Are You Running Your Business Like a Horror Film? II

Now you are working more hours than you ever would in a "regular job". So why is that?

1. You are afraid that if you stop for even one day, this precarious tower you have built will come crashing down.
   
2. You feel guilty because you should be working hard. If you took time off that would be slacking.
   
3. You don't actually know what you have to do or when it has to get done so you just keep working and hope it all happens when it is supposed to.
4. You truly believe that working 24/7 is the only way to make money in a creative business.
   
5. You are stuck in a cycle of too much work and then not enough.
   

I tackled #1 in the last post so here goes with #2.

Anyone who has decided to run their own company is already a bit of an overachiever. Think about it, it would be kind of nice to go to work every day, work 8 hours and come home and not think about it again until the next day but then again...

That would also make you NUTS!

Here's the problem. You believe, for whatever reason (you can go to therapy to figure it out), that you are nothing if you don't work hard, really, really hard. You also believe that success can only be achieved by spending every available moment working. This is so ingrained in you that you actually feel guilty when you are not working.

You feel guilty if you get your hair done or go to the doctor or watch a movie or visit a spa. Your time off isn't even time off because you spend the whole time thinking about what you should be doing for work.

I am giving your permission right now to take time off. In fact, you don't have a choice anymore because you are actually hurting your company if you don't. You are not slacking if you take time off, you are investing in yourself which is an investment in your company.

You must take time off and be ok with it or you will burn out. If you burn out all this work you have been doing will have been for nothing because you won't have a company anymore.

Learn what makes you guilty and why. The Business of Creativity Retreat.

Are You Running Your Business Like a Horror Film?

Time off? No, I must work. I must work all the time or I will never make enough money and I will never be successful. I am running my own company here, everything will fall apart if I don't works nights and weekends and holidays and when I am sick.

Wait a minute. Why did you decide to create your own company? I bet one reason was so you could control your own time and now you are working more hours than you ever would in a "regular job". So why is that?

1. You are afraid that if you stop for even one day, this precarious tower you have built will come crashing down.
   
2. You feel guilty because you should be working hard. If you took time off that would be slacking.
   
3. You don't actually know what you have to do or when it has to get done so you just keep working and hope it all happens when it is supposed to.
   
4. You truly believe that working 24/7 is the only way to make money in a creative business.
5. You are stuck in a cycle of too much work and then not enough.

I am going to tackle these one by one in the next few posts. So let's start with #1.

I could write about this forever but lets boil it down to the essentials which

are fear and lack a knowledge.

It is like the woman running in a horror movie. The minute she looks back, she trips and the killer gets her. Many creative businesses are run the same way. Just keep moving forward and something good is bound to happen but don't ever look back and try to figure out what did and didn't work in the past. It is just too scary.

I have coaching clients who have been doing this for years. At least it feels like movement and if you don't stop, you can't take time to reflect on your success or happiness or lack of either.

Lack of knowledge has nothing to do with your artistic ability. Most creative people take classes in their art form all the time. They are always learning new skills and techniques. I am speaking of a lack of business knowledge.

I am not suggesting you go get a business degree, I am suggesting that you learn how to run your company. What you need to do and why. That may mean not taking another creative class and instead investing in your

success as a business owner.

Throw yourself forward by attending The Business of Creativity Retreat.

Get Out of Your Business Vacuum

I had my monthly decorative painters chapter meeting this Monday. It made me remember why I joined the group in the first place. This particular meeting was a round-table and we each talked a little about ourselves, what we do and what we are planning for the future.

It was so refreshing.

As creative business owners, we often spend a lot of time by ourselves or with people who are paying us or who we are trying to get to pay us. That gets lonely but more than that, it puts you in a professional vacuum.

Being in that kind of vacuum is just plain dangerous for your business. Not only do you need to support on a personal level, you need support on a business level as well. That is why I strongly encourage you to join a professional group and get a mentor or coach. This not only provides you with support but it is also a way to hold yourself accountable to your goals and business practices.

If you are not already part of your professional organization, join it. If you don't already have a mentor or coach (you don't have to pay one but I am available), get one.