I spent most of my life searching for what to do with my life. One black and white “career path” never made much sense, which is why I've probably tried a little of everything. But I'm grateful for my work experience because it taught me one CRUCIAL lesson:
What I really want to do is work for myself. Be my own boss. And make my own rules.
I despised being confined to a 9-5 box and only having a few hours of my own every day. I despised being micro-managed, having to check my work schedule before booking a vacation, and trying to “look busy” when I'd finished all my work before my shift was over. (HONESTLY IS THERE ANYTHING STUPIDER THAN THIS?!)
I'll step off my soapbox though, because I know you're already with me. It's why you started your business in the first place – because you crave freedom. You want to prioritize travel over client work. You want to be able to say “thanks, but no thanks” to projects that don't interest you. You want to call it a day and head to the garden when the sun hits the backyard.
Which is why it's SO FRUSTRATING that your business isn't bringing you happiness! You're working in an industry you love. Your schedule is pretty full. Your clients are nice. So why the hell does it feel like something is still missing?
There's a point in building a business where we get stuck in a rhythm of running ourselves into the ground because we feel like working harder means we're more deserving of money. Like we couldn't possibly do the work we truly want to do AND get paid well for it.
So we sell products we don't really like making because it's the safe choice. We scarf down dinner in front of our computer screens instead of with our families. We say no to weekend plans because of our looming to-do lists. We give into manipulative customers because we're scared of a bad review. AND IT IS EXHAUSTING. Holy shit, is it exhausting.
But feeling trapped within your business is not a sign of failure.
It's a sign that it's time to level up.