After 30+ Free Marketing Consultations in 30 days, my thoughts on marketing, business, life (!) have coalesced into a three-part, simple strategy..
We all want things to happen fast, but the good things, the things that really matter, can take time. Watch your pace and stay patient. Experiment. Keep your mind open and take one step at a time. Persevere. Breathe. Remember the tortoise. Business, life, creative endeavors, even political movements…they are more like a marathon than a sprint. What’s important is that you are in the race!
It didn’t matter if I was having a consultation meeting about a new marketing strategy; a launch event; design review; or questions about an existing brand … whatever you choose to sink your teeth into … ask yourself … “can I keep this up physically, emotionally, financially?” For example, “do I have time to add a weekly Instagram live event to my schedule? is this person I’m working with draining me? can I afford to hire this person for a year?”
If you answer “YES!” or “I think I can!” then I say, GO. FOR. IT! If the answer is, “hmmm, I’m not sure” or “I don’t think so”, then invest in the time to think creatively and find a new solution! There are always alternative paths you can choose.
And, last, but maybe most importantly, check in with your joy. Ask yourself, “is this fun for me?” Because if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, you won’t stick with it. It’s pretty simple. And, caveat…there are a lot of tasks we don’t like doing, but that we have to do to keep our business going. Can you hire someone else to do those tasks? If the investment frees you up to focus on more important things, then it might be worth it. If hiring someone isn’t Sustainable right now (see what I did there?) do your best to add a little fun to the mundane. Blast music when you pay bills; reward yourself with a walk around the block after designing that email newsletter; reach out to a Business Buddy for some laughter and chatter after you’ve answered all your outstanding emails. Before you know it, you’ll have checked these things off the list and you can get back to doing the things you really love!
Slow and Steady, Sustainable, Satisfying…those foundations for Success!