by Joey | Jun 11, 2018 | Creative Entrepreneur
Starting a business is a true labor of love. Some might even argue that becoming an entrepreneur requires a tiny dash of insanity. While it can look positively dreamy from the outside, there’s a lot that goes into starting, building, managing and growing a small business. I’m sure the story varies for most everybody, but for me, I wanted to start a business so I could design my work life. I wanted to have a say in my day-to-day obligations, and I certainly wanted to do more of what makes me happy on a regular basis.
I didn’t go in totally naive. I understood that you have to take the bad with the good. I knew I’d have to face hard days, difficult clients, and boring admin. So I went in armed with a plan to make joy a permanent fixture in my day-to-day business operations.
How to build a joyful business
Know what you want.
Now, this can be a pretty broad statement. To be honest, when I started my first company–my partner and I weren’t 100% clear on what exactly we were going to do. And sometimes I think it’s vitally important to start before you have all of that figured out. You learn a lot from the doing–and we certainly did. And that was the best thing for our company.
But what you can do is start narrowing in on what you want your days to look like. Answer some important questions that will help you design the kind of business you want to run. What kinds of clients do you want to work with? Where do you want to spend your days? Are you at a computer? Are you traveling around for meetings? Are you standing on a stage? You don’t have to pick just one direction, either. The best part of having your own business is you get to decide all the different things you want to do. But in order to do them, you have to know what they are first.
Know your why.
I believe this step is more important than even knowing what it is you want to do. Your why will be the driving force behind everything. And in fact, I’ve seen businesses crash and burn that had everything else figured out to a T, but they didn’t know their why. Your why is what separates you from the rest. It’s the reason people hire you or your company over another. Your why is what causes you to eagerly jump out of bed each day.
Honestly, there are going to be a lot of days where the work just looks like work. Your todo list is going to be a mile long, someone’s going to mess up, and you’ll be on the receiving end of some less-than-stellar emails. But if you keep your why at the forefront of your mind, and at the forefront of your business, it can will be total game changer.
Know what you don’t want.
There are a few ways to narrow in on exactly what you don’t want. And truthfully, you’ll probably find these things out by blending a perfect cocktail of the following:
- Educating yourself. I learned a lot about what I did and didn’t want by listening to podcasts about small businesses. I practically used Being Boss as a mentor when I was first getting started. I didn’t know anything about business ownership back then. So I wouldn’t have had a clue what to expect when it came to the tough stuff. Learning from their mistakes and experiences saved me a lot of time and a lot of headaches.
- Doing the wrong things. Sadly, one of the most valuable ways to learn what you don’t want is to, well, just do the things. Test the waters. While this way is a lot less pleasant, it’s supremely powerful. I’ve learned a lot about the kinds of services I want to offer, the kinds of clients I want to work with, and the way in which I like to work from working with the wrong people in the wrong way.
Share your expertise.
Have you ever watched a person’s face as they’re talking about their expertise? I swear to you it’s the best physical representation of joy. I’m in a networking group of women here in Charlotte, and every Wednesday I get to watch as one of them shares all about what it is that they do. And their faces display pure bliss. Sharing all about what you do, why you do it, and why it’s important doesn’t only attract and educate your clients, it keeps that passion at the forefront of your business.
It’s really, really easy to get bogged down by the day-to-day stuff. It’s easy to become doubtful in your abilities or expertise. But when you are constantly sharing that with people, it can be so reaffirming. I work with clients to help them share their expertise through blog content. Either they’re not strong writers themselves or they just don’t have the time. But always, always they are a wealth of important knowledge. We do this by having monthly meetings where they thought-download their expertise to me in a really organic conversation. I wish I could bottle up the energy from those meetings. The client is often radiating passion, and I am just soaking it up. Bathing in your passion is a really powerful way to keep joy in your business.
Set up boundaries.
Now that you know what you want and what you don’t want, you actually need to do something with that information. In fact, if you don’t do something with all of that information, it’s really easy to end up resenting the very business you’ve worked so hard to build. Laying a foundation that’s protected by boundaries is so important, but undeniably difficult.
