Onboarding A New Contractor

So you’ve hired your first contractor - congratulations! You’ve made it through getting organized before hiring and interviewing. Did you sigh in relief? It can be a ton of work to make it through those steps, so great work. Now it’s time to onboard your new team member. You want it to be super easy on both of you, and there are some simple ways you can make that happen. 

Access to Tools and Platforms

Take the first week to set your team member up on the platforms you use. You can either set up a new profile for them or share your personal password. If you’re sharing passwords, there are two good options you can use. 

You can use a secure password-sharing site such as LastPass where you’re in control of how much access your team member has to your passwords. You can also store secure information such as credit card information, if needed, if your contractor will be spending on your behalf. You can also change your passwords to something secure but nonpersonal to feel less wary of sharing. Remember, you can change passwords at any time, so if there comes a time when you need to limit or remove a contractor’s access, it’s simple to do. 

Here are a few things you may need to share with your contractor:

• Templates (Canva, Google Docs, Word Docs, etc.)

• Storage folders (Google Drive, Dropbox)

• Website (Squarespace, WordPress, Wix)

• Email marketing platform (HubSpot, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Flodesk, ActiveCampaign, etc.)

• Project management platform (Asana, Trello)

• Communication (Email, Slack, phone number)

• Social platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest)

Training Videos

Training videos are a great way to help new contractors. By recording demo videos, the individual can go back and rewatch the training as much as they need rather than showing them on a call and then coming back to you because they forgot how to do something. Loom and Zoom are great options to record the videos, then you can store them in a shared Google Drive folder!

In the videos, you can show them how to use a platform, your method for completing a task, how you expect things to be recorded, etc. Plan to cover any tasks you want them to do in a specific way. 

Set Boundaries

Just as you set boundaries with your clients (if you don’t, you should!), you also need to set boundaries with your contractors. Set expectations around working hours, communication, deadlines, and payment terms. A lot of these should have been communicated during the interview process, but take time to clearly explain what you expect and why. While the “why” isn’t necessarily a requirement, it can help set the relationship on a good path and establish trust on a person-to-person basis.  

The onboarding process is also a great time to set up recurring meetings, if needed. You’ll probably need more meeting time at the beginning of the contract to get your team member(s) comfortable with your business and their tasks. If you need to meet weekly then move to monthly, make that clear with your contractor, and get something on the calendar that works for both of you. 

Legal Obligations

If you hire a part-time contractor, you’ll need them to fill out a W-9 and 1099 form. A W-9 asks for personal information from your contractor such as name, business name, address, and Taxpayer Identification Number or Social Security Number. 

A 1099 reports how much you’ve paid your contractor in a given year. It’s required if you pay your contractor more than $600 in a calendar year. I recommend chatting with a bookkeeper or accountant if you’re unsure which forms to have your new contractor fill out for you.

Be Patient

Be patient with yourself and your new team member. You’re both going through a change, and that requires time. Some things may not get done perfectly the first time, and there may be some miscommunication. It’s all part of working out the kinks of working together. In a new working relationship, everyone is trying their best, even if they sometimes fall short. As time goes on, you’ll learn each other's communication styles and work habits. It will get easier the longer you work together.

Be flexible with the working style of the contractor and be willing to adapt to the processes and tools they’re comfortable using. And be grateful for the services they’re providing you! Heartfelt notes of thanks go a long way and will make your team member feel appreciated. 

Hiring a new team member is an exciting time! I want to help you make it the best working relationship possible for both you and the contractor. When onboarding, make sure you share all applicable logins, create training videos, set boundaries, and be patient. These things take time to get right. Just remember that this person is here to help you grow your business. Make it as easy as possible for them to do so, and I know your business will flourish.

How to Stick With Your Business Goals

It’s the month to make goals. And in another few weeks, to fall off of them. We know ‘em, we love ‘em: New Year's Resolutions. 

I’m all for people trying to improve themselves personally and professionally. I just think we need to be better about how we set goals and make sure we stick with them. 

