It's been quite a ride, especially for those of us who've been hyper-focused on growing our businesses. Personally for the past eight months or so, I've been head down, dedicated to working on my business rather than just in it, and let me tell you, it's been so worth it. So today, I want to share some insights on the importance of having clarity in your business and why sometimes, scaling back is the key to reaching your goals. So, let's get started.

Looking back on the past eight months, it's been an absolute whirlwind! I made the decision to shift gears in my business – instead of being knee-deep in the daily grind of growing the membership I launched last year, I decided to take a step back and focus on the bigger picture. This shift was a major piece in my goal to leave my day job and work my business full-time.

And let me tell you, it wasn't all smooth sailing! I was juggling a million tasks, trying to keep up with priorities, and constantly searching for that oh-so-elusive clarity on where I was headed and how to get there.

But you know what? Despite the challenges, I’ve had some huge wins. I mean, all those long days, sleepless nights, work filled weekends, and endless brainstorming and strategic planning sessions finally paid off! It was validation of all the hard work I'd been putting in. Seeing the tangible results of my efforts has been incredibly rewarding. It was really like a giant high-five from the universe!

Now, let's talk about this concept of clarity in business before I really get into my back story. To me, clarity means having a clear vision of what you want to achieve. It's about establishing clear goals and priorities that fit the season your life is in, creating a plan to reach that goal and executing to get the results you want. I’ve talked about living your legacy in other episodes. But if you’re new to the podcast let me tell you a bit more about that.

The quick version of this is I don't want you to create something that just lives on after you pass away. I want you to experience your legacy while you’re alive. Your business is the vehicle that you use to build your legacy. That’s the long game. The choices you make daily, the way you prioritize tasks to get intentional results, that’s how you drive that vehicle and determines how you live your legacy.

There are three questions you have to have clear answers on to make this happen. They are Why Did You Start Your Business?, How Does Your Business Serve You and Your Family Now?, What's Your Business's Long-Term Vision?

The answers to those questions will help you set the right SMART goals that fit you and your lifestyle so you can create a plan or strategy to make it happen. I did an entire episode on this process. I’ll put a link to it in the show notes.

But when it comes to achieving clarity, that doesn't always mean having a clear path laid out in front of you. This is the biggest takeaway I have from this phase of my journey. Sometimes, it means having the courage to simplify and scale back, and to focus on what truly matters. And if you’re anything like me that can be a lot to get your mind wrapped around. One, I’m prone to take on too much and just push through to get things done.

And we live in a world that glorifies the hustle mentality and try to convince us that it’s normal, but it isn’t. Not to mention, that pace is not sustainable. I've learned that sometimes, less is more. By scaling back, we can eliminate distractions, streamline our efforts, and ultimately, make better decisions that lead to making meaningful progress toward our goals.

Now if you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, some of what I’m saying today may sound familiar. It’s because this isn’t the first time I’ve ended the year in hustle mode. I went through a hustle period in 2022 when I decided to rebrand this podcast and launch The MY-T Society membership and launch a new audio freebie masterclass at the same time. It was also a crazy ride but that effort lead me to where I am today, getting the results that I want. I did a lessons learned episode on the entire experience and I shared what went well, what
didn’t and what I learned while launching three things at one time to grow my business. I’ll put a link to that in the show notes if you want to check it out.

My point in sharing all of this with you is that when you are clear on exactly what you want to achieve, it's ok to put on blinders, invest in help, and put in the work to get what you want. And if you have to go into hustle mode for a limited period of time, there’s nothing wrong with that. But you need to have a well defined plan to execute to make sure you don't get stuck in hustle mode.

So let’s fast forward to why I was in hustle mode again. Well, my one and only goal for last year was to to replace and increase the income I made in my day job. This would not only put us in a better position to pay down some debt, build up our savings and have some fun money. But most importantly, it would give me back control over my schedule which was really needed.

So let me tell you how this process started this time. My husband and I sat down and crunched the numbers to see what the bottom line number is that I need to contribute to the family living expenses. I took that number and determined what I wanted it to be so that I could also pay myself from that owner’s draw. After all, I need money to buy coffee, wine and whatever else I want to spend money on to enjoy life. That was the baseline I knew I had to hit and I determined what retainer service I needed to get booked to achieve that goal. Then I put in the work.