You need to have a firm grasp on your process and you need to be able to communicate that clearly to your clients in a way that makes them feel confident in their choice. But here’s the thing, people aren’t always going to want to respect you or the way you work. So while having the boundaries is important, what’s even more important is your ability to implement and defend them.
I believe that if you’re going to put in the effort to build a business, it should only be for joy. Sure, you’re going to experience a myriad of emotions throughout your general experience, but if joy isn’t at its core, you’re doing something wrong. I know I left the traditional workforce in an attempt to leave that miserable-every-day feeling. And i”m sure I’m not the only one. We’re all so obsessed with the hustle and success, that we forget to allow ourselves to enjoy it. And we most certainly forget that we’re allowed to design joyful businesses.
If you need a little help sharing your expertise or implementing the proper boundaries to build your own joyful business, get in touch. I’d love to help you find joy in your business.
by Joey | Jun 7, 2018 | Creative Entrepreneur, How I Work Series
Hello sprinkley friends, my name is Liz Butts and I’m the owner of Sprinkle Pop. My company (i.e. me and one other sprinkle fairy) manufactures artisan sprinkle mixes for baked goods and sweet treats. A little bit about me…I’ve been a cake decorator for over 15 years (half my life). I also worked in the oil and gas industry for a startup company for nearly 10 years. My point is, that I’m kind of an overachiever and a work-a-holic. I live in Houston, Texas with my husband, Sean, and our three perfectly quarky border collies, Maverick, Kinsey and Jelly Bean.
I launched Sprinkle Pop somewhat on a whim in March of 2017 and haven’t looked back. Through hard work, some lucky PR, and determination I grew Sprinkle Pop into a 6 figure company in 1 year. 9 months in, I got to quit my corporate job to live the sweet life full-time. In May of this year, I moved the business out my home (things were getting kind of cray) into a warehouse in the city and hired an employee. Needless to say, it’s been a crazy year, but I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every second of it and the challenge of growing this business gets me out of bed in the morning and excited to face each day!
How I work
A typical day for me starts with puppy cuddles in bed. Then I get up and get ready for the day. I’m a self-proclaimed makeup addict, but it really doesn’t make sense to get all dolled up to work by yourself most days, so I typically put on some light makeup and put my hair in secure braids. My go too outfit is yoga pants or leggings and a t-shirt. I’m on my feet a lot, so I love my sketchers easy walk sneakers…they are the BEEESSSSTTTT. After I feed my doggies and pack my lunch, I hop in my beloved Yukon and make the 24-40 minute commute to the “office.” I usually listen to a podcast or book on tape on my way in.
My office is my happy place. I have a sprinkle wall, and a sprinkle couch and sprinkles everywhere. When I get in, typically log on to my email and respond to any pertinent messages, wholesale inquiries and what not. Then I print out our shipping labels for orders that need to go out. My employee, Tisha, comes in Mon/Wed/Fri. She brings her kids with her. One is 3 months and 1 is 4 years. They keep things interesting but are so well behaved and provide some much needed comic relief at times. Every day is a little different, but there are several tasks that may or may not need completing: Filling orders, dying sprinkles, mixing up sprinkle mixes, bottling, labeling, cleaning, planning new sprinkle mixes, take photos for the website or social media.
Life Balance
To be honest, life balance is not a luxury that all small business owners get. I’m trying to build a sprinkle empire so Sprinkle Pop pretty much consumes my life. In fact, since I moved Sprinkle Pop out of my house, I find myself incredibly bored on weekends. I’m searching for something to work on but all my sprinkles are in town, so I typically try to create some sort of blog post or marketing material or plan for the week. I find time for friends and leisure when I want or need it, but working on Sprinkle Pop makes me happy so I typically spend as much time as possible doing that. Ok, ok… I do watch A LOT of TV in the evenings…while I work…even while I’m writing this I’m catching up on West World!
So…next time you find yourself in need of sprinkles…you know where to go. sprinklepop.shop
Thanks for hanging with us today, Liz! Be sure to follow Sprinkle Pop on Facebook & Instagram to swoon all over the colorful sweetness! And trust–her sprinkles are so creative that they can make even this amateur caker look profesh!
