The Power of Scaling Back to Achieve Clarity and Success in Business

Are you ready to embark on a journey of transformation with me? 

In today’s episode I spill the beans on my journey from the hustle-filled grind to living my dream full-time. Get ready to dive into the transformative power of clarity in business – it's a game-changer, trust me!

Join me as I share strategies to help you establish a clear vision, nailing the right questions, and making every choice count. It's all about scaling back to leap forward, where doing less becomes the key to achieving so much more. 

Ever wondered how to replace your day job income with high-level retainer services? I spill the tea on the lessons learned from a year of juggling projects and making strategic decisions that landed me right where I wanted to be. Plus, we'll chat about the crucial role of networking, the power of referrals and how I was able to sign a new client with a crazy schedule.

So, grab your cup of coffee or your favorite beverage, cozy up, and let's embark on this journey of growth and discovery together. Trust me, you won't want to miss this!

3:10 What is clarity and how it relates to your SMART goals

7:00 How I handled a hustle mode period in 2022

8:49 My process to create more clarity and set my goals

11:58 How I was able to take on a new client with a full plate

12:56 Learn more about the four pillars of clarity

13:44 The mindset shift I had to make to focus on my goals

15:49 What clarity means in business in simple words

16:36 How a Discovery Call with me can help you make progress with this process

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Episode 120: Life After Launch: Lessons Learned From This Labor of Love as a Small Business Owner

Episode 151 - The 4 Pillars of Business Clarity You Need For Growth

Episode 155 - What to Expect When You Book a Discovery Call

Episode 157 - Setting SMART Goals for Success

Connect with me on Instagram @the_shannonbaker 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

I think it's safe to say that, for everyone who's been hyper focused on growing their business, it has been quite a ride over the past several months. Personally, for me, the past eight months or so I've been head down, dedicated to working on my business rather than 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. Welcome to the Mind your Time Podcast. I'm Shannon Baker, your host and coffee aficionado. Whether your goal is to increase your side gig income or scale to six figures, you're in the right place. You will learn about the tools, actionable strategies and tactics you can use to take back control of your time and life. I specialize in helping purpose driven women like yourself work smarter and tap into the growth potential their business holds. So if you're ready to make a bigger impact and achieve business growth without being tied to it 24 seven, then stick around. Let's dive into today's topic. So, as I sat down and looked over the past eight months, it really has been an absolute whirlwind. So I made the decision to shift gears in my business, instead of me being knee deep in the daily grind of growing the membership, as I had originally planned.

Speaker 1: 1:38

Last year, I decided to take a step back or shift my focus a little bit and really look at the big picture for my business. And this shift was really a major piece in my goal, which was to leave my day job so that I could work my business full time. And I am proud to say I achieved that goal in December of last year. But let me tell you it was not smooth sailing. I was juggling a million tasks, trying to keep up with priorities, constantly searching for that also elusive clarity on where I was headed and how exactly I was going to get the job there. But you know what, despite the challenges, I've had some major wins. I mean the long day, sleepless nights, work-filled weekends and endless brainstorming sessions and strategic planning sessions. They finally started to pay off, and when that happened, that was a validation for me that all the work that I've been putting in it was worth it. Even the tangible results of my efforts has been incredibly rewarding. It was really like a giant high five from the universe that I was going in the right direction. So now let's talk a little bit about the concept of clarity in business before I really get into my backstory with this whole thing. To me, clarity means having a clear vision of what you want to achieve, and it's about establishing clear goals and priorities that fit the season that your life is in. Then you create a plan to reach that goal and you execute to get the results that you want.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Now I've talked about living your legacy in other episodes of the podcast, but if you're new to the podcast, let me tell you a little bit more about that. The quick version 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 and building it, making things happen. Your business is the vehicle that you use to build your legacy. That's the long game, the choices you make every single day, the way you prioritize tasks and get intentional results. That's how you drive that vehicle and determines how you live your legacy every single day.

