OFF-ROADING IT: Carving your path, however it works!

In my last blog we talked about different business models and how it's important to figure out what one is right for your business (Read it here!).  With all that formality out of the way, now its time to talk realistically about how this actually works.

The truth of the matter is that nothing is ever as simple as “pick one and you’re done”.  Just like us, our businesses are continually evolving and growing - sometimes with our customers as they change, sometimes with our families as they shift, sometimes just cause we need a break or something new. Here’s my story…

THE TRANSITION

When I started on my own, I had no clue what I was going to do.  I didn’t know for sure if I wanted to get a “real job” or start my own business, so as a “for now” I started helping out a friend to grow her business.  I eventually had two clients, and I was DEEP in both of their businesses.  I wouldn’t even call it “consulting” cause I was right in there DOING all the things; I did everything - money, production, marketing, shipping.  My years at a non-profit took center stage as I needed to figure things out and get it done on the fly; there was no one to delegate to. Just me and my client, slogging it out to grow their business.

I liked this time, cause I felt like a true partner in these businesses.  Their successes were my successes, and I felt their disappointments just as hard too.  But eventually I realized that while I was helping these ladies grow their business, I wasn’t really doing anything to grow MY business.  100% of my energy went into them and I still had zero direction for what “I” was going to do.

THE LEAP

In Nov 2014, I made the conscious decision to dive 2-feet in to starting my business.  After 6 months of working with my clients, but still going on interviews for “real jobs”, I remember clearly the day I was in an interview and they started talking about the office and company culture.  I had a slap in the face moment: I didn’t want to be on someone else’s schedule EVER again!  I had spent the summer with my kids, and the start of the school year reading in their classrooms and volunteering on field trips and I was not interested in giving that up.  

I walked out of that interview and started working on figuring out what MY business was going to be.

For me, my business started with “WHO” I wanted to work with - Artists, Creatives, and All-Round lovely humans.  I was not interested in the corporate world, with its self-importance and haughtiness.  While the money would have been (WAY) better, I could not stomach putting on a suit and heels ever again; I was past that season of my work-life!

I also knew I wanted to work with numbers.  Financials, budgets, forecasts…these things bring me joy (weird, I know), but for so many it causes anxiety and fear; I wanted to help with that.  

I started out thinking that I’d work with business to build and stick to budgets so they can grow the profit in their business.  What I quickly realized was that many of the people I wanted to work with didn’t know how much they were making, what they were spending, and were late filing their taxes.  I needed to meet my future clients where they were at - and Clear Eyes was born.

THE MACHINE

One by one new clients came on, and one anxiety-inducing tax return at a time, we dealt with the emotional baggage of money.  The biggest challenge of this “season” of Clear Eyes was getting help…the burn out was REAL, and I resisted hiring like CRAZY.  The bonus to my stubbornness was that I got all the technology dialed in.  Flying solo, I used all the AI/Tech I knew about (and could afford) to keep things as streamlined as possible.  But eventually I had to face the reality that I couldn’t do 100 hours of work in 40 (let’s be real, I was working 70-80) hours a week.

With employees came the innate need to dump my brain onto someone else.  The systems, processes, and thoughts that go through my brain when I work had to somehow get transferred into another person.  AI wasn’t sophisticated enough to actually clone me, so I began the tedious process of writing standard operating procedures (SOP’s).  

This is a constant work in progress…seriously how much crap is in this head of mine?? But we now have a growing team and I get to share the load.  Apparently it hasn’t stopped me from working 70+ hours a week, but alas…one hurdle at a time.

THE SHIFT

It’s been 10 (!!!) years since I started and we’ve worked with HUNDREDS of sole prop’s and corp’s to help get their books and taxes in order…it's pretty amazing! We have new businesses joining our family everyday, and I love the community that we’re building.

As we continue to grow our team, I’m always looking for ways to have a bigger impact on my clients and their businesses….without ADDING more hours to my workday(night).  I’m in a new “season” of my life.  My kids are finishing high school, I’m dealing with the joys of menopause (no joke…my life is upside down), and the burnout is rampant.  More hours is NOT an option.  

So now I’m looking at NEW ways to work with businesses so that we can keep their growth going!  I’m delving into new programs where I can work with MORE businesses at the same time and have a bigger impact in their development.  But, as with all new things, it's a work in progress.  Watch for new things to come as I work to shift Clear Eyes in new directions….not leaving what we do best, but expanding it so we can help more <3