SaveSave
SaveSave
SaveSave
SaveSave
by Joey | Jun 6, 2018 | Joyful by Design, Real Life
This isn’t exactly a fun subject to talk about. As an adult, when my heart hurts, I typically do my best to hide it, to stuff it down. And I’d bet it’s a safe guess to say I’m not alone here. I rocked broken hearts like a champ when I was a teenager. I had the emo thing down pat. Give me all the sappy sad love songs and a blank page and call me drama queen. Honestly, I think we all had healthier coping mechanisms back then.
It’s interesting to me the kinds of things that can hurt our hearts now as adults. There are the obvious things like traditional breakups and divorces, messy and muddled. The division of a life once united. Painful. But then there are things like the realization that your time with your parents is limited, running out. Or the painful reality of outgrowing certain friendships. Or what about just the simple passing of time; transitions into new seasons of life and having to leave pieces of your heart behind in the process.
If you ask me, it’s the adult heart breaks that really rattle us to our core–and yet, we’re all so guarded and committed to looking like we have it all together that we glaze right over it. We miss the opportunities for growth and deep connections because we’re too afraid to show that we’re human. Well, you know what? No one has it all together. And we’re all messy and broken and still figuring it out.
Over the years, I’ve done a lot of…well, we’ll call it research when it comes to mending a broken heart. And I figured hey, I might as well share what I’ve found with you.
Feel the feels.
Or, in a not-so-annoying millennialized statement; allow yourself to be sad. I think we all do a pretty good job of translating sadness into anger even when it’s not exactly warranted. And the problem with that is, recovering from anger looks a lot different than healing sadness. We run from that feeling because it’s uncomfortable. It makes us feel powerless and weak, and that just sucks. No one likes feeling that way. Anger is an active emotion whereas sadness seems to passively consume us. But in order to really heal, you have to let yourself feel it.
Talk things out with a friend, say the things you’ve been afraid to say in a safe environment. Take up journaling, no really. Like with a pen and paper; old-school style. Or talk to a professional. The things that break our adult hearts are big and heavy. And it’s perfectly okay (and often times necessary) to seek the help of a professional.
Don’t be a masochist.
Now, that might have been our standard M.O. as teenagers, but you know better as an adult. Leave well enough alone and don’t continue to torture yourself. Social media makes it so easy to continue to immerse yourself in a world that is no longer yours. And man oh man can that hurt. Don’t keep tabs on the things that hurt you if it continues to hurt you. You deserve more than to allow your heart to get continually broken day after day. It takes commitment to quit something. But do yourself that favor and move on.
Focus on what makes you happy.
It’s true what that say: what you focus on increases. So once you feel ready to move on, focus on the positive future instead of the painful past. We create our realities with our thoughts and emotions. And if we keep tellings ourselves that we’re miserable, well, we’re going to be miserable. Take what you can from the experience, learn from it, and move on to more positive things. Maybe take up a new hobby or connect with new people. Give yourself permission to finally join that fitness class you’ve deemed too expensive or let yourself indulge in a wine by design night.
You have the right to get creative here. And nothing is too big or too small. Take some time and actually write some things out. Even just going through that exercise alone can help you shift your thinking.
Take it from me; stuffing and dwelling is unproductive and unhealthy. You deserve to be happy, and you deserve to take the time you need to mend your broken heart. Endings really can be beautiful beginnings if you let them be.
What do you do to help yourself heal when your heart is hurting?
SaveSave
SaveSave
SaveSave
by Joey | Jun 5, 2018 | Devotional Series
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
The other night, I was chatting with a friend who finally accepted a position after a long search for the next step in her career. Excitement buzzed through the phone waves as we gleefully celebrated.
I’m just so happy for you. I know this process has been…well, laborious. I said.
You know, she replied, I just chalk it up to a God thing. After all the other interviews for all the jobs that didn’t pan out, something always just didn’t feel right. I would be concerned about one thing or another. But this one, it just felt like the right fit all around. And it’s just good to know that when I’d be crying after once again not receiving the job I’d hoped for that God was over there like ‘Just you wait, I’ve got the perfect thing on its way to you.'”
