You know those times that you look at something in your business and just go ‘ugh’?
You know the things I mean … either you are looking at revenue that is lower than you expected, or expenses that are higher than expected, or working with a client you don’t adore, or doing tasks you don’t really enjoy.
You know, all those things that make you stop and go ‘ugh’!
Well the good news is that you are in charge!
It’s your business!
You can make changes any time you want to. And no one can tell you that you can’t make those changes. Really!
How often do we NOT stop to realize that? We are the boss!
So I say, when things get you down (big or small), take those lemons that life is serving you, and make lemonade.
Yes it’s a lemonade reference because it’s summertime!!
Here’s what I’m talking about:
If you aren’t making enough money: do a quick analysis of where your money is coming from. Who pays you how much, and to do what? Then make a plan to get more revenue (yes, it is really that simple!). The only way to change what you have is to work with it. So instead of sitting around lamenting that you aren’t earning enough, get your plan in place to bring in more money. It can happen quickly – especially if you start right now. Maybe it’s just time to raise your rates! When I know I don’t have enough revenue coming in any given month, I reach out to colleagues and existing clients, and even former clients and prospects, to see if they need any work. Most of the time you will see your current clients say ‘Sure! I could use a little extra help!’
If your expenses are higher than you want them to be: do a quick analysis of where your money is going. What do you pay for. Do you need it? Is there an alternative? If you are paying for something, are you using it to the fullest? I had to make that decision when I used 1ShoppingCart. I just wasn’t using the features in it enough to justify the expense. So I stopped using it, and moved to a free solution. Bang. Saved $120 per month on one thing, just for the sake of identifying whether I actually needed it or not.
If you are working with a client you don’t adore: do a list of pros and cons about the client and compare them. What is the good stuff about the client? What is the bad stuff? Can you adjust any of the bad stuff to make it better (… and now I’m singing Hey Jude in my head!) 🙂 Or does the bad outweigh the good? Really doing an analysis here can help you make a clean break, or make changes to make your working relationship better. I had a client once who was in the Pacific Timezone. It was very hard to work with her. But not because of her timezone, because of her expectations. I did my pros/cons list and decided that I needed to transition her to a new VA (and I actually don’t work with PT clients anymore either!)
If you are doing tasks you don’t really enjoy: first ask yourself why you are doing them. Who is asking you to do them? Why are you saying yes? Here’s where being a business owner comes in full force. Don’t do what you don’t want to do. Trust me here – you will open up space for the clients who need the things you love to do, if you don’t fill your schedule with things you don’t. I had a client once who billed about 20 hours a month, and I was doing things I didn’t want to do for them. But I was too busy to market to other potential clients. I bit the bullet and got rid of that client and was able to bring on several new clients in my area of specialty (and at a higher rate!). It was worth the shift.
So you see what I’m talking about here … you are in charge, and no one can tell you what you should be doing in your business except you.
So tell yourself what you don’t like (the lemons!) and then tell yourself what you do like (the lemonade!) and then make it happen. Take your situation that is stressing you out, and make it better (like John Lennon says …) 🙂 Yes, now I know you are humming along with me!
And once you have your plan in place, sit back and enjoy your lemonade for real .. maybe even with a splash of vodka!
For some more conversation about rates (do you need to raise yours?) join me on this week’s free Back to Basics training call: How Much Should I Charge? (and then join me weekly for these awesome free training sessions!)