As business owners, one of the most important things we do is understanding how to turn a profit. Understanding how to monetize what you do is why you have a business and not just a hobby, which for the record, we think hobbies are important too.
We get that you have limited time and that businesses have to make the bucks in order to stay open, but if you’re cutting out what you love, how much stamina are you going to have to keep the biz going?
We wanted to take a moment to hand out permission to hang on to the aspects of your company that produce joy because, in the long run, profit will follow.
The Things You Love Make You Stand Out
Imagine the food blogger who loves photography and spends the extra time getting the perfect shot with the right set of props.
Or the web designer who creates signature illustrations for each of her clients.
Or the author who answers his fan emails personally.
Or the fashion designer who spends time in community with her customers.
Sometimes in business, there are areas that you can automate or ditch, but you love them. These are the things that make you stand out. These are differentiators and brand builders. They’re not frivolous. Although they might take time to develop into a profit, they’re the very thing that will create connection and authenticity for your brand, establish you as an expert, and attract more people to you.
PLUS…
You are working HARD to keep make your brand successful and if you can’t find joy along the way, you’re going to lose stamina.
Your Brand Should Attract or Repel
Your brand should attract your ideal customer and repel the ones who aren’t a good fit.
But sometimes we spend so much time thinking about what our audience wants that we forget to build the business we want to run. The laws of attraction are real and applicable in business and we’re big believers that if you create a business you authentically love, the right people will find you.
If you’re trying to force a new product you don’t love or create content you’re not excited about, your audience will feel it. You won’t necessarily get negative feedback from it, you’ll just be forgettable and that’s what we’re trying to avoid.
When you’re passionate, your audience will feel the same. Those who aren’t will fall away and those who are will connect deeper with you.
If You’re Just Starting Out
If you’re just now launching your business and haven’t quite figured out who your audience is and what they want, creating things you love is the best way to start.
When you put your own passions out into the world, people take notice. You start building an audience of people who are excited about what you’re doing and connect with you. You do this all by just being yourself, leaning into your passions, and creating from a place of authenticity.
Warnings on Overindulgence
Now, just because you enjoy something does not mean it can be allowed to dominate your attention. As an aspect of your business that isn’t an overall profit driver, you have to set some boundaries.
We all like Pinterest, but if we get sucked in when we’re supposed to be responding to emails, that isn’t exactly an even split of efforts.
When you determine what you love, make sure you’re also paying attention to how much time it’s taking up.
If you find yourself giving a disproportionate amount of time to the things you enjoy versus the things that bring in money, it’s worth determining if:
- The work you’re currently doing is sustainable and able to be maintained
- There is a new direction needed for your business that leans more heavily into your passion
Are the enjoyable parts of your business there to keep your energy up or to distract you from all the elements you don’t like?
Outsourcing the Unpleasant
Maybe what happened to you is that you’ve turned over the fun aspects when your brand took off because you felt the need to do the more CEO-y (that’s totally a word) tasks.
Well, guess what? As CEO, YOU GET TO DECIDE WHAT YOU DO AND DON’T DO. Sure there will be elements of the business only you can handle. But if you offloaded all the good and are now the Chief Exhausted Officer of your own enterprise without any of the joy… what the heck’s the point?
Outsource as many of the unpleasant elements out of your day as you can so you can reincorporate some of the joyful ones. Or just reserve a window of time for it by blocking out your schedule. This will help fuel your creativity, keep you in touch with the day-to-day, and remind you why you got started in the first place.
For some reason, CEOs often clear their plates of the most enjoyable aspects of their business which leads to fatigue if not outright hatred of their own creation.
Many times the fun aspects of your business are not just a nice addition, but rather a necessity that keeps you engaged, fueled, and in love with your company.