Having big faith and trust in God is down right near impossible sometimes. But I’ve found it’s most difficult in the season of waiting and intense hope. We’re in a season of waiting at the moment. And when my friend asked how things were going, I answered candidly.
I know it’s coming, the upswing. It always does. I’ve seen God show up time and time again in his perfect timing that it’s just comforting to know none of this is really in my hands at all. He’s never let us down before, so why waste the energy worrying?
The truth is, nothing is really up to us. And while that can be a terrifying thought for someone without faith, it can also serve as the ultimate relief. I look back over our lives, to every other rock bottom, and I can see God show up in ways I couldn’t have planned for.
When we were first married, Jonathan was finishing his master’s degree at UGA. The last requirement for his graduation was an internship. After several rounds of interviews, we packed the car and traveled the 10 hours south to Tampa for one last round. We spent our days touring apartments, picking our next home. I visualized living just down the road from my sister and her three kids. I could see our lives there, clear as day.
When we returned, we put in our notice at our apartment in Athens, and then we waited for the call. T-10 days til moving day, the call came, and it wasn’t a good one. Left to scramble at the last minute, Jonathan ended up in contact with a school down in Charlotte. Now, I’ll be sure to tell you all one day about how, just six months earlier–totally unaware of the whole internship drama, we’d decided to put all our energy into somehow moving to Charlotte in the future. Neither of us had spent much time here (at all). But for some reason, we could both feel the tug on our hearts that said hey, Charlotte will be your home some day. But for now, when the internship opportunity popped up in Tampa, we both forgot all about it–deciding to go wherever the wind blew us.
Well, that school Jonathan found in Charlotte offered him an immediate opportunity. That job is the reason we moved to Charlotte. That job is the reason he ended up coaching at Campbell for two years. That job is the reason we had the best health insurance we’ve ever had when I was so terribly sick back in 2013. That job brought us home, twice.
We couldn’t see that job coming. We were so busy white knuckling the Tampa opportunity that we didn’t even have time to worry about anything else. And I truly believe that God sends us those decoys in our seasons of waiting on purpose–something to distract us, to put all our energy into, to keep us occupied while The Big Blessing is on its way to us.
I feel like seasons of waiting are all too common in our adult years. Waiting to find the right house. Waiting for the next career move. Waiting on the next payday. Waiting for those two pink lines. And as adults, we crave control. We’ve figured out the formula in life, too wise for our own good, we set plans into motion to force those things along. We exhaust ourselves trying to push our square peg into the unknown round hole, desperate to make something work.
But the greatest relief comes from knowing that God has a plan for us. And he’s known it all along. Every step, every misfire, every disappointment leads us right onto the path he’s intended for our lives. And while we so desperately crave control, often times we just end up prolonging the process. God is already working on that thing you’re worrying about. You just have to take your hands off the wheel.
The lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
by Joey | Jun 4, 2018 | Creative Entrepreneur
**This post contains some affiliate links.
Alright, I’ll just admit it. I’m obsessed with productivity. That’s probably not healthy, but you know, I gotta keep things real. I recently took the Enneagram test and found out that I am a number one: reformer. And if you think I was being a tad dramatic when I said I’m obsessed with productivity, I’ll just leave this here for you to ponder:
Ones are people of practical action—they wish to be useful in the best sense of the word. On some level of consciousness, they feel that they “have a mission” to fulfill in life, if only to try their best to reduce the disorder they see in their environment.
For me: productive = useful
I realize a therapist could probably have a field day with this. But whatever. I am who I am. That all being said, I believe it’s my sense of “mission” and drive for productivity that makes me the kind of person who does well 1) working for themselves and 2) working from home. I rarely lean into the desire to be lazy. But that doesn’t mean I’m not ever struck down with a lack of motivation. In fact, I can feel often feel unmotivated if I allow myself to be consumed with the overwhelming doubt that can sometimes plague my thoughts. But as they say, even in those moments, the show must go on. So, with that in mind, I thought I’d share a few products & apps that help me be productive. If you’re interested in the habits, routines, and rituals I rely on for productivity, you can find those here.
