely don’t know what to do next.
The truth is, thriving in business does not mean everything is going well.
Let me hold your hand as I say this another way: difficult seasons aren’t always interruptions to the entrepreneurial journey. Difficult seasons are part of our entrepreneurial journey!
For some of you, this will be a relief. You may think, “Finally, a business owner who is telling the truth!”
For others, this news is a shock and hurts your feelings. You thought the hard part was starting the business.
And there are some women who are shaking their heads and thinking, “My business is flourishing! I am able to attract my dream clients, and they chase me down to pay me a lot of money.” Excellent! This blog is for women who are enjoying business ownership, those with hurt feelings, and others who feel seen and relieved.
Regardless of where you are in your business, understand that if you face uncertainty or challenging times, I understand you. My business has had many ebbs and flows, and that is okay because your definition of thriving is probably different from every other business owner.
My idea of thriving was a long client waitlist. Then I wanted to earn a specific amount of money each month. And finally, I decided that working only four hours a day was thriving for my business. The truth is that my definition of thriving in business will change. So what should you do?
I was listening to a few of the Women Thriving in Business podcast episodes and realized a common theme in my solo episodes: I am vulnerable and open about the challenges and joys of thriving in business.
Let me say that again: there are many challenges and joys to thriving in business, and I discuss many of them on the Women Thriving in Business podcast. Why?
I do not want to mislead you or sell you a false dream about entrepreneurship. As a business owner, you are creating something that you wish existed and made it happen. You took an idea, put action and enforcement behind it, and started a business. You may not have met certain goals or success markers for yourself, but every day, Thrivers, you are working to create something that you wish existed. I am proud of you!
So how do you continue thriving when the path forward isn’t obvious?
Start with The Gift of Crisis
I started my business when I realized that I was no longer employable. I have a lot of great skills, and any organization would be happy to have me on their team. What I mean by being unemployable is that it was difficult for me to help someone else build their dream company when I knew I could use my skills and talents to make a greater impact and help more women thrive in business.
But I faced a few challenges in my personal life and business, which made running a business feel like the last thing I wanted to do in the world. I found clarity by reading a book called The Power of Crisis by Ian Bremmer. But even while reading this book, I realized that what I was experiencing was the gift of crisis, as I could see the challenges my business was facing as an opportunity to adjust my strategy.
As a woman thriving in business, you may need to adjust (pivot, change, re-direct) from what you expected. I know women business owners who take on part-time jobs to cover their expenses during slow periods in their businesses.
I discovered a few solutions to help business owners get out of difficult periods in their business:
- Find new ways to attract attention to the business.
- Talk openly with peers and other entrepreneurs.
- Rest instead of assuming every problem requires more work.
- Set something meaningful on the horizon to motivate yourself.
- Get a job or take on additional work if the business needs a cash-flow boost.
No matter the type of business you run, your business will ebb and flow. There will be times when you are earning a lot of money, and your profits are sky high. There will be other times when you need to hire additional help, and you will find that your profits dip a bit. Other times, you will have so much work to do that you wonder why you thought you could handle it yourself. When this happens, do not hesitate to adjust your strategy.
In the long run, by discussing your challenges with peers or mentors, finding new ways to attract business, resting when you really want to work longer hours, and finding new motivations are not signs that you are giving up on your business.
In fact, it is the opposite where you understand that protecting the dream requires changing how you support it. You will find more details in the episodes titled “Navigating the Unknown” and “The Power and Gift of Crisis.”
Recognize Your Courage
The second major theme in my solo podcast episodes is realizing that you will not pivot in your business without courage.
I downplayed the courage that I needed to start my business, The Bladen Group. I saw a void (inadequate resources for government agencies and small business owners) and found a solution (I was proficient in working with them).
At first glance, I didn’t think I created a business because I was courageous, but because I saw a need. I was doing a public service. Or was I?
In 2022, I was ziplining, and it all felt overwhelming. Why did I agree to propel myself off a small platform overlooking a dense forest? Why would I think this was fun? How do I turn around and go back to the resort?
I offer another question: why would I think creating a business to fill a void in the industry was any less risky? Courageous? Wacky? Or overwhelming?
Well, let me tell you what I learned the hard way: women business owners, you are courageous. You take risks. You are incredible. You are creating things that did not exist.
Do you believe me? If not, let’s look at how we can recognize our courage as women thriving in business.
Instead of measuring success by revenue alone, ask: What revenue-generating activities can I actually control?
Track the actions you take that create opportunities, such as outreach, conversations, follow-ups, visibility, sales activities, and relationship building.
Let me share a few examples about each activity:
Outreach: Do you realize how courageous you are to send cold emails to people that you see on social media and believe you can help? That is masterful.
Conversations: Do you recognize how often you choose to sit at a table with people who do not know when attending a conference or event? That takes strength.
Relationship building: Every time you email another woman thriving in business to share an article or the name of someone you think they might enjoy meeting, you are being courageous. You do not know the outcome of your actions, which means that you are taking a risk and being courageous.
If you need more convincing, I did too. In the episodes titled “The Gift of Fear” and “Activate Your Inner CEO,” I realized I needed to ask myself how I could show up better.
There is a ray of sunshine, a magnetic force that attracts people and opportunities to you.
The best way to recognize how courageous you have been is to connect confidence to action. Confidence does not always arrive before we do something difficult. Sometimes we build it because we did the difficult thing.
Fear Doesn’t Disappear Just Because You’ve Beaten It Before
I was shocked to realize how frequently I discuss fear on the Women Thriving in Business podcast. Listening to these episodes reminded me that fear is an emotion, just like joy, embarrassment, or frustration, and that no emotion is better or worse than the others. So I had to ask myself: why is my fear trying to tell me? Let’s look at a few ways fear impacted me:
I faced fear when I started The Bladen Group. I was afraid that women would not thrive in business given the lack of resources and proficient consultants in the space.
I faced fear when I started a podcast and decided that my voice and message were valuable in this space.
I faced fear when I raised my prices and waited for someone to challenge whether my services would demand that price.
I faced fear while ziplining and deciding that I could complete the course.
I did not quit every time I faced fear, and I truly learned that facing fear in one aspect of my life would not guarantee that I would never be afraid again. As you grow and mature as a business owner, your fears will likely evolve.
- As a new business owner, you are afraid that the customers will not find you.
- After a year as a business owner, you may be afraid that you will burn out or cannot sustain your successes.
- After five years as a business owner, you may be fearful that you have plateaued.
Remember what previous fear taught you.
Past fear gave you evidence that you have moved through an uncertain time, and you can do it again. Remind yourself that the accomplishments on the other side of your fear will be far greater than the fear you are experiencing right now. Learn more in the episode titled “Reconnect, Reengage and Reenergize by Taking a Break from Your Business” and ” The Power and Pressure of Storytelling.”
Your business coach, advisor, friend, or colleague cannot take the step for you because fear is individual. But guess what? Your courage will grow with you too, and overcoming fear once doesn’t eliminate it forever.
Business owner, remember that thriving isn’t knowing exactly where you’re going. It’s developing the courage, relationships, awareness, and resilience to keep moving when the path changes.
Thriving may mean learning to pivot in a crisis, taking time to recognize how courageous you are, and understanding that fear doesn’t disappear just because you’ve beaten it before.
Take a step back, remember that you are the CEO, and take the next step without knowing exactly where it leads.
Keep thriving. – Nikki