I focused on a few relationship with people already in my network because the client I needed had to be a referral. That would also cut down the time I would have to spend vetting this potential client. But at the time, I was working 24-30 hours a week and I had to physically go into the office twice a month. I also volunteer at least 12 hours a week, I have to care for my household and my family which includes caring for my parents by taking them to doctor appointments when needed and my mom is the care taker for my dad and I handle that twice a week to give her a break. So my plate was already full.

That’s when having clarity helped me pinpoint what I needed to scale back on. I knew my ideal new client would come from a referral, not social media. So immediately, I reduced the time I spent planning content for social media. I stayed active on Instagram stories but I wasn;t realy posting to the feed, not regularly anyway. I did post just enough to let people know I was still in business. I pretty much did the same on Facebook. And instead of worrying about posting on LinkedIn, I started engaging with other people’s content by reacting and leaving meaningful comments. In the meantime, the networking started to pay off and the retainer client I have had for many years became the connection to the new client I was looking for.

Now if you’re wondering how I was able to take on a new client with everything that was already on my plate…it’s because I have implemented all of the things I talk about on this podcast. What I’ve learned a long the way helped me identify the "Four Pillars of Clarity." These pillars form the foundation for sustainable growth without burnout. They are essential if you want to grow your business but keep your business from taking over your life.

The four pillars are time management and productivity, work life integration, mindset, and streamline operations for efficiency. I talk about all four pillars collectively and individually on the podcast, but I did one episode solely on all four pillars because its the cornerstone of my methodology in my business. I’m living proof that they work. I’ll put a link to that episode in the show notes for oyu if oyu want to check it out.

Obviously I had to have a good schedule to make sure I allocated time where it was needed to get things done. And my priorities changed day by day so my schedule had to account for those changes. Having theis flexible but intentional schedule enabled me to be present in life when and where I was needed but I was also able to take care of business tasks when needed. And I had to accept that I would not do everything. So that required an adjustment to my mindset. I had to get comfortable letting things fall through the cracks on purpose because they didn’t align with my priorities.

And while my back office was in place, there were a few things I had to streamline so that I could operate more efficiently. This required an investment of time and money to get some new systems in place because I changed podcasts hosts. I moved the podcast from Libsyn to Buzzsprout because there are quite a number of features available that have made my life as a podcster so much better. I’ve been tracking my financials using spreadsheets for years, but now with the increased income and expenses I invested in Quickbooks online to automate my bookkeeping. But that did require some time and attention to ge that in place. Those were the two biggest changes, everything else just needed a few tweaks after my end of year review.

Now if you're listening to the process that I went through and it has you feeling overwhelmed, it's ok. I know the idea of scaling back is scary because the little voice inside your head is telling you that yu have to do all the things. It's okay to take a step back, to reassess, and to focus on what truly matters. In fact, it's required for long-term success.

So, if you find yourself feeling pulled in a million different directions, take a moment to pause, reflect, and prioritize. Set clear goals, identify your priorities, and don't be afraid to scale back if that's what it takes to move forward. Remember, clarity in business is not about doing more, it's about doing what matters most.

As we wrap up today's episode, I want to thank you for tuning in. I hope this reflection on my journey and the importance of clarity in business has been insightful for you. Remember, it's okay to put your head down, scale back, and focus on what truly matters to you. That’s what living your legacy is all about.

Now I don’t want you to just hear this information, I want you to take action on what I’ve said. I referred to three other podcast episodes you can tune unti. Pick one of them and implement one thing from that episode that you are going to implement immediately. If that sounds like its too much, then I want you to book a free Discovery Call with me. We can talk through where you are right now and where you want to go this year. And heads up, my Discovery Calls are a bit different than what you may be used to.

It’s not just another sales call but it's designed to gather essential information about what your business needs. You can hear more about what to expect when you book a discovery call with me in a podcast episode. A link to that will also be in the show notes. So you know what, that’s the next step I want you to take today.

Now before you go, if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe for more content like this. And as always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or thoughts you have. If you want to let me and other know you enjoy the podcast, go to ratethispodcast.com/mindyourtime and leave a rating and review. I would love to read your feedback.

I look forward to you joining me back here next week. And until then, keep calm and streamline!