Wunderlist & Asana
Okay, I considered sharing these independently, but truth be told they both kind of serve the same purpose just slightly differently. I tend to use Wunderlist more for my daily todo lists. But I use Asana more for a full project timeline and breakdown. For instance:
Asana
I use Asana to plan out my big projects, whether that’s an e-course offering like Blogging for Your Business, a self-guided program like Boundary Boss, or my next book (coming this fall!). This allows for me to break things down and focus in on individual steps that’ll bring the big project to life.
I also use Asana to manage client projects and communication. Fun fact: I operate 95% of my client-serving business through Asana in an attempt to eliminate unnecessary email.
Wunderlist
I use Wunderlist more for the day-to-day. While Asana can definitely behave as a daily task manager, I’ve just used Wunderlist for years and find it more convenient. It also helps that I keep track of my household chores and personal life tasks with the app as well, so I can get an overarching view of what needs to get done in a day across the board.
Notebooks
It’ll come as no surprise to you that I rely on notebooks. I believe in the power of writing things down in your own handwriting. (Did you know that writing something down in your own handwriting actually helps you remember it better? It’s a proven fact.) While I could type something out much quicker, I find that when it comes to creative planning, I benefit from the forced slow down. It allows for my brain to fully digest the thoughts before quickly moving on. What kind of notebooks do I keep? Well, there are a lot–so let’s go…
They each serve very different purposes. And while I know some people would argue that you should keep things in one easy-to-find place, I do actually have a system when it comes to those kinds of things. But I’m a dreamer and a planner, so my notebooks need backup. I’ll share how I use each of these–especially my digital notebooks like Goodnotes on the Ipad Pro & Evernote (which could be a whole series on its on really) in a future blog post.
Timer
Whether it’s a household chore or a client task, sometimes I need a little motivation to get my butt in gear. I’ve found over the years that a lot of times it’s all about just getting started. So what I’ll do (and I’ve done this for years), is tell myself that for the next 15 minutes, I’m going to focus on xyz. I set this old-school timer I bought from Anthropologie back in 2009 after I saw Nancy Ray using it, (Fun fact: it’s the only thing I’ve ever bought from Anthro…) and without fail, I either complete the task in the time I’ve allotted, or I’m in such a groove once the timer goes off that I don’t feel like stopping.
This little ninja is definitely definitely not a necessity. But for someone who wakes up in the 5 AM hour and would often find herself in a Starbucks trying to crank out the rest of her workday at 3 PM, it’s a Godsend. A regular, good old-fashioned coffee pot would do the job just fine, too. But without fail, by 3 PM, I need a little jumpstart. And let me tell you–I can make an at-home peppermint mocha latte that puts Starbucks to shame! Want a quick money saving tip? (Even though the machine alone will save you ~$4 per latte.) The pods can be expensive. This machine was one of my Christmas presents from Jonathan this past year. And with it, he also stuffed my stocking with this reusable capsule kit. We bought a bag of espresso for $15 from a local coffee shop in January–and I still haven’t had to repurchase anything yet.
Do you guys want a full on review of this thing? Just a heads up, It’s currently on sale for $129 with prime shipping, and I promise you, it’s the best money we’ve spent.
Essential OIls
I bought a cheap pack of essential oils when Kim and I made our DIY Bath Bombs. I’d been seeing the internet get all excited about all things essential oil–but I just wasn’t buying it. Well, after that fun little project, I decided to buy a cheap little diffuser and see what the fuss was all about. Turns out, I freaking love essential oils. I’ve since upgraded from the cheapo oils to Young Living (trust, it’s worth the fuss), but I’m a stickler for using things up, so for the sake of transparency, I’ll be using my crappy little oils until they run out.
My Favorite Power Focus Blends
- Orange + Peppermint
- Orange + Citrus Fresh
After 2 years (!!!!) of working from home and for myself full-time, I’ve definitely learned that the only constant is that things are forever changing and evolving. But for now, these things are what help me take charge of my day and knock out all the things!
Tell me, what are some things that help you have a productive day?
SaveSave
SaveSave
SaveSave
SaveSave
