Ya know what makes business difficult?
The same thing that makes everything difficult: We can’t see the future.
So we plod along, making decisions, heading towards a destination to God-knows-where.
In times like these, it’s helpful to remember that life is a process. The journey is what it’s all about.
Humans are never ever satisfied by the stuff.
Talk to any miserable rich person, and you can see that! Talk to any songwriter, any playwright, any businessperson. Same thing.
Look at the divorce rates amongst…everybody…and you’ll see people who have everything but aren’t enjoying the ride.
That’s why bucket lists are dreams and rarely things.
If you can find a way to enjoy the process, the ride, you can die happy (so I hear).
I have no idea what the endgame is for my business.
I am guided by my values, but I don’t always trust they’ll lead me to the Promised Land.
I’m intentionally surrounding myself with good people. My people.
I met with a couple of business coaches recently, and here are some actionable outcomes that meeting:
- I came out of our coaching workshop with a focus on:
1. Securing speaking engagements at local Chambers of Commerce.
I emailed ~20 leaders at multiple Chambers. Only one person replied, and it wasn’t a good fit. Dumping this as an option for now.
2. Finding a couple of verticals to market to.
I ran an 80/20 analysis on my current customers and discovered to my surprise that my best customers are: small-to-mid-sized B2B insurance companies, small-to-mid-sized B2B financial services companies, and passionate bloggers. I’m currently working on finding some keywords to test with Google Adwords. - I started a book club for business owners with a friend. First meeting is Oct. 3. You are invited!
- I planned two “lunch-n-learn” meetups using your topic idea almost verbatim: “Digital Marketing Fundamentals” and “WordPress Marketing Fundamentals“. You are invited!
- I emailed a bunch of professional marketers in my network asking them which groups they recommend I join to maximize my time-to-learn ratio. Got some good ideas from them.
- I started a monthly business mastermind with a trusted colleague in the WordPress biz.
- I am taking an online business process class for WordPress pros that includes practical things like sales scripts, email templates, processes, etc. It’s been okay-not-great.
- I now focus on bringing in new business & sales while my team does all the current customer support.
- I’ve started blogging more on themightymo.com – focusing on WordPress stuff, specifically, for long-term organic SEO.
- We’ve got a baby due in October, so change is afoot at home, too! Feeling pressure from my wife to earn more $$$, as she’s quitting her job when the baby’s born.
Summary: I’m humbly in learning mode trying to apply the things I learn to my real world biz!
So, as you can see, lots going on. And I’m not sure any of that stuff is actually going to bear fruit.
But I’m enjoying the process. I’m enjoying learning and meeting new people. And building something even if I’m not completely sure what it is I am building here.
I have an artist’s vision for my company. And artists never start with the end in mind.
