Just like humans, businesses go through life cycles and encounter different seasons too. However, we’re not talking about the weather in this instance. Think of your business as a long hiking trail – discovering a path that leads to a beautiful (but tall) mountain and reaching the top of that mountain.
The First Season – Finding the Path
Think about the moment you first realized you wanted to turn “an idea” into a business. For most of us, this can be replayed in our minds like it was yesterday. This is the moment we step into the first season of our business. It’s an exciting time, your energy is high, you immerse yourself in books, blogs, workshops to develop your skills..the list goes on. You find yourself soaking in so much information that you run out of space to keep it, now what do you do with it?
The next step is to implement what you have learned.
- Write down your ideas, but don’t get too attached to all of them. In the next season you start to learn what to prioritize and how to set realistic goals.
The Second Season – Walking the Path
Now that you’ve written down your ideas, you should have a better understanding of what direction you need to focus your energy into. This is the season of goal setting and planning. This is the time that you start drafting a timeline, set SMART goals and create a strategy for your business. Remember, you are only one person so start with three things that you want to accomplish and work your way down your list at a pace that is manageable.
- Go through your top 3 ideas and workout how much time you will need to get those ideas into fruition. Be honest with yourself.
The Third Season – Climbing the Mountain
This season is the hardest one, because it requires action and determination. Do you have it in you?
At this point, you may have a few clients or perhaps you are at the stage of finding clients. This can be an overwhelming feeling for business owners as they go through this transition. During this season, you may learn that not everything works out they way you hoped and planned for, you’ll experience some rocky roads and hurdles – but with determination and persistence you will get over these! Some of the biggest challenges businesses go through, end up leading to much greater successes.
A key part in this season is to make sure you are present for your business, and show it some love. Your personal life would be relatively low key while you are climbing this mountain! In addition, welcome self-care with open arms (this can come in many different forms – coffee with a friend, meditating, treating yourself to a bath, reading.)
The Fourth Season – Reaching the Top
Take a look back, isn’t it beautiful?
Don’t overlook this season. This is the time to celebrate all of your accomplishments, and look back at what you have overcome on the way up. You may want to share your journey, your successes, what challenges you had and teach others how to get through them.
Lastly, Take time to sit down and relax while you take it all in. It won’t be long before the next rush of excitement comes and you find a new mountain to climb.