Dear Business Owner,

I see you. Tired, lost, overwhelmed, and defeated. You’ve been trying so hard, but it’s just not enough.

You had created grand ideas, big goals, and aspirations. You ironed out your plan, made your to-do list, and began running after it with all your heart.

But then life happens. You have client work that takes longer than expected. Last-minute plans with friends or family meant you spent extra time cleaning, cooking, and hosting. You or someone close to you got sick, which just slowed you down further. And when you finally have a clearer head, you look back and realize that all those grand ideas, those goals you had set, never got done.

Sure, you did a phenomenal job taking care of your clients. They are all happy, and you kept up with your promise to them. But deep down, you know that aspects of your business – somewhere behind the scenes – you are a mess. You’ve fallen short of your expectations. You’ve read about all the things you need to be doing to move your business forward. Yet, no matter how hard you try, you feel like you are falling further behind. Your list of “to-do” is mixed with things you know you should be doing and things you’ve heard the big names in the industry telling you what to do.

There is so much noise. Your inbox is full of tips, tricks, and guides that’ll help you figure your stuff out. Your social media is full of trends and ideas on how to be better and do more. Your networking groups are full of regurgitated thoughts. Everyone spewing out their own version of ideas they’ve heard from their favorite influencer or guru say. And now your own head is so overwhelmed with the voices of others.

You’re not doing enough. You’re not focused on the right things. You’ve been doing it wrong. If you aren’t putting X amount of time into this one task, you’ll never make it. If you aren’t on social media or finding ways to sell on every digital street corner, can you even call yourself a real business owner? If you don’t drop THOUSANDS of dollars on that coach, do you even care about your business and getting ahead? If your goal & priority isn’t to make $10k months or pull in that million-dollar year, why are you even doing this?

Stop. Just. Stop.

Business owner – you are drowning in the noise of the world. You don’t know when your voice stops and theirs begins. It is time to silence all of it, even if it’s just for one moment.

Stop the voices. Just breathe & be. When the world gets noisy, drown it out with the power of silence.

This business is yours, and only you can decide what is truly important. Have that honest conversation with yourself. Are these ideas yours or others? Do they line up with the direction you want to head or the direction others tell you to go instead?

Your energy is precious, and your skill set is valuable. Spending money on coaches or outsourced help has the potential to be a valuable thing. But are you spending it in areas that truly help you or limit you?

And yes, while it’s important to “get your stuff together,” it’s also important to be realistic. If your desk is always messy, stop stressing. Sure, schedule that monthly or weekly desk cleaning moment, but don’t let yourself stress over how messy it’ll get in between. It’s ok.

Lastly, my dear business owner, don’t be afraid to be your own person. You didn’t go into business to follow someone else’s rules. If you did, then why would you have ever left the security and structure of just being an employee? You left that day job because you knew you could do better. Be better. You are a rule breaker. You don’t want to be told what to do. So stop giving in to the employee mentality and be the rule breaker you were born to be. Don’t act like the sheep that just follow a shepherd blindly, but instead, be the courageous lion that makes his or her own path.

You are strong. You are brilliant. You are everything you need to be.

Your friend and fellow business owner,

Rebecca