The Secret of Self-Investment

"body">unable to keep up! You might be thinking, who wouldn't
"Success is about who you become. The big challengewant that? She should be celebrating, right?
is to become all that you have the possibility ofShe's not! In fact she began feeling depressed.
becoming. You cannot believe what it does to theWorking such a hectic schedule was beginning to take
human spirit to maximize your human potential andnegative tolls on her. BIG FLAGS!!!!!
stretch yourself to the limit." -Jim RohnHere's the rest of the story......o Carol works 16 hour
As a solo-entrepreneur you're either starting a newdays and works on weekends because she fears
business or intending to grow your existing business.losing business. Her private life is almost non-existent.o
Aside from getting the most obvious systems in placeA perfectionist, Carol put enormous pressure on
- technology, business and marketing plans, definingherself in servicing her clients. She constantly feels
your product or services, and finances, what else isstress and worries about keeping her clients happy.
needed to be successful?(They are usually thrilled with her results!) Even though
Self-Investment!she is highly talented, she's tough on herself, and lives
Companies have been bringing in corporate trainers forwith fear and self-doubt.o As a one woman- show,
years. It's good business to invest in programs thatshe manages every aspect of her business. And,
teach employees how to be better leaders, managehaving grown so quickly, she has no systems in place
conflict, improve communication, increase salesto help run her business efficiently. As a result, she
effectiveness, become more confident, etc. Using afeels overwhelmed and stressed with all the people
myriad of tools including personality and behavioraland responsibilities she has to manage. Who
assessments, skill building techniques, and self-reflectivewouldn't?o Her relationships with her husband and
exercises, many training programs empower people tofriends are suffering. She is so busy working, she has
develop both professionally and personally. Smart,no time for the people and things she loves the most.
right? Of course, the integration and sustainability of theOr, even time for herself!o Despite all of her business
information is dependent upon how much a personsuccess, she is concerned she is losing her enjoyment
values self-development!for her work. She has difficulty sleeping at night, unable
Having cutting edge technology, innovation, greatto turn off her brain. She often feels exhausted. She
products and services is not enough to guaranteefeels more like a human doing than a human being.
sustained success. Why? Because people drive theIf her outer world was in chaos, imagine how she felt
success of a business. The greatest asset aon the inside!
company has is its workforce. To grow a business,Carol is a smart woman. She realized she was
you must also be growing your people!working harder, not smarter. What did she do? She
What does that have to do with being aunderstood she needed help to continue to grow her
solo-entrepreneur? I'm so glad you asked!business and thrive as a person. She also realized that
If I had a $1.00 every time I heard someone say, "Justin order to change the way she was running her
show me (or tell me) what I need to do to acceleratebusiness (or more accurately, how her business was
my business, build wealth, manage my time...." Manyrunning her), she needed to look at herself.
people believe that focusing solely on strategies toSo, she hired a personal and business coach (me!)
achieve external goals is the best way to achieveSome of the things we worked on together included:
success.1. Adding systems to work more efficiently
The truth is that, for your business to flourish, you must2. Developing strong marketing and business plans
be flourishing as a person. Looking to grow your3. Delegating administrative responsibilities to free up
business without investing in yourself is a plan to limither time.
your business success. Your outside world (your life) is4. Identifying her values, vision and purpose
a reflection of your inside world (who you are). Who5. Time management
you are affects what you do (or don't do!)6. Extreme self-care
If your business and personal life is NOT flourishing,7. Designing strategies to help her stay focused and
where are you looking for your solutions?motivated
Self-investment is a vital key in having a successfulMotivated by the chaos and anxiety in her life, Carol
business AND a fulfilling life!has made huge progress in six short months. Choosing
For a solo-entrepreneur, investing time, energy, andto make the investment in her business and herself,
resources to grow yourself is a critical key in the levelCarol is beginning to enjoy her work again and have a
of success you achieve.life!
Here's a great example:Bottom line:
One of my coaching clients (I'll call Carol), is a singleLearning more about who you are on the inside (your
entrepreneur who owns a graphic design company.beliefs, core values, natural strengths, passions, innate
Relocating two years ago, she has been working longtalents) is the KEY INGREDIENT to making decisions
hours to jumpstart her business and build a name forthat produce deep satisfaction and extraordinary
herself in the area. Because of her hard work andresults. By bringing who you are into the equation, you
marketing savvy, Carol has built a strong followingcan view a full spectrum of choices and solutions to
very quickly. (Normally, business takes 3-5 years toreach more satisfying and richer outcomes- like
build). In fact, her business is growing so fast, she isbringing Technicolor to a black and white picture!