⏳The Real Reason Your New Business is STILL on the Drawing Board
+ a simple (& fun) solution to get going
The Real Reason Your New Business is STILL on the Drawing Board
Update on My 18th C Styled Jacket & Creatrix Business Photoshoot
The Creatrix Coterie :: Newest Oracle Prompt #112 & LIVE Call
Here’s a new Creatrix Sourcebook. I design each one to give you a snapshot of a specific subject along with practical ways to braid it into your life & business. I give you a peek into what I’ve been up to lately & fresh news from The Coterie. You can read this Sourcebook here or scroll down to get your own printable version in the NEW Creatrix Experience Library.
* The Real Reason Your New Business is STILL on the Drawing Board
I was knitting my current (eternal--I’m already almost a year in & only have the sleeves done…) sweater & it occurred to me how planning a project feels SO different from being in the thick of it. Actually, both phases are highly enjoyable, but each has their own “vibe”. And, if you’re like me, you aren’t budging until you know it’s the right time.
Some of my friends make fun of me because it takes me FOREVER to begin a sweater. I spend ages choosing the pattern, the fibre & the colour and even longer on the tweaks, swatches & redesigns until eventually I decide, enough’s enough & finally start knitting!
The stakes seem much higher when you’re designing a whole new business, which is why you want to make sure it’s capital “P” perfect before you get in too deep. Every one of my business mentoring clients comes to me thinking she needs something more before she can get going, usually it’s experience, sometimes it’s tech/sales/marketing skills, often she simply wants to reach that point of “comfort” that signals it’s time to GO.
It's easy to pinpoint any gaps in skills & techniques, but discovering what’s causing the “not-yet” signal takes a finely tuned combination of introspection, inspiration, innovation & imagination.
Divine Timing is a MYTH
If you’re waiting for the “divine time” to begin your business, you may find it’s taking much longer than you expected. It the meantime, some of this stuff is probably showing up in your life:
· You think about starting your new creative biz but that’s as far as you get (bet you’ve got stacks of journals filled with spectacular ideas…)
· You’re distracted, your thoughts are scattered & you’ve got a massive case of shiny-object-syndrome (you gather tips & tricks like a magpie)
· Every time you’re online you see that someone else is doing EXACTLY what you want to do (** this is the universe showing you’ve got a good idea, but it feels like somebody got there before you & now, what’s the point?)
· Suddenly busywork, organizing, cleaning, playing taxi driver, a new health regime & shopping, become incredibly necessary (after all, everything’s got to be in order first before you can indulge yourself in creating your “dream” business, right?)
AND… the ultimate sign that you feel that something isn’t quite right…you get SICK.
Time is something we use to measure ourselves, our experiences & our accomplishments. It seems to drag only when you allow it & the moment you decide to move on in your life, the timing of your life leaps to a new tempo.
Before you start tallying your personal list of “divine timing” delay methods, take a moment to breathe, shake off any sticky emotions that just rose up & let’s talk about how you might have arrived here.
The Long, Twisty Path I took as I (unknowingly) built a new kind of business !!
When I first started working online, I’d never heard of a coach (except for sports teams) or a mentor (other than at university) or an influencer (they didn’t exist yet in 1998). One day a friend of mine mentioned a coach she’d been working with & suddenly they seemed to be popping up everywhere.
If I could only have back the months that I spent studying their methods and trying to be just like them. Of course, it’s all good because what I didn’t realize then was that I was gradually building a new kind of business.
Their cookie-cutter advice was for people who want to “serve the masses”, to slap together a hands-off “passive make-money-in-your-sleep” business, to become a flashy content celebrity and the biggest promise of all, to run an 8-figure company.
No, nope, no way & noppity-no… none of that excites me in the least!
And, I’m quite sure you’re reading this because you feel like me.
Once I realized that I’d been following roads which weren’t going to lead me anywhere near where I was hoping to go, I started to cobble together mis-matched strategies trying to piece together a series of offers which I hoped would turn into something viable.
My business felt like a Victorian crazy quilt.
