Ask Steph: What do you do to keep the fire going in your business?

Today I'm answering a question from a listener who wants to know how to keep the fire going in her business. Let's be honest, it can be hard to always stay motivated when it comes to running your own business, so in this episode, I share how I stay inspired and excited about my business.

– Why enjoying life outside of your business can help you to feel more present and excited when working in your business
– How being super selective about the content you consume can minimise overwhelm and those ‘I'm not doing enough' feelings
– The importance of investing in one mentor at a time to move you closer to your goals
– The benefits of having a business networking community around you for support
– How focusing on a fun project (or creative idea) can help dig you out of a business rut

Have a question you’d like me to answer on the show? Write in with your question at https://stephtaylor.co/asksteph

 

Today is another Ask Steph episode where I'm answering a question that was submitted by a listener. So today's question that was submitted was from Alexandra from Lash Wishes and Lola Artistry, and she asks, 

“What do you do to keep the fire going in your business?” 

 

First thing: Making it a goal to have as much fun as possible outside of my business.

This year I've been working a lot harder than previously because we've added a new program. We're building out a whole bunch of cool new things and I'm so excited about these things. I want to work more, but I also know that if I work too hard for too long, then I stopped feeling excited about my business.

So one of my goals for this year has been to have as much fun as possible outside of work. I found it really helpful to think of this as this is the time that's keeping me inspired and motivated to keep working on my business. So when I go back to my business, I'm full of energy, I'm full of inspiration, I'm full of motivation and excitement. 

 

Second thing: I'm super selective about what content I consume these days.

I don't consume much free content about business anymore because I find that it leads me to question, am I doing enough in my business.

And if you're already feeling overwhelmed with things to do, then you probably need to consume less content not more because every single thing that you are listening to or reading or watching, it's adding to your mental to-do list of things that you feel like you should be doing. 

And then you feel even more overwhelmed as a result because you know everyone's telling you what you should be doing, but there's no one way that you should build your business. And everyone's using their free content as a way to sell you on their paid offers. So they're using their content to create a desire for what they are selling, but that just makes you feel like you're not doing enough. 

 

Third thing: Learning from mentors.

So whether that is a coach or in a group program. In a course, when I decide that I want to learn or improve upon a specific area, I look to see who I can learn from. I pick one mentor, not five, because that's a recipe for overwhelm, and I invest in working with them. So I try not to consume a whole lot of their free content before I end up working with them because I know the fastest way for me to get the results isn't by trying to apply their free content, it's by signing up for whatever their paid offer is and then following their process step by step, right? 

I don't like learning just for the sake of learning. I like to take action. I like to know step by step. This is the process to follow, because usually when you follow somebody's process, it works. If they're legit reputable person, you follow their process, it's probably going to work. And I know, if I'm feeling a little bit flat or a little bit uninspired in my business, then sometimes working with a new mentor can be just a little thing that I need to get out of that rut.

 

Fourth thing: Catching up with my biz besties.

So I'm really, really grateful because I have some incredible friends who own their own businesses and it's actually kind of funny because over the last few years, I've noticed a bit more of a shift in all of the people I'm friends with, and most of my friends now are other business owners. 

The majority of my close friends own their own businesses, and if I'm feeling down or I'm stuck on something and want a little bit of, you know, I want to bounce an idea off somebody or I'm feeling a bit uninspired, I'll usually reach out to my two closest biz besties, Anita Seek and Claire Wood. We have a little group chat and we're constantly in there messaging each other pretty much every day. And they remind me that whatever I'm going through, is something that we are all experiencing at some point in our business journey, and we can't all feel inspired and excited about our businesses. 

So having that close support network makes such a difference and if you don't have friends who own their own businesses or you don't know where to find people that you can build these genuine friendships with, try to put yourself in places where you can meet these people and get to know them. 

 

Fifth thing: When I'm feeling a little bit demotivated, I will follow what feels exciting and inspiring to me in that moment.

Now, I usually will say, ignore the sparkly squirrels. Stay focused on what you are working towards. The ideas that feel really exciting are sometimes very distracting and can slow us down but when I'm in that rut, sometimes those really exciting ideas, the fun ideas, can be the thing that gets me out of that funk. 

A new project, maybe it's a fun idea, a nice distraction for when I'm feeling a little bit down in my business a little bit, not so excited. And you know these can be something that you implement as well, right? As long as they don't completely stop you from focusing on the business that's actually making money. 

So there's a bit of a distinction there between completely changing paths versus just allowing it to be a little bit of a distraction for a while. 

 

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