Lean Into the Pain

Taking a leap of faith to start your own business takes a lot of guts. You couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But sometimes there is a nagging sense of doubt. Something is holding you back. It is time to talk about FEAR. In all reality, failure is never as scary as we make it out to be. At WORX we like to settle in and get cozy with what makes us a little uncomfortable, immersing ourselves in it so our weaknesses can become strengths. Recently, I listened to Rourke Denver speak at a conference, and there are a few things I will keep with me forever.

Whatever brings you fear and hesitation – FACE IT.

How? Well, have you ever tried to tackle everything at once and felt like you weren’t accomplishing anything? Our brains just aren’t wired that way. Time and time again we have heard that there is no such thing as multitasking, only task switching. I don’t know about you but that feels overwhelming to me. When I feel overwhelmed, I don’t want to bother with any of it.

Whether you choose a small carry-on or a hefty suitcase for your next trip, either way you will fill the bag. Choose wisely and don’t take on more work than you can handle. Taking something that seems impossible, intimidating or scary and breaking it into reasonable chunks makes it seem doable. By limiting your field of view, I promise you will see more.

Pain is an agent of fear. We are made to absorb pain (mental or physical) because we recover stronger than before. We refer to these as “growing pains” in our company culture. If something is broken, many of us stay in that situation because it is familiar, therefore more comfortable than changing it. Change is scary. This may be a surprise but small changes will only yield small results. You don’t have to do something because that is how it has always been done. Make BOLD corrections and ask, “Is there anything else I can do?” It is easier to make small adjustments moving forward.

Entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be a solo act. Surround yourself with a support team of people that are in your corner rooting for you. Find the right group of people to play on your team who can help you find your rhythm. Once you find your rhythm, you will absolutely know you are where you are intended to be.

Top 3 reasons brands don't survive

Branding. It seems like such a strange word to those outside of our office. What is it anyway? Some might say a logo; some might say a color scheme. And while both of those things are right, they are just small portions of a company's brand. 

Branding is a combination of every interaction you have with your customers. When people see you, they see your company's brand. Are they having the same experience across the board? Here are a few branding elements that you may not be aware of:

• How you answer the phone
• The type of information you share on social media
• The type of music you play in your lobby
• The tone you use in your verbiage (website text, email signature, blog posts)
• Customer experience - how do you make your customers feel?

The strongest brands are born from leaders and team members living the brand. It should become second nature to walk the walk and talk the talk. As an example, I'll share a little about the Worx brand.  Our company culture is all about being authentic and enjoying life. We care for our clients in a way that they become family. When my team is excited and happy, our clients are excited and happy. That's why it is important to me to take care of my team. I invest in their knowledge, push them out of their comfort zones and celebrate their victories. And to me, this is second nature. It's not forced it's just the Worx brand, which happens to be the Laura, Amber, Kassie and Momina brand. We're the same people from 9-5 as we are from 5:01pm- 8:59am.

As an entrepreneur, I understand that everyday things can get in the way of growing your brand. Here are the top 3 reasons I think brands don't make it...

1.  Not educating your staff. Often your team is interacting with your clients more than you are. If your team does not understand what your company stands for, how to communicate with customers and have a big picture of where the company is going, then how can they be advocates of your brand? Your employees should be part of your business, not just working hands. Invite them to understand your company culture and be part of the big picture. Get them excited about working for you and that will translate into your customer’s experience. 
2.  Not being consistent. When you start your business, you get everything in place. Your logo, business cards, website, brochures and social media are all set up and in place. But do they look the same? Is your brand consistent wherever people are seeing you? Perhaps it was when you first set things up, but a few months have gone by, and now you've gotten lax on your brand. You’re using different fonts, not following up with clients how you used to and have stopped updating your social media. It's important to be aware of how your clients are or are not seeing you.
3. Not trying new things. It's so easy to get in your day-to-day operation. Paperwork needs filing, products need to be made and bills need paid. All very important things. But staying stagnant with tunnel vision can ruin a brand. What is up and coming in your industry? Or better yet, what trend can you set? What can you add to your marketing strategy that keeps people’s attention longer? What new method could you introduce? If you keep doing the same things, you'll keep getting the same results. Spruce it up from time to time!

Your team and your clients deserve the best you. If you want people to keep not only coming back, but turn into cheerleaders for your company, treat them well, every time. Give them the same experience no matter how they are connecting with you and bring them new and innovative ideas that position you as the leader in the industry. Why would they go anywhere else when they have you!

Stop being a brain ninja!

You work, maybe have kids, a spouse, employees, a business, a home, cars, brothers & sisters, parents, friends and probably a few dozen other things to take care of on a regular basis. I know I do and if you're anything like me, I love to care for the people that I love. I love to see them happy and thriving in all they do.

Here's the back side of this: I forget to care for myself.

If you have ever flown, you probably remember the flight attendant telling you to put the oxygen on your own face before putting it on others. There's a deeper meaning to this in everyday life. If you don't take care of yourself first, it's impossible to continue caring for others.

Over the summer we packed up our whole life, moved our house, remodeled our basement in 30 days and moved Worx. In the mean time I was caring for everything in our "normal" life: my son and husband, empowering the Worx girls, managing clients and projects, supporting friends and family and lots of other daily tasks. But there's one thing I forgot to do. Take care of me.

As a result of that, I depleted everything I had. I ate terrible food (whatever was fast), went to bed late and got up early, stopped exercising and worst of all, gained 10lbs. Dammit.

I'm sure there has been a time in your life that you've experienced a season like this - one where you became so focused on everything else that you neglected to care for yourself. I'm here to tell you that it happens to all of us. The most important thing is to recognize when it is happening and change it. There's nothing you can do about the past so don't beat yourself up. Make the choice to change today.

And for all of you out there that think taking care of yourself is selfish... Stop being a brain ninja! I had to get over it. Those thoughts of, "how dare I go for a run instead of playing with my son," or "I'll just skip lunch today so I can get this project done" are debilitating. We create these scenarios in our heads! What if instead you said, "I'll go for a run so I have more energy to play with my son" or "If I eat a nutritious lunch I will have more creativity and energy to finish that project strong." It's all in the mindset friends. When you stop thinking that taking care of yourself is selfish and start thinking of it as a necessity, you will be able to care for everything around you better than before.

What's next? Take one step. What is the ONE thing you can do to better yourself so that you can continue to nurture those around you? That old saying "Rome wasn't built in a day" applies here too. For me, my one step is filling my body with nutrients again. I'm eating better and taking my vitamins. And no more skipping lunch. That's stupid.

I'd love to hear your promise to yourself - comment below with your one step to caring for yourself!