The busywork continued. I took a bunch of courses, got a few certifications, attended several workshops in other countries & listened to podcasts constantly. When that didn’t grow my business overnight, I turned to elaborate planning & complex day planners (tracking my “peak” work windows & time-blocking every task) which made me feel like I was back in high school with bells ringing every few minutes. Finally, I figured that it was simply a discipline problem (funny though because I’d never had one before) and forced myself to keep going by sheer willpower.
It would be so dramatic if I could tell you that I had a FLASH of insight & suddenly I knew exactly what to do, but since I was going through a process of personal evolution & shifting my identity as a business owner, the clarity I was seeking came gradually. Step by step, I removed what I didn’t like in my business and slowly it took on a form & energy which felt better, and I kept going until it now feels fantastic!
This is THE reason your new business is still on the drawing board…
It feels so good to be able to share this with you without resorting to blaming someone or something. There’s nothing at all wrong with what you’ve been trying to do, in fact, a good deal of the planning/research you’ve done will be very valuable once you realize one small thing.
You’re not the same person you were when you built your first (2nd, 3rd) business, or scaled the heights of your professional career(s). The world doesn’t function the way it did back in the 20th century & neither does business!
When we were growing up, attending school, & starting out as adults, it was normal to tolerate many unpleasant aspects of our work life (or worse yet, which were incredibly stressful, even harmful for us!). We did it because, well, that’s what we were taught you had to do to be taken seriously & to get ahead in those days. (I know I’m not the only one who got the lingering side glances if I wore a short skirt or was asked to work late because I was the youngest in the office & didn’t have a family waiting for me to make dinner.)
It’s interesting that although we’ve made many changes in other areas of our lives, when it comes to business, we automatically dredge up old ways of thinking. I chalk this up to our ingrained habit of expecting business to be hard & often, draining. Certainly, in the 19th & 20th centuries, it was often the case (& still is in many parts of the world), but we can choose differently now.
And, it’s high time that we do!
21st Century Business Design
So, if you can’t fall back on your tried & true business construction methods, what then?
You flip traditional business wisdom on its head.
You figure out how you want your business to look & feel. You design it first for you, then for your clients.
Whenever I ask a client, “What DO you want in your business?”, inevitably, she replies with, “Well, I DON’T want…”. It never ceases to amaze me how deeply ingrained the instant negative reaction is in our brains! We always try to pare away the unwanted in hopes that what we truly desire is in there somewhere buried underneath the debris just waiting to be discovered.
Start with what lights you up, what feels indulgent, a vision so delightful that the “old-you” would hesitate to tell someone else in case they thought that you’re kidding. Let loose & imagine a spacious, creative, inspiring, nourishing business--which you love. Then, imagine what it would be like for your clients to work with you in that environment. 🌟
Let me show you mine
A minute ago, I told you that I designed my current Creatrix Business model using the exact method I just talked about, the “chipping-away” technique. I only realized how slow & clunky (& antiquated) it was when I was knee-deep in the muddy process. That’s what inspired me to create the much faster & simpler “light-me-up” method which I now use with clients.
If you visited my studio, you’d see my business model displayed on my desk:
I offer bespoke business mentoring experiences for visionary creatives ready to make & sell their (r)evolutionary work, brilliantly.
My clients & I are inspired, creative, calm, healthy, well-resourced, highly valued, excited, & vibrant. Together, we design & expand our Creatrix Businesses which raise consciousness while adding clarity, beauty, love & happiness to the world.
Here’s a Creatrix Visioning Exercise For You
I hope you’re inspired to try my “light-me-up” method for your new business. It’ll flow more energy into your plans & may be just what you’ve been looking for to take your next steps towards sharing it with the world!
In this new world of business, you can design one exactly the way you want.
Remember, we live in a “both/and” universe so don’t feel you have to give up some things (lots of unscheduled time, great health) to have others (flowing revenue, creative freedom).
When you’re ready, settle in with your favourite journal & ask yourself these specific questions.
How many days/hours do I want to work per week? Per year?
How many clients do I want to be working with at the same time?
What topics do I want to be talking about all the time for the next ….. years?
