Recently while doing hashtag research I was scrolling through some “top” **eyeroll** business hashtags and whew–the messaging was intense and toxic as hell. The message at the heart of it all was the same–hustle mentality. Their messages screamed things like: stop being “selfish” and work harder, you’re aren’t doing enough, pretend to be something that you’re not and more bullshit that made my blood curdle.
The funny thing is that these accounts–the ones that have hundreds of thousands of followers–contradicted themselves at every turn. Looking at their profiles I found vomit piles of buzzwords and repetitive information that was the same profile to profile. Zero actual value–no unique thoughts and shallow at best. The ick factor was HIGH–and my anger and frustration at the so-called biz gurus was too.
It’s no wonder that newish entrepreneurs–heck even seasoned ones–are saying they are burnt out and feel like their passion for business is dwindling. Trying to keep up with unrealistic expectations fueled by a hustle mentality is taking your emotional and physical energy. It’s making you think you are not enough as you are–that’s total bullshit!
Your business was created to feed your soul–not to please others.
You started your business for a reason–excitement. Whether a quick trip following the dopamine or a dream that took years to design, your business fueled your soul. In the beginning it wasn’t about what people TOLD you to do, it was about what felt right. Somewhere along the way, you started listening to the should of social media and began following hashtags and “gurus” who promised serious potential. Somewhere along that path the passion fizzled–resentment started seeping in. That resentment was fueled by compromise. You started letting go of things that were important to you for that sake of achievement, or money, or followers–whatever it was that someone said was important to you–but it wasn’t.
Let me be clear–none of those things I mentioned are bad. If those are things that your heart wants and it’s authentic to you as a person, then go for it! But if you are trying to build a bigger business and make more money because someone said you “have to”–that is what makes them bad and icky.
Navigating Hustle vs. Excitement
There is a huge difference between falling into the “hustle” and working from a place of excitement. If you’ve been working a lot, but are feeling fulfilled and you are achieving milestones that make you excited–that’s not hustle–you have drive. That drive and passion will kick in when you are really close to accomplishing a big goal, or you’ve had a major mindshift. That is a good thing! These are typically small bursts that tend to have you working a bit more than you would on average. The big thing here is that any “overtime” is temporary and once this major shift has run its course you are back to your average day to day life.
If you’ve been working overtime since you don’t know when, the passion’s gone and you feel like you are sludging through the day–that’s hustle. We want to redirect that as much as possible. The solution to get out of the hustle is different for many and typically needs some support to find a solution.
Support is typically required to get out of the hustle.
When you’ve fallen into the rut of “hustle” figuring out what’s working, what isn’, which way is up/down–it all blurs together. The ability to look at the business from a place of logic and truth–well it’s really hard because the emotions of resentment are full throttle. Talking things through and having someone dig through the data with you can truly help you find a path. Now getting someone to help you isn’t always and option and I don’t want you stuck in the “hustle” so here are some resentments I see a lot along with some solutions to help you find more 🥳and a lot less 🧟.
My business grew overnight–overwhelmed with orders/clients
- Pause taking on more orders or clients–finish what is on your plate.
- Take a moment to Organize your Project Management Tasks to get a solid idea on what actually NEEDS to get done today vs. tomorrow.
- When you get a small moment to breathe–raise your prices. This helps slow down orders and keeps your income around the same.
- Consider taking on a temp VA to help you manage the work you have right now
- Download my Client Experience Guide and Map out how you can automate some parts of your business.
I am pretending to be someone I am not in my business.
- You–the one on the inside–is worthy to be the one that’s front and center.
- Start dreaming about WHO you’d rather serve that connects with the real you–forget about attracting people who want you to be someone you aren’t.
- Show up as your authentic self a little bit everyday until you whole fabulous amazing self is front and center.
- Follow @MamaPistachio on Social Media and learn how to bring consensual entrepreneurship into your biz and your life.
- Start talking, and showing up in this new way–but don’t focus on formal rebranding. You don’t want to spend all that money on a rebrand until YOU know who you want to serve. In the meantime–start researching brand designers that “get it” and get on the books for a few months from now so you can hit the ground running when it’s time.
I am scared that if I’m not working all the time–my business will fail.
- Working all the time and running yourself ragged is going to decrease your effectiveness–give yourself some space to thrive!
- Start thinking about how you could evolve your business to work less and make more–can you uplevel your experience? Add some value to your services? Get a VA or OBM to help take things off your plate?
- Start tracking all your time and a detail of what you are doing to see exactly where the time goes. Toggl is a great tool for this!
- Look at your pricing structure, your monthly expenses and what you WANT to make–create a new pricing structure that accommodates all of these.
- Follow @CaitlynnEldridgeCPA on social media and start prioritizing your business finances in a way that makes you more money in less time.
You deserve better than a life of hustle–build a life that respects WHO you are.
That’s it–that’s the bottom line. You deserve a life of excitement and whimsy, where you get to be your authentic self, grow a biz to the size that’s right for you, working with the people you love to serve. Period. End of story. No matter who is telling you otherwise–remind yourself that you are worthy of respect. Hustle life is not respectful to you, your mental health, your physical health, your family. You get to decide what’s best for you and your business–the rest can just fuck off!
