I’m attached to certain things.
My naps, for example.
Or at least the OPPORTUNITY to take a nap.
Because having “nap time” blocked off in my calendar every day helps me to show up as my best self for my clients. (And by “show up as my best self,” I mean it helps me to NOT be groggy or grouchy… the way I might be if I really wanted to take a nap but instead was committed to a client call.)
And I’ve been doing this for 17 years. I was all of 35 seconds into “being my own boss” before I dumped out the old 9-5 working hours paradigm.
The nap ritual serves me well.
But I see plenty of people getting (and staying) super attached to things that DON’T serve them.
“That’s the way it’s supposed to be done!”
“I don’t love doing it as much anymore, but it’s predictable so I’m ok sticking with it.”
“I’ve already put so much time and effort into building this… I can’t afford to fail.”
That last one is especially sticky.
“I had this idea, I built the thing, and damn it, I’m going to MAKE it work or ELSE.”
It’s pushy. Forceful.
(The opposite of napping.)
When we get trapped in “this is the way it has to happen, damn it,” we miss out on the chance for a pivot.
It’s like a conversation I had with a client last week.
Over the summer, we did a strategy intensive and came up with an offer specifically for wedding planners. She’d grown tired of being bogged down in handling the logistics of weddings herself and was continuing to look for more and more ways to diversify. She’s a big picture, multi-passionate woman!
So we put together a plan: she would create a collective for wedding planners as a way for her to promote 2 of her other business lines (rentals and florals.) Plus it would allow her to branch out into a different kind of leadership role.
She was excited about the pivot and I was excited for her.
But when we checked in last week, she told me that her own biz pivot accidentally sparked an industry-wide movement.
Because the members of her collective love my client….
And more than that, they fell in love with each OTHER.
Apparently, the wedding planning industry can be kind of catty… lots of infighting. So the women my client gathered together were shocked by how well they all got along and how great it was when they worked WITH each other instead of AGAINST each other.
So the members of her collective are all fired up now to share how they did it with their fellow event planners across the country. They’re ready and eager to help. They’re out to change the DNA of the wedding planning industry.
And my client gets to lead the charge.
If she’d stayed super attached to her initial idea for a pivot, she would’ve missed out on the NEXT big idea for a pivot.
But now? She gets to be excited about speaking all over the country about the power of collaboration to reshape an entire industry.
And she wouldn’t have gotten to that point without having followed through on the reinvention before it.
She went from point A when we did her VIP day in June…
(And honestly, it was more like point Q, because she’d been doing event planning for a good long time… but let’s make the letters straightforward.)
To point B, with a community of industry professionals who were eager to collaborate by following through with the strategy we created…
Which set her up to be at point C of expanding the collective nationwide.
And what’s after that?
I’ll tell you: the members of her collective are supporting her for a BIGGIE corporate event she landed. A client she doesn’t think she would’ve attracted had she not pursued the collective in the first place. Hello, point D.
And then what’s after that?
We can’t be sure, but we’ve got ideas AND are open to possibilities we can’t even predict. 😘
Hell, I hate to think where I’d be if I’d said “nope, my work hours are from 9-5 because that’s the way serious business owners do it. Naps are for kindergarteners. I’ll just suffer through these 4pm calls even though I’d rather be vegging.”
If I’d remain stuck on that old business rule, I wouldn’t be fresh for my clients.
And that’s the beautiful thing:
When you move toward something that works better for you (whether it’s naps or a whole new business model) you’re moving toward a new future that you may not be able to see when you take the first step. 👠
The pivot that comes after the pivot is sometimes the best pivot of all.
When you’re ready to pivot… here are 3 ways I’d love to help:
1. Attend a Business Design Workshop (aka Pivot Party! 💃🏼)
Clarify and optimize your highest priority value stream — without losing valuable time trying to figure it out on your own. Quarterly 2020 dates to choose from. Plus seats are $100 off through December, 2019: https://carolynherfurth.com/bdw
2. Go BEYOND with me as your strategic thought partner
As a successful, multi-6 or 7 figure business owner, BEYOND is your opportunity to look at “all the things” in your business in a private, 90-day sprint. All eyes are on you. No stone is left unturned as we take you (and your profits!) from comfortable… to formidable. Schedule an “Explore BEYOND” conversation here: https://carolynherfurth.com/beyond
3. Hit me up to tell me your favorite pivot story! Maybe we’ll feature you in a future article.
