Fulfillment is not an often talked about subject when it comes to small business ownership. It’s all about $10k months, 6-figure years, and hustle. I found myself falling into the traps of comparison and burning out in 2019 looking at other businesses and seeing these buzzwords all over the place. I kept thinking success equated to these milestones and because I wasn’t hitting them, I wasn’t good enough.
In 2020, I was in Mariah Coz’s Accelerator program and she said something during one of the course lessons that changed how I approach my business to this day. She said, “Act like the CEO you want to be. Embody that person and do what they would do. That’s how you reach that milestone.” I’m probably butchering her words but it really changed how I saw my business. It’s not a gateway to making the most of anyone else, hitting money milestones others told me I needed to hit, or working until I hated what I was doing. I define my success and who I want to be within December Oak. I felt so much lighter, dreaming of the owner I wanted to be and thinking of how to step into that role. These are the steps I took to feel more fulfilled and joyful within my business.
Mindset Shifts
The first obstacle I had to overcome was stepping into a CEO mindset. What exactly does this mindset look like? Well, it’ll be a little different for everyone but you want to ask yourself, what do you look like as the boss? I know as creatives, we don’t tend to think of ourselves this way. We want to create, not be worried about the admin tasks and the running of our businesses. I felt the same way.
But when I sat down and really thought, who do I want to be as a boss and leader in December Oak, some key traits came to mind.
- I wanted to be compassionate and take a human first approach.
- I wanted to balance my time so I could be more creative more often and outsource administrative tasks to someone who actually enjoys doing that type of thing.
- I wanted to work with my most dreamy clients and collab with my team as a creative director to get the best results for our clients no matter what.
- I wanted to make multiple 6 figures to be able to support my team and pay them what they deserve and support the type of life that allows me to make memories with people I love the most.
I couldn’t let limiting beliefs pull me away from these goals. I believe I am worthy, prepared, and destined to meet these goals because I’m a hard worker, super creative, and help transform the lives of my clients and students. When I started truly believing this, I was starting to see steps I could take to get there.
Systems
Now I know systems are probably the least sexy part of owning a business. But they are essential to giving you your time back to use more fluidly and bring you more fulfillment. I went through my client process, content marketing, administrative, and passive income systems with a fine tooth comb. This took a day of focus here and there for a month but it was so worth it.
I made sure all my templates were solid for clients and my dashboard I use with them in Asana was as helpful for clients as possible. I planned my content for the year so I knew what blog posts, newsletters, lives, and webinars I wanted to do. And then it makes it easier to plan Instagram as well so everything connects. I outlined all the steps I take to complete my admin tasks (making it so much easier to bring in a VA to take those over when it was time). For my passive income streams, I mapped out how I create my templates and courses! That way as I continued to outsource, I could bring in my team to the steps they could help me accomplish. I mapped all of this out in my Asana. My business basically lives there!
More Freedom, Creativity, and Fulfillment
Once I knew I was taking the same steps each time I did a task, big or small, it helped me know exactly what I was responsible for every day. Getting through my tasks each day was that much easier and I was working much more productively. I personally like having a list of tasks I know I need to do each day and then when I finish them, I either take an early day and relax or I know I have time for other work like passive income work!
I started my business to get to be more creative everyday in my life and when I can get my smaller tasks out of the way and just create, I’m so much happier. I look forward to Mondays! That’s when I truly started feeling fulfillment in my business. Not that I just enjoyed working on it more but that I was excited, motivated, and inspired when I would work.
Fulfillment is possible for you, too! The path there all starts with being a CEO and stepping up as a business owner. Make your business your own and define your success. It’s within your grasp.
