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What To Do When You Outgrow Your Business

Guest post by: Melanie Benson Strick

Article Overview: If you have ever hit a wall in your success, felt stuck or gotten confused about how to grow beyond your current level, you may have outgrown your current business model. Here are some tips on how to recognize this phase and what to do if you are ready to grow beyond your current business model.

What To Do When You Outgrow Your Business

I've had quite a few conversations with clients and friends lately that sound something like this: I have this overwhelming melancholy feeling.

I feel stuck without a clear path forward.

I'm not motivated - all my projects feel like hard work.

I've been putting off starting a marketing campaign (and I launch next week.)

I'm "free floating" and I can't seem to complete the new projects I've started.

Everything I try to launch seems to die or get dismal results...I'm getting scared.

I can't shake the sensation that my business offerings just aren't right anymore...but yet....I don't know what is!

Have you ever felt like this? Well I have. If you've heard yourself stating the points above then you may be in the process of outgrowing your business.

If you are someone with a big mission on this planet, chances are you will go through MANY phases of growth as you discover new aspects of your mission on this planet and how to serve through your greatest gifts.

surgeBut as an entrepreneur this phase is really scary. It rarely happens gracefully. As a matter of fact it's down-right petrifying when you realize that your current business is over - before you've discovered your next steps.

For eighteen months I've felt the itch to abandon everything I've done up to now and start over. I've had multiple trusted advisors reflect to me that I have a much bigger message to share and my business is about to become very different.

But I'm not 100% sure HOW to deliver it yet.

What form is it supposed to take?

Who am I supposed to serve?

Do I really have to redo everything?

Come on...I've spent thousands of dollars getting to where I am now...really? Create something different?

Questions, more questions, and lots of uncertainty. But one thing I know for sure is they are correct. I've personally walked through a series of uncomfortable signs that have revealed that the business I have built up to now is not going to be the one I end up with.

Maybe you can relate?

And yet, when we hit this stage we panic and keep trying to fix what's broken. It's like there is this little voice that says starting over just isn't practical! So we throw good money after bad, creating a deeper cycle of dissatisfaction.

What if instead of fighting the change we embraced the truth of "not knowing" and plunge in?

"What we resist, persists."

I have no idea who originally said this but when we are dealing with big life changes, if we resist what we are being pulled towards then the tension gets greater. If we accept it and surrender into the growth, we start to see opportunity all around us.

Here's a little formula for how to embrace this phase of business growth:

1. Accept that the old will no longer suffice.

I think it's this stage of acceptance that matters most. I often tell myself I'm going through something in order to be able to help more people in their business. If we stop fighting the change and embrace it, the monkey chatter can subside. Then reroute all that mental energy towards connecting to the new vision.

2. Find peace of mind in the not knowing.

The most frustrating part of this process for entrepreneurs is NOT KNOWING what to do next. Especially if we are responsible for the financial stability in our household. By accepting that you are moving through a stage (you won't live here forever, I promise) of not having all the answers, you will be able to accept it. You may even have to go through the stages of grief to let go of a business you worked very hard to create (kind of like a divorce.) Gaining acceptance is powerful.

3. Focus on today.

A healthy strategy for the control freak inside is to find something to do with all our "doing" energy. Think about what you can do today to prepare for what's coming. Here are some ideas:

- Clean up tolerations and clutter

- Get more education or increase skills

- Do activities that you enjoy

- Give to others from your passions

- Read about and research new interests

- Deliver more affiliate or partner opportunities

- Play more or take an extended vacation

Find some way to direct your entrepreneurial energy in a positive way. What you do during this phase will either feel good - or feel like struggle. It's up to you and it all starts with what you tell yourself (aka your monkey chatter.)

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Article Tags: business success, handle tolerations, melanie benson strick, outgrow your business, small business owner



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