It’s easy to say you’re going to do something…but life gets in the way and you forget about it or continue to push it off. 

Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen to you in 2022!

Why Business Goals are Important

According to Positive Psychology, “Setting goals helps trigger new behaviors, helps guide your focus and helps you sustain that momentum in life. Goals also help align your focus and promote a sense of self-mastery. In the end, you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and you can’t improve upon something that you don’t properly manage. Setting goals can help you do all of that and more.” 

You might have an idea of where you want to be in five or ten years, but how are you going to get there? Goals are meant to help you achieve your dream life. They’re small wins that add up to big wins. Goals motivate us and remind us what we’re working towards. Goal setting is important because it gives you the confidence you need to achieve success, whatever that looks like for you.

How to Stick with Your Business Goals/Accountability

So how do you stick with your goals once you set them? Here are a few of our favorite ways to help keep you moving forward. 

SMART Goals

We’ve all heard of SMART goals, right? If not, it means your goals are:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Attainable

• Realistic

• Time-bound

SMART goals are the perfect way to stick to your business goals. The purpose is to get really specific about what you want to achieve. For example, you wouldn’t say, “I want to increase my revenue.” A SMART goal would be, “I’m going to increase my revenue by 10% by the end of Q1 by bringing on three new clients at $1,000/month.” 

You know your timeline (end of Q1), how to measure it, it’s super specific, and it’s attainable and realistic. Start making SMART goals, and you’ll reach your goals faster. 

SMART goals also work particularly well for writers, in case you’re a creative professional looking to get your writing on track this year, too.

Accountability Partner

Another way to stick to your business goals is to find an accountability partner. Someone to give you a kick in the ass when you need it (kindly, of course). This could be a business partner, friend, family member, significant other, or anyone else who you trust to keep you accountable. 

If you’d rather work with someone you don’t know as well, you can find accountability partners in Facebook groups. Find and join a few that relate to your business, and look for someone (or a few people!) who you can build a relationship with. Then you can be an accountability partner for them, too. We love a good, supportive community!

Write it Down

Writing down your goals makes them feel more real. They aren’t just a thought; you have them right in front of you. Better yet, put your goals in several areas of your office or workspace so you have a constant reminder of what you’re working towards. On mirrors, behind your computer, on your desk, and anywhere else where you’ll see them every day.

Have a Mix of Goals

It’s really helped me to have short-term goals and long-term goals. If you only have long-term goals, they don’t feel as attainable. Like, they’re so far away that you have time to procrastinate. On the other hand, if you only have short-term goals, you don’t have a clear vision for what you want to achieve in the long term. Have a mix of both. I like to scaffold my goals, which means that my short-term goals work toward the long-term goals.

Celebrate wins

Goal setting doesn’t have to be boring. Celebrate when you reach a goal! If you plan to reward yourself for hitting certain goals, you can post that next to the goals to keep you motivated, especially on days where it seems really hard to keep moving forward. Celebrate all wins - big and small. Everything you did to achieve your goal is worthy of celebrating. 

Business Goal Ideas

Sometimes it’s hard to think of goals - I struggle with it sometimes myself. Maybe you have a goal in mind (or too many), but you’re not sure how to get there. 

Here are a few templates you can customize to your goals: 

• I’m going to increase my revenue by % in [timeframe]

• I’m going to grow my [social media platform] following by # in [timeframe]

• I’m going to book # new clients at $X/month in [timeframe]

• I’m going to create # lead magnets per [week/month/quarter] in [timeframe]

• I’m going to post on [social media platform] X times per [week/month/quarter] in [timeframe]

• I’m going to send # emails per [week/month/quarter] in [timeframe]

Which goal are you going to set and achieve first? 

I’ll share a few of my goals for 2022.

• I’m going to post on Instagram at least once a week by the end of Q1. 

• I’m going to increase my revenue by at least $30K by the end of the year. 

• I’m going to hire a VA to help with admin tasks by the end of the year.

