No one warned me about the small business growth roller coaster when I first started out ten years ago. I found out purely by chance.
I remember my first roller coaster ride as a kid and howling to my dad to let me off. My dad actually asked the guy to stop the ride so I could get off, and I think that was my only roller coaster ride ever!
To be honest, I wasn’t someone who liked surprises much. I’d find it quite inconvenient if friends just rocked up to my place unannounced. It was important to me to know what was happening next and plan out my day according to how I wanted it to be. In some ways I was a bit of a control freak.
So, you can imagine how I felt when I started out in small business!
As we all know, planning is really important in small business. The thing is that no matter how much you plan there are so many unforeseen things that come up and so many things that you have no control and influence over.
I spent a lot of time early in my business growth, trying to control what I couldn’t control and feeling anxious when things didn’t go the way I wanted them to. When things became uncertain, I didn’t like it much at all.
The delicate balance between the needs of certainty and uncertainty must be mastered to enjoy consistent business growth.
Most of us prefer certainty, to the extent that we will do anything in our power to control what is happening around us. That includes what happens in our business or any aspect of life. When we feel that we are losing this grip, or things don’t go the way we anticipate we tend to feel stressed or anxious.
Because of this we develop a habit of sticking with what we’ve been doing for some time, because it feels comfortable. All this does is create more of the same. And if we want to experience business growth then we always need to be prepared to change.
For example, meet Jennifer. She has been using social media as a method that works well in her business and because of that she has been doing it for some time. Everything in the environment is constantly changing, including what is happening in the business world. Her marketing method had been working for Jennifer so far, but all of a sudden it stops working. because there have been changes.
In an example like this, Jennifer may keep using the same method because it feels comfortable. She just tells herself that it’s quiet at the moment or she needs to wait a while. This might very well be the case, but it’s important to investigate further. In this example her favourite social media platform might have changed it’s algorithms.
Because of her resistance to change she doesn’t investigate or contemplate giving something new ago. After all she’s not sure how to use it or whether she’ll get the results she wants.
Jennifer clings onto the need for certainty and comfort and resists change and uncertainty because it feels uncomfortable.
This type pattern will slow down the growth of your business.
Embracing uncertainty is one of the keys to business growth. This means challenging yourself to learn something new and try new things.
Because, your business will only grow when you grow. And you only grow when you challenge yourself to do something differently or learn something new.
When I learned this all those years ago and started to act on it, it changed everything for me. In fact, my business grew by doing less. This is something I had previously thought was a myth.
So here’s the key – fulfil the needs of certainty AND uncertainty. When you do this you create momentum in your business.
Give these quick tips a go to speed up business growth, by growing yourself:
• Set goals and create your plan
• Commit to a daily self care and exercise ritual
• Schedule in regular daily meal times and bed times
• Look for ways to improve what you are doing in your business
• Challenge yourself to learn new things
• Use new strategies or try a new method of doing something.
• Be flexible in your approach and honestly reflect to see what needs to change
• Do more of what lights you up and outsource or delegate what doesn’t
• Challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone often, it’s a muscle that needs to be exercised
Learn to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable and accept that it is part of growth. Develop a healthy mindset so you can step through any fear or doubt you may feel.
And at the end of the day remember this;
Discomfort is often a good thing. The more uncomfortable you feel about doing something new, the more business growth it is likely to bring.
Handling uncertainty can feel tricky as you start or build your business and working with a good coach will help you fast track this process. It will assist you to learn how to manage feelings of fear or doubt so you can build momentum. The author of this article has done the hard yards over the last 10 years in her own coaching practice. She has made the mistakes and learned to navigate what can often be a challenging path to success enabling her to build her business and work less hours. If you would like to see how coaching can help you fast track your own business growth you are welcome to book a complimentary call with Deb HERE