Speaker 1: 4:19

Now there are three questions that 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, and what's your long-term vision for your business? The answer to those three questions will help you set smart goals that fit your lifestyle, so that you can create a plan or a strategy to make it happen. I actually did an entire episode on this process and I'm going to put a link to that in the show now so you can check it out later.

Speaker 1: 4:53

But when it comes to getting this type of clarity, I want you to understand that doesn't always mean that you have a clear path that's laid out in front of you, even though that's what a lot of us want. This is the biggest takeaway that I have from the phase of my journey that just ended. Sometimes, clarity means you have to have the courage to simplify and scale back and 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 until I burn out, and I have been fighting against that all my life. Basically, it's gotten better, but it's still a struggle, so I have to be very mindful of the choices I make and the things that I take on. Not to mention, we live in a world that glorifies the hustle mentality and it tries to convince us that that pace is normal. But, my friend, it is not. Not to mention that hustle pace is not sustainable. I've learned that sometimes less is more. So when you scale back, you can eliminate distractions, you can streamline your efforts and, ultimately, that creates space for you to make better decisions that lead you on the path to making meaningful progress towards your goals. Now again, if you've been with me and listening to this podcast for a while, I know you've heard some of what I'm saying before, but it's because this is not the first time that I've ended the year in hustle mode. But I want you to know that is not something that's permanent. It's a temporary pace.

Speaker 1: 7:00

I went through a hustle period in 2022 when I decided to rebrand this podcast, launch the mighty society membership and launch a new audio freebie masterclass at the same time. Yes, it was a crazy ride, but that effort led me to where I am today, getting the results that I want. I actually did a lessons learned episode on that entire experience and I shared what went well, what didn't and what I learned while launching these three things at one time to grow my business. I'm going to put a link to that in the showness as well, if you want to check it out. But my point in sharing all of this with you is that when you are clear on exactly what you want to achieve, it is absolutely okay 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 have to have a well-defined plan that you're executing 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, one.

Speaker 1: 8:20

My one and only goal for last year was to build my business income to the point that it replaced the income from my day job and more. This will put us in a better position to pay down some of our debt, build up our savings account and just basically 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 around. So I was tired of my day job and my husband was tired of me complaining about it. So I said okay, let's sit down and crunch the numbers and see what the bottom line number is that I need to contribute financially to the family living expenses. So we did that and what I did was took that bottom line number, inflated it to what I wanted it to be so that I could also pay myself from that owner to draw. After all, I do need money to buy coffee, wine and whatever else I want to spend my money on and enjoy life. But that was the baseline that I knew I had to hit and I was determined that this income was going to come from a higher level retainer service that I needed to get booked to achieve that goal.

Speaker 1: 9:45

Having that in mind, I started to make strategic moves and put in the work to make it happen. So this is what I did. I focused on a few relationships with people I was already connected to on my network, because I knew the client that I needed and wanted it needed to be a referral. I was not starting from scratch with someone that I had no idea who they were, but they did nothing about them. So I needed a referral. That would also cut down on the time that I would have to spend vetting this potential client.

Speaker 1: 10:19

But now keep in mind that at this time I was working 24 to 30 hours a week in my day job. I had to physically go into the office twice a month. I also volunteer at least 12 hours a week and I still have to care for my household, my family and that includes my aging parents, like taking them to doctor's appointments when needed, and my mom's the caretaker for my dad. So, to lighten her load, I take care of the treatment that he needs twice a week to give her a break. So my plate was full. So that's why having clarity really helped me identify what I needed to scale back on.

Speaker 1: 10:56

So I knew that my ideal new client would come from a referral, which meant social media was not a necessity. So immediately I started reducing the time that I was spending planning content for social media. I stayed active on Instagram stories, but I wasn't really posting to the feed not regularly anyway but I did post just enough so that people who would go check my profile out would know that I was still in business, because it was still, you know, recent posts at least a couple of times a month. I pretty much did the same thing on Facebook and when it comes to LinkedIn, instead of worrying about posting. I started engaging with other people's content by one, leaving reactions into leaving meaningful comments on their posts. In the meantime, network, network, network my networking started to pay off and that retainer client that I wanted, I got it, but it came from a client that I've had for many, many years Now.

