Here to share that we're doing it all wrong with one resource!
Now, before you panic and close up shop, it's a very easy fix. Promise!
You technically don't have to pay for it, it's abundant, and we ALL use this resource every day.
Curious what it is? It's time.
Wait! Before you close this blog post hear me out.
Here's what I'm not going to do:
Not going to tell you how to structure your day
No way will I tell you how to add more time into your day
Definitely not going to tell you to outsource (although I'm learning to swear by this one)
I'm not qualified to coach you through any of the aforementioned.
So what am I going to do? Share how I shifted my mindset around time. (Don't you eye-roll at me...)
As a business owner, you know the feeling of wanting to get so. much. done. and so. little. time. to do it.
Like how did you get so much done in a 9-5 and now you have even more time and it's just not moving the needle the same way?
Two-ish years into my business, I had an eye-opening epiphany. But first, I stressed out and shed a lot of tears. Naturally.
Back then, my time was split between being a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) and a motivated business owner.
I *bought* more time by finally having two daycare days a week. All of the sudden I went from working when my son was asleep to having two six-hour blocks of time to work on my business.
Productivity skyrocketed. The first few weeks of daycare was the biggest catalyst of growth in my business.
Finally, I had the time to work on my business versus solely focus on client work. Blogs were going out, content was being published, systems were being put in place.
And then growth slowed down. Like way down.
I found myself resenting only having two days and thinking if I had more time then I could go back to doing more and growing more.
Enter the stress and tears.
Because adding more time wasn't an option. Trying to do even more in the same amount of time wasn't an option. Hell, outsourcing wasn't an option back then. I guess you could say daycare was a form of outsourcing though...
So what was I left to do?All I could do was let time run its course.
Slowly but surely I learned to appreciate the time that passed when I wasn't actively working.
Guess what happened? Those efforts I put in place - all the content, blogs, and systems - needed time to grow. The business continued to grow.
Time was like a silent little intern within my business keeping the wheels turning.
Growth came in improved rankings because of SEO, an increase in organic leads, a larger audience on social channels. All results that needed time to come to fruition.
Best part about time taking over? I don't have to pay taxes on time working in my business.
So let me ask you - where do you need to step back and let time take its course in your business? Are you focusing too much on one project when really you should step back and let time take over? You're doing big things!
About Emily Marcella for Creative Brands
Emily Marcella is a Northern Virginia Personal Branding Photographer serving creative small business owners. Emily has a three-part approach to brand photography - together we plan strategically in order to shoot creatively and generate images that allow you to market intentionally.