I hope this blog has inspired you to create a few smart, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals (see what I did there?) I want to support you along your journey! Make a post sharing your 2022 business goals on LinkedIn and tag me!

Boundaries for Business During the Holidays

Ah, the holidays. It’s the most wonderful time of the year… and the most stressful. You’re getting pulled in all sorts of directions from family, friends, clients, employees, and contractors that you barely have an hour to yourself in December. Sound familiar?

This is the time of year to set boundaries, if you haven’t already. You need to set boundaries with clients and people in your personal life. It’s challenging enough to balance everything that’s asked of you this time of year. Let’s make sure you're set up to be a ray of sunshine this holiday season.

What Does it Mean to Set Boundaries?

Boundaries allow you to set expectations with people in your life. You should always set boundaries so you can maintain a healthy work-life balance, and not be put in uncomfortable or frustrating situations.

The word ‘boundary’ can come off a little harsh, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can set boundaries in a respectful, kind, and subtle way. In other words, you don’t have to say, “You’re breaking my boundaries!” Calmly let someone know how their actions make you feel. (We’ll get into the “how” of this more in a minute.)

Why it’s Important to Set Boundaries

Work boundaries are especially important during the holidays. Your time is stretched by more people, activities, and things to do… It can get stressful if you don’t have boundaries set in place!

In business, setting boundaries will allow you to show up as your best self. You won’t come to work run ragged or angry or frustrated or sleep-deprived. It’s up to you to take care of yourself so you can perform your best work. When you set boundaries (and stick to them), you and your clients will benefit. 

The question is: what boundaries do you need to put in place to help you do that? 

It’s much harder to set boundaries in your personal life. Saying no to mom or dad is different than saying no to a client. But it’s how you show up as your best self. You have to do what’s best for you, even if it means disappointing people you care about. 

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t be respectful and explain why you’re making the choices with your boundaries. Your loved ones care about you and want the best for you. If that means you have to set a boundary with them, they’ll learn to work within it or around it. 

3 Steps to Set Boundaries in Your Business

So we know we need boundaries, but how do we establish them? Let me let you in on a little secret: it’s not actually that complicated. Notice I didn’t say “easy” - it can be hard to maintain boundaries, especially for small businesses, during the holidays. 

That being said, these 3 simple steps will make a world of difference! 

1. Inform Clients of Time Off

It’s okay to take time off, especially during the holidays! A lot of people are taking time off, and no one will blame you for doing the same. It’s a much-needed break that we encourage you to take!

But, be clear about when you will be unavailable. Give your clients time to accommodate your absence. You don’t want to leave them high and dry, so give them plenty of notice about your time off and what you can do for them before taking vacation time. 

Setting an out-of-office reminder is also a must-do. Just because you inform your clients of your time off doesn’t mean they’ll remember. They have enough on their plate (which is probably why they hired you). They don’t have time to remember your schedule. Set an automated out-of-office email as a gentle reminder that you’re not available. Don’t forget to mention when you’ll be back online and include a way to contact you if it’s an emergency.

2. How to Communicate with you

How do you prefer to communicate with your clients? Personally, I don’t mind texting and phone calls, but some people don’t like that. With so many means of communicating nowadays, you need to make it clear what you prefer. 

When you tell clients your preferences up front, you won’t be stuck in an awkward situation of a client messaging you on Facebook Messenger (and missing the message entirely) when you prefer email or texting. It sets a clear boundary between your work and personal life.

3. Say No

Everyone understands that the holidays are ultra-busy. If you say no to a project or extra meeting because you don’t have the time or energy to do it, it’s okay! Let your client know, respectfully, that you would prefer to push it back to the new year because you don’t have the capacity to take on anything more. If they need something done quickly, they may have to find someone else to complete the project. That’s okay, too!

I learned this lesson the hard way, and in fact still sometimes have the urge to take on more than I can really accomplish. I said yes to too many clients at once, because I wanted to grow my business and income faster. But as soon as I turned to examine what was actually on my plate, it immediately became overwhelming. I was working all the time, feeling the constant presence of burnout. It honestly sucked. So when I was able to finally say “no” to a stressful client that wasn’t a good fit for my business, it felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. It’s hard, but saying no is a good thing.