Speaker 1: 11:59

You're probably wondering how was I able to take on a new client with everything that was already on my plate. Even if you aren't wondering, I'm going to tell you anyway. But it's because I've implemented all of the things that I talk about on this podcast. What I have learned in the years of doing business is many, many things that I've narrowed down into what I call the four pillars of clarity. These pillars are part of the foundation for sustainable growth without burning you out, and they're essential if you want to grow your business but keep your business from taking over your life. Those four pillars are time management and productivity, work life integration, mindset and streamline your operations for efficiency. Now talk about all four pillars collectively and individually on the podcast all the time, but I did do one episode solely focused on all four pillars, because really it's part of one of the cornerstones of my methodology and my business. I'm living proof that the four pillars work. I'm going to put a link to that episode in the show notes for you if you want to check that one out Now.

Speaker 1: 13:16

Obviously I had to have a good schedule to make sure that I allocated time where it needed to go so that I can get things done. And, honestly, my priorities change day by day, so my schedule had to account for those changes. By having this flexible but intentional schedule enabled me to be present in life when and where I needed to be. But I was also able to take care of business tasks and keep up with my workload for my client and my day job, and I had to accept that I wasn't going to be able to do everything. That really required an adjustment in my mindset. I had to get comfortable letting things fall through the cracks on purpose, like social media, because it didn't align with my priorities and while my back office was already in place, there were a few things that 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 one I changed podcast hosts. I moved from Libsyn to Busbrout because it offers quite a number of features that have made my life as a podcaster so much better, and I've also been tracking my financials using spreadsheets for years. But now, with the increased income and expenses, I decided it was time to invest in QuickBooks online to automate my bookkeeping. And again, these changes required time and attention to get them in place. Those were the two biggest changes that I made, and everything else just needed a few tweaks after I did my interview review.

Speaker 1: 14:55

Now, if you're listening to this process that I went through and it has you feeling overwhelmed, it's okay. I know the idea of scaling back is scary, because that little voice inside your head that you need to ignore is telling you that you have to do all the things. But who says that? Who put that role on you? We're just conditioned. So let's change that conditioning. It's okay to take a step back to reassess and to focus on what truly matters to you. In fact, you have to do this if you want long term success. So, if you find yourself feeling pulled in a million different directions, take a moment to pause, reflect and prioritize. That clear goes. Identify your priorities and don't be afraid to scale back if that's what it takes for you to move forward. Remember, clarity in business is not about doing more. It's about doing what matters most. So, as we wrap up today's episode, I want to thank you for tuning in. I hope that 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.

Speaker 1: 16:14

Now I don't want you to just hear this information. I want you to take action on what I've said Now. I've referred to three different podcast episodes that you can tune into later. Start by picking one of them and implementing one thing from the episode that you are going to take action on immediately. Now, if this sounds like it's just too much for you, then book a discovery call with me. It's free. We can talk through where you are right now and where you want to go and heads up.

Speaker 1: 16:48

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. Now you can hear more about what you can expect when you book a discovery call with me in a podcast episode. Of course, a link to that is also going to be in the show notes. So you know what? How about you take that next step? That's the next step I want you to take today, now, before you go.

Speaker 1: 17:17

If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe so that you get future episodes when they're released. And, as always, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram, at the underscore Shannon Baker, with any questions or thoughts that you have about this episode or anything that you've listened to on the podcast in general. And if you want to let me and other people know that you enjoy the podcast, please go to ratethispodcastcom. Slash, mind your time and leave a rating and review. I would love to read your feedback. So that's it. I look forward to you joining me back here next week, but until then, keep calm and streamline.