Let’s get the story behind the story.

I have been trying to get this “branding” figured out by myself and after this month’s coaching session I thought I was stepping up to the plate with power in my corner and a perfect strike coming down the shoot.  However I swung and completely missed. 

Clearly messaging has been a little difficult for me in my business and the big question for me is why? 

2 years ago I had no idea that I would be where I am at today, both in business and in my personal life.  2 years ago I was running the office of a framing company and was desperately searching for a business that I could do of my own.  A business that would give me financial stability because that is what we needed most. 

Over the next 1.5 years I went back to school and finally saw the light of passion ahead.  Soon I had an opportunity to take over a place where I used to get my massages.   It wasn’t just a building it was a special place for many people and a big opportunity for a career change.  In order to take on this building I had to look towards another opportunity to take on a cleaning business.  So, that is what I did.  What I thought was supposed to be the beginning of my life was also the end of the life I knew.  In this time my husband left me because I was too distracted figuring out two businesses, full time in school and even still helping at the kid’s school.  How can finding my passion create so much havoc in my life?  Finding the beauty in my work was supposed to make everything else better but instead I lost everything I knew as truth over the last 10 years.  Every reason behind my story disappeared. 

There was no business plan or business for that matter in that 3000 sf building.  I hustled to fill the rooms and worked tirelessly every day, creating everything from scratch.  Just when I overcame one obstacle another arrived, probably the most challenging was trying to figure out how to run a cleaning business when I had very little experience, but it was paying the bills and required some attention.  I had no plan.  I just took over another business to help me by time till I could figure out what the hell I had done.  Probably my greatest strength in business is my ability to take risks though I knew that walking into this opportunity was a gift and giving up was the only way to fail. The only thing I knew was that I cannot give up.

The holistic field is one that asks you to go within and opens you up to your intuitive side.  This field requires self-healing and when you are confronted with a feeling you do not push it down, you ask why?  Each time I figured out one problem and how to solve it, another presented itself and required my full attention.  I created systems, memberships and finally got my website up while simultaneously my personal life as I knew it was falling away from me.  There is no surprise as to why my messaging is so confusing, because this was not just a business it was a complete life overhaul.

 

The practitioners who have been with me for the long haul always say “Jill is always changing things”, and I would go into defense mode as if I had something to prove to everyone on my path.  I did this because I was always questioning every move that I made as if I didn’t belong there in the first place.  What do I have to offer after all I am newer to this field than any practitioner that I was working with? 

This week after my coaching session, I felt was given the permission to start creating my business and that I need to be very clear on what that is to me and only me for now.  I was asked to do a few forecasts to explore business development in order to get a sense of where to put my money for the best return and what is the best return on the services that I can offer.  This is an opportunity for me to not put the cart before the horse, this is research baby.  So, that is what I will do next.  Also as I am writing I realize that when I speak about Pathways Holistic Center I always say “we” as if there is a mouse in my pocket.  As to not offend, even with all of the weight on my shoulders I never speak from my power center as a business owner the way I did in construction and I challenge myself now to see if this too can shift. 

Still moving forward Pathways has begun receiving more attention and it is time to get the message straight.  What are we selling, who is selling it and what is the value being offered.  I think this may have been the most introspective coaching session yet, because it was the most frustrating for me.  This week I am still training volunteers and getting my time management under control, however in the next 10 days, I am going to put on my big girl panties and start looking at the numbers.  I’m a numbers gal anyway, so why have I been shying away for so long.  Is it simply because we don’t talk the same way about money and numbers like we do in construction?  What are the possibilities if I shift this thinking as well?  Enough talk, it is time to get the pencil to the paper and create that dang plan.