How do I want to share my knowledge, skills & wisdom with others?
Who are my perfect clients?
How much money would I like to enjoy in my life & when?
What else is at the edge of my awareness, just waiting for me to notice it?
What business have I always dreamt of creating but always told myself was impractical /not a real money maker / too big / too small?
ENJOY!
If you’d like to explore the Creatrix Business model further, join me on the next Creatrix Coterie Call. I’ve got much to share!
* Update on My 18th C Styled Jacket
In the last Sourcebook, I told you all about my “Creatrix Business” Photoshoot & the 18th-century inspired jacket I’m designing & constructing for it.
I posted my initial design inspirations on Instagram. Initially, I was calling it my Masterpiece Business Photoshoot but I’ve decided Creatrix Business is more “on brand”. If you want to know why I made the switch, come to the next Coterie Call ⬇.
Progress is sloooow, but just this week I made a short video which I posted on IG to share the next step, construction. (OK, it’s NOT short by IG standards, it’s about 9 minutes long…but if you’re even the tiniest bit interested in the process of custom dressmaking, it’s worth it!)
As I go on, I’m discovering how much fun it is to be my own client! AND, it also adds a layer of complexity because I have to make all the decisions…
Stay tuned for the next step—drafting & draping the pattern.
* The Creatrix Coterie + Next LIVE Call
A couple of months ago, I added something new to “The Creatrix Experience” experience, The Creatrix Coterie. Think of this as an open community where you can dip in & out whenever you wish.
I started by introducing my Exploration Oracle Set which I created and have been using for several years. There are 122 questions/prompts, so there’s plenty of variety. The more I use this creative way to access deeper intuitive thoughts & open up a flow of easy (& useful) writing, the better it gets.
Since the last Sourcebook, I’ve posted 3 new questions/prompts from the Oracle including # 112 (above). You can catch up HERE.
Each month, I’m also offering a 90-minute free Creatrix Coterie Call!
The next will be on May 21 - 5 pm Paris time.
During the first part of the call, I'll be introducing my Creatrix Business Model - the perfect framework to weave a well-run innovative business together with your legacy Craft. It's very simple, quick to design & easily allows you to do your creative work AND work with clients while enjoying spacious days as well as plenty of time for exploration & fun.
If you're planning your NEW business, I'll be sharing plenty of things I wish I'd known about before I got started online back in the ‘90’s!
For those of you who already have a business, I've got things to show you which will change how you run it.
As always, we'll play with a few creative exercises, do some expansive visioning & start thinking about our (one-day-soon) businesses in new ways.
Then, we’ll get into some creative business mentoring & focus our attention on your business questions.
Bring them all – how to get started, time & focus, visioning, program design, marketing, sales, pricing, working with clients… & I’ll share everything I’ve learned over the last 36 years of my entrepreneurial life.
After April’s call, one of the participants emailed me to thank me & say that it had been very different from other free calls she’d attended online before.
That’s absolutely true! You'll get real-time responses to your questions & powerful high-level mentoring.
This is a participatory hands-on experience = no long slideshow with me reading off the screen, no sales pitch & no sea of faces in little boxes...
As I write this, 3 spots remain for May’s Call.
Register to reserve yours HERE.
AND, lastly, a reminder about The Creatrix Experience Sourcebook Library
If you’ve been reading my emails/posts for a while, you know that I tend to write “long”. Often, I’ve spent weeks (months…) diving deep into a topic & then I end up with a lot to share with you. I want to give you a rich reading experience, so I choose not to trim out all the details & background information just to make it a “quick read”.
But I’m also keenly aware that not everyone wants to read online or on their phone. From now on, I’ll be including a PDF version of each post which you can download with one click & read where you wish. (I’m loving reading PDFs on my Remarkable lately!)
You can find these in my NEW The Creatrix Experience Sourcebook Library.
If you enjoyed today’s Sourcebook, you can download your own copy from the library or share it with a friend.
Thanks for reading this Creatrix Experience Sourcebook & I hope you weave some creativity through your life today!
Brilliant 🤩