Hello friend,
I hope this note finds you well. Today I want to talk about the ups and downs of being a solo entrepreneur. I often equate being a business owner to having a baby that never grows up. You're never not on call when you own your own business. And when you're a one-woman show like I am, you have to be all things: the IT department, the bookkeeper, HR department, web developer, inventory manager, production manager, marketing director, and CEO – to name just a few.
Don't get me wrong I love owning my own business, and I am so grateful that I've been successful enough to make this my full-time job. Not unlike parenting, owning a business, you watch your baby go through different stages of development. And I'm proud to say that I think my business baby has finally made it to the school age years. It doesn't need me to be involved in every aspect of its life. It's starting to have a life of its own. At this stage I'm learning that I need to rely on others for some aspects of my business’s growth and development. I can't be all the things for my business if I want us both to continue to grow in a healthy way.
So, I've recently hired a consultant to help me find ways to streamline my efforts and utilize some technology and programs to automate a few aspects of my business. This will hopefully give me a little more time to expand my offerings and better serve you.
This is a tough decision for me. Just like watching your baby walk into school on the first day of kindergarten, I feel both proud and a little anxious. Will the other kids like my baby? Will he make friends? Will he still need me? It's not that different with a business baby. I wonder if you, my supporters, will still like my offerings if I use technology to automate some aspects of my business. Will you still be able to see that it's still just me running things in the background? So much of my brand is me. It feels very vulnerable to let go of my personal touch on all aspects of my business. But if I don't let go, I don't think we can grow. Isn't that the great irony of parenting?
So I'm writing this today to let you know that you may see some new changes around here I have built a new website and I'm working on integrating it with some technology to help me streamline my operation. Hopefully this will mean that you will see more content from me. If it ever becomes too much, I hope you'll let me know. I'm learning as I go. I am human, using technology to help me grow. And I am working very hard to find a balance between automation and remaining approachable, personal, and authentic. I hope you will hang in there with me through this journey of growth. I thank you so much for your continued support.
Here's to the next era of growth for us all.
With love and gratitude.