Ep. 010: The Scaling Myth: My Hot-Take On Your Next Step in Business

Hey business owner... Is scaling your business really the next step for you? Join me in exploring why it might *not* be and how to recognize when your desire to scale your "successful" business may be masking something deeper. Ready for a hot take?

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Transcript

  Welcome back to the podcast. Today I'm going to be giving you a little hot take.  I have been working with some mothers in business, in various stages of business, in some sessions, and have been speaking with different people online about this topic, and it is something that I think So, this is for the established business owner who is at a spot in their business where they are wanting to really grow beyond the limits that they have felt they are capped at.

And they are looking at how do I move forward in a way that feels, um, aligned, especially if they're feeling like they're reaching burnout, the things that they're doing in their business are. They are working in the sense that they are making some money,  but in another sense they are really not working because they are feeling depleted, they don't feel like they have any more capacity, they're potentially not enjoying their work,  and they're really wondering how do I step out of this box of trading my time for money and feeling capped and boxed in this stage of business that I'm in.

And many of this, these business owners are going to be told  a solution that this is my hot take is not right.  The myth is that the next step forward for business owners like this is to scale.  Now, for some people that Would be the path forward to find a way that they can  create a one to many offer Some kind of group program, hire on a team  Find ways that they can Continue to put out the same Production level of whatever they're doing in their business without having to  up their actual Energy expenditure that they are not the ones hands on doing all the things and without Lowering their income so lowering the time that they're spending Without lowering the income and the impact of what they're doing and again for some people  that might be the answer But what I want to bring to the table today is that? 

scaling amplifies everything including misalignment.  So if you were at a place in your business where  you are not loving what you're doing  and you think that the solution is to scale yourself out of the work, out of your business so that you don't actually have to do the things anymore, let's back up because there is another way to find true, Fulfillment.

So I have had some sessions with mothers and this is sort of the idea that they have been told and that they're bringing to the table is, you know, this isn't really the thing that I love doing, but I sort of have it in my mind that if I can grow this in a successful way, then maybe eventually I can scale it and it will run And make money for me so that I can actually go do the thing that I actually really love and want to do. 

And my heart feels for people who feel this way. And I have felt this way in various seasons of business. I felt this way when I was a brand designer, I wondered, okay, how can I use what I have established? Get it set up to run like a machine on autopilot. Make money for me. And I don't even have to think about branding ever again. 

Um, and again, for some people, this sort of model is the right way to go, especially if you actually do love what you are doing and you want to free yourself up to do it. More deeply in other ways and be able to stop doing the small tasks and things that you actually don't like doing to free you up to To do it and really stay in your zone of genius.

So I'm not saying scaling is never The path.  There is, of course, some wisdom in setting up various streams of income, diversifying your income, but I think, unfortunately, the mindset behind the scenario that mothers are bringing to me is the assumption that they can't actually make good money doing the thing that they love to do.

But I do want us to take a look at this today and consider that if you are feeling misaligned from the work that you are doing. Again, scaling is only going to  amplify that. So, some common symptoms of misalignment,  and these are things that I have seen in women that I have worked with, and these are things that I have felt myself. 

If you are just feeling absolutely exhausted by the work that you do, maybe when you initially started it felt fun, it felt exciting, but now you're just really dreading it. You dread showing up to do the work that you love. Are an expert in,  and that feeling exhausted and feeling that lack of enthusiasm, lack of motivation is leading to some resentment.

Maybe you are feeling resentful towards clients  who are booking.  You, of course, you want people to book, you want to be making money in your business, but you're actually feeling this weird tug and pull and tension because you don't actually want to do the work. You don't actually enjoy doing the work at this point, and so you, you're actually feeling resentful towards people that you are working with.

Feeling resentful toward yourself, and of course this can bring on like a lot of shame because you're like, Why, why do I not want to be doing the thing that's making me money? And this is the thing that I've built my entire business on. But,  again, sometimes we need to, to look in and face that there's a deeper misalignment going on here.

And scaling is not going to resolve. The deeper issues at play. I think if we really consider the business owners that we see who are being very successful, who have grown giant brands, who are really living out, you know, this, whatever version of success, yes, they have scaled their business, but again, They have done it in a way where they are truly staying in their zone of genius and you can really tell The difference between people who have grown something and then run away from it Like it's they're kind of the face, but they're not involved and those who they have grown it Because they want to do it because they love it because they can't help  from doing it.

They would do it if they didn't get paid for it, basically, because that is the thing that has lit them up and that is why they've been able to scale it, is because they are so passionate about it. So,  we need to take a different approach to scaling and realize that  the thing that is going to be the most fulfilling, the most sustainable, The most profitable, the most scalable, is the thing that you cannot shut up about, that you are absolutely in love with, that lights you up, because that is going to have a ripple effect.

That's going to be the thing that  Of course, you're, you're not gonna 100 percent of the time be head over heels, you know, going grind in your business. I'm not saying to never pause, never rest, or never, um, you know, have hard days or hard times. Of course, there's gonna be challenges. But,  when you truly are aligned with what you're doing, and you want to be doing it, It's much easier to get through those challenges, and that is going to sustain you through what it takes to scale your business when that season. 

So if this is you, you're at this point in your business, you are feeling the tug and pull of  I want something different, I want some things to change, maybe I could free up my time to do more of what I want to be doing by scaling. Again, I'm not saying scaling is not for you, but if that is the place that you're in, I do have my free Private podcast called the path to pivot and I walk through even more of what it might look like To make a shift if this is the place that you're in in your business where you've built something successful, but it is not Lighting you up anymore.

Maybe you are feeling burned out. You're feeling like you are wanting something different Go check out that private podcast. I'll leave a link in the show notes. This can also give you some Specific Examples, for one, of how I have done things, how I have made these transitions, give you some insight into how do you make a pivot without just absolutely burning it all down.

Um, and I can tell you that I have done things both ways. I have done the transition where I did burn the thing down,  and I have done the transition where I made a smoother transition without as much risk, and You know, kept an income flowing while I made my transition. I've done it both ways. So I'll give you some insight on how I have done things and how, you know, if that's a question in your mind of, okay, well, if, if scaling isn't the next step for me now, and I really need to find some alignment, what might that look like?

And so that's a great next resource for you. If that's where you are, I'm going to continue talking about. Some hot takes like this because  I know that there are other mothers like me who are where I was not feeling fulfilled in their business, feeling burnt out, and thinking that the only way forward is to continue with the boss babe grind, okay?

The hustle mentality and the just, just make it work and then you can rest when you're dead.  And I'm here to tell you that that is not the way forward and Before you scale, you need to make sure that what you're scaling truly feels like you, and you deserve to feel like you in your business. And the world needs more you. 

Okay. So being you is what your business is all about. I'd love to continue this conversation over on Instagram. So you can find me at live holy. You, if you liked this episode, uh, share it to your stories, love to continue this chat. If you want more hot takes, let me know that, and I will see you in the next episode.