How I got out of a business rut

I recently just came out of a BIG business rut. It was a challenging time and I very nearly considered throwing in the towel altogether and going back to a “real” job. In this blog, I’m sharing how I got out of my last business rut. Hopefully, if you’re feeling a bit stuck, this will help you too.  

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How I Got Out Of A Business Rut

I recently just came out of a BIG business rut. In hindsight, I was in this rut for most of the first half of 2019  – I just don’t think I realised it until it got to the point where I was literally looking for jobs.

In that period of time, I came across a blog post by Kaylene from Startup Creative where she shared how she got out of her business rut – and that kind of kickstarted my “getting out of the rut” phase. I'll take you through step by step how I conquered this rut.

 

STEP 1. I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT HAPPENS – AND THAT IT’S ONLY TEMPORARY

 

Of course, there are going to be business ruts – we can’t be super productive, super creative and super inspired ALL of the time. 

Instead of feeling guilty about the fact that I wasn’t working as much as I should have been, I accepted it – I told myself that I work bloody hard most of the time, so a few weeks or months where I wasn’t working at full capacity wasn’t something I should feel guilty about. 

I think overcoming the guilt was the hardest part – It was like: I’m so bloody lucky to be doing what I do, so I was feeling guilty about the fact that I wasn’t enjoying it, when I should be. 

 

Step 2. I dug deep into what was causing the rut

 

I took a good, hard look at what I was doing in my business that wasn’t lighting me up – and a big part of it was the amount of content I felt like I HAD to be creating.

I also felt like everything was just so messy – my messaging had got a bit messy, my branding needed to be tightened up, everything just felt a bit blah.

I realised that I had no idea what my next step was going to be. My only other big goal for the year was to launch my signature course – but this was taking SO much longer than I had planned for it to – so I felt like I was just treading water and not getting anywhere. 

 

 

Step 3. I identified how I could change the things that were causing the business rut

 

I mapped out an action plan for the rest of the year, and I’ll share this with you guys soon because some BIG changes are coming to how I run my business, as well as to my membership – Socialette Elite. 

Basically, it’s unsustainable for me to keep creating the amount of content I have been creating this year – 3 podcast episodes a week, 3 bonus podcast episodes each month for my Socialette Elite members and a masterclass each month for them as well.

And that’s not to mention the course content I’ve been creating in the background too. 

As much as I love creating lots of content, I reached content burnout point – so something needed to change, and I’ll be sharing these changes with you as soon as I can. 

 

Step 4. I opened up to my business friends and accepted their support

 

You know how I said that I was at the point where I was looking for a job? I told my mastermind group about this and it turns out that everyone else goes through stages like this as well – usually at least once a year. 

Instead of putting on a happy face and pretending everything was okay, I opened up to a few business friends and told them I was struggling – and they were amazingly supportive and full of great ideas. 

 

Step 5. I consumed as much inspiration as I could

 

I read blog posts, I listened to podcasts, I did courses and I joined a few new memberships – I basically consumed any content that made me feel excited or inspired about my business.

Instead of spending the time creating, I spent the time consuming – and I think that’s equally important when you’re running a business. You don’t know what you don’t know – and you won’t learn it unless you set aside some time to learn. 

 

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