Focus on JOY not MONEY.

I was watching a webinar recently and this gem of wisdom really hit home for me. Despite playing it safe (my business model could easily be described as “low & slow” 🤣..) I’ve never given up on my creative hustles which means every year has brought changes, new opportunities and a deeper understanding of who I can serve and how to reach those people to help solve problems & provide value. I’ve had my share of projects that I’ve taken on purely for the money but I’ve found, over time, that I not only despises doing these jobs, they usually didn’t pay all that well either! So not only was I wasting my time on something that didn’t bring me joy, I wasn’t getting compensated well for it either. 🤣 This means that I could’ve forgone a few coffee runs, stopped eating lunch out for a few weeks, buckled down and spent that time on something I actually WANTED to work on!

YES, we all need money to support our families & pay bills BUT what if, instead of spending precious time doing something you hate just to make a little extra money, you tightened up your budget and spent that time learning how to grow and market yourself to do what you LOVE instead?? If you are doing something you are genuinely passionate & excited about and are willing to put in the hard work and effort to build the foundation for your business, the money will follow!!

I feel lucky to have a full time job that I actually truly enjoy but it definitely leaves less time for marketing my photography, social media consulting and crochet. I’ve realized that, if needed, I could spend HOURS focusing on building my side hustles into so much more but I’ve made the choice to keep them cooking low & slow, strengthening the relationships with my current audience & client base and exploring how I can best serve them from where I am-without biting off more than I can chew! I’ve continued to be flexible, adaptable and open to new opportunities and it’s allowed me to have a renewed sense of joy when approaching marketing, strategy & sales! I challenge you to take some time to really look at how you are spending your time.

Grab a pen and paper and answer the following questions:

1. If time/money wasn’t an issue, what are the things you would work on NOW to grow your business (or make your hobby into a business)? This could be anything from designing a website, writing a blog, creating more social media content, create new products, the sky is the limit!!

2. What are the 3 main things that are currently keeping you from reaching those goals you just listed?

3. What is ONE thing you could consider giving up to make time for working towards ONE of those goals? Life is all about prioritization and give & take.

4. Write out each of the steps that it would take to make achieving your goal possible. (For instance, if you want to build a website you’d have steps like buying a domain name, researching websites to use, finding/taking photos for your site, writing copy for the pages)

5. Last step (the homework assignment!!) Now that you’ve got concrete steps, it’s time to schedule in time to work towards this goal over the next month!!! YOU CAN DO IT, I PROMISE!!!!!!

You cannot add more time to each day so, inevitably, it comes down to deciding what’s worth prioritizing. Hint… I can promise you JOY will always win over money in the long run!

Make that next big move as a small business owner, don’t wait and let the days keep passing you by!! Even if it’s low & slow like me, organic growth is still growth and if you can keep showing up and putting in the work you WILL succeed, even if that success ends up looking a little different than you expected!

Want to chat more about marketing & get your hands on more free resources & education and join a community if creative like you?? Be sure to join my Facebook group: Marketing for Creatives & Makers where I’ve shared links to all the free conferences along with lots of free resources, guides and more!! I can’t wait to connect with you on Facebook!!