My business expenses will outweigh my income this year.
That hurts to say.
But let me back up and give you some context.
Last year, I had a hysterectomy. I was crippled in pain from endometriosis, and severely unhealthy as a result.
This year, the four various abdominal surgeries over 5 years, my poor diet, and a lack of exercise (not to mention one very scary pregnancy) caught up with me in the form of the utterly devastating diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
I was so mad at myself.
I cried.
I screamed.
I literally grieved the loss of sugar. (so embarrassing)
But I lost 60lbs, cut sugar and most carbs (which are, surprise! also sugar!) and now, 6 months after the diabetes diagnosis and a year and a half after entering rapid menopause (and being cured of endo) I finally have begun to feel like an actual human again.
So when I saw the folks at Page Builder Summit were looking for new speakers I jumped at the chance to get out of my comfort zone. I love Elementor, it actually reignited my passion for web design a few years ago and has opened up a lot of opportunities for me so I wanted to share some of the more advanced things you could do with it.
I had been offering day rates and had built a few client dashboards, and so I gave a presentation on how to do it using Elementor and Crocoblock.
It was a blast!
And it shined the light on the work I really wanted to do…
Which is to build amazing systems for DFY service providers to scale their businesses so that they can have lives outside of work and still build massively successful businesses.
But I didn’t know how to say that.
I said…
I built awesome websites or I make websites that work…
No one wants a website, and that’s not even an accurate representation of what I actually do for my clients. Which is build scalable businesses without sacrificing their time.
I knew I couldn’t keep spinning my wheels. New offer after new offer, never getting anywhere because I wasn’t communicating my value effectively.
So I invested in myself and started working with Fabi Paolini on my messaging.
It was a huge step. I had taken courses and trainings before, but this was a new level for me.
And it was one revelation after another.
I’d been struggling to build a complex funnel that would speak to people at multiple stages of the customer journey…
Because everyone kept saying it’s the only way to build a scalable business.
But I figured something out –
You don’t have to do any of that stuff to scale your business.
You just need the right systems and processes, aligned to the right branding and aesthetic, which is then refined into a premium client experience that elevates the services you’re already great at providing.
That way you can save time, raise your prices, and focus on getting more clients while still offering an amazing experience to the clients you already have without sacrificing your time.
So what would more time mean to you?
For me, it means a four day workweek.
And because I’m able to take a 3 day weekend, my husband, teenage kiddo, and I all rotate days off.
That means I kinda get to check out on pretty much everything from cooking to bedtime for an entire day, once a week.
For someone like me who has high levels of anxiety and is prone to depressive episodes, those weekly days to myself are what keep my head above water sometimes. I need that space to recharge or I can’t be the person I need to be for my family and for my business.
And I wouldn’t be able to do that without having systems in place to keep my business running without needing my constant supervision.
In the spirit of keeping up with my mental health, I’ve also scheduled actual time off next year. I can’t remember the last time I took a vacation that didn’t start with a surgery.
We all need to remember to be kind and careful with ourselves.
We’ve all been through a collective trauma.
“Been through” – as if it’s over! As if Omicron isn’t breathing down our necks and cancelling Christmas parties!
So I guess it’s better to say – we’re all in the midst of a collective trauma.
One thing to remember while you’re planning for the new year –
The best thing we can do as business owners in this strange pandemic world is to give ourselves (and our teams) the gift of time off.