3 Ways to Set Boundaries in Your Personal Life

Setting boundaries with family and friends is one of the hardest things to do. Especially around the holidays, your time and attention are requested more than usual. You might be seeing family you only see once a year. Maybe friends are flying in for the holidays and want to hang out. It’s generally just a hectic time of year. 

During this hectic time, your boundaries will be your besties. Here are a few ways you can set boundaries with people in your personal life.

1. Say No

Yes, I’m saying it again! It’s okay to say no to things you don’t want to do or simply don’t have the time to do. It does you more harm than good to squeeze in another lunch date with a friend or spend five hours shopping for the perfect gift at the mall with your aunt. You get to decide what’s most important to you. 

2. Explain Your Boundary

Establishing new boundaries isn’t easy. People may not understand why you suddenly stop doing something you used to do. While you don’t owe anyone an explanation, it’s a good idea to let people know the basics of why you’re making the change. 

You can say something like, “I’m going to stop doing XYZ because it makes me uncomfortable.” Or, “I’m going to start doing XYZ so I can have better balance in my life.” Inform people of your boundary and kindly remind them if they accidentally break them. Eventually, your boundaries will become a habit for them, too.

3. Don’t Accept Less

How often do we accept someone being 10 minutes late, breaking something they borrowed from you, bailing on plans, or not following up on a promise? I’ve been burned many times, and it stings each time. I know things happen, but it feels like “things happen” with certain people. Every. Single. Time. 

Eventually enough has to be enough. It’s okay to make less time for people who flake out on you at the last minute every time you get together, and it’s okay to express disappointment when someone breaks a promise. That doesn’t mean you have to cut them out of your life (unless that’s the boundary you want to draw), but it should make you evaluate what you want and expect from the relationship. 

Start to set boundaries with those around you. It’s okay to let people know your expectations. PsychCentral suggests, “If you’re dealing with someone who is perpetually late, communicate this to them ahead of time — let them know you will be leaving after a certain amount of time has passed. Still, try not to sound accusatory. Consider acknowledging that you two have different personalities. You’re not trying to change them, but you need to set time boundaries for yourself because you can’t afford or don’t want to wait any longer.” 

If  there’s a main takeaway here (or if you’ve scrolled to the bottom - hi, friend!), know that it’s good to set boundaries for yourself. You need them to have a happy, healthy, and balanced life. No one will set them for you. It’s up to you to decide what boundaries to set, who to set them with, and how to enforce them. You’ve got this! 

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy holiday!

10 Things No One Tells You as a New Business Owner

This week has been a bad mental health week for a number of reasons. It’s not just because my husband and I waited 4 hours to vote on Tuesday, or because I’ve felt behind since Monday. It’s not even the fact that baby Maxwell has to have a second eye surgery next week (most likely because of his own shenanigans).

It’s one of those things that everything adds up little by little and all the sudden just hits you without any warning.

Mental health is something people don’t talk about enough in business, if at all, even though it’s an absolutely essential piece of the conversation.

I’m not sharing this to complain, but I think mental health is something people don’t talk about enough in business, if at all, even though it’s an absolutely essential piece of the conversation.

So, despite the fact that I’ve had a different piece of content planned for 6 weeks or more, I’m going to share some things no one tells you about being a business owner because if you or someone close to you is thinking about starting a business, you need to know.

1) You can’t just drop your personal life at the door.

My very first job out of grad school was the only time I ever got any type of negative review in the workplace. The comments were glowing all the way until the end when it said, “You need to check your personal life at the door when you come to work.”

The ironic thing was that during the review I asked if my personal life had ever been a barrier in providing excellent customer service and the answer was a resounding “no,” after which I listened to a somewhat lengthy monologue about how it wasn’t a professional thing to bring your personal life to work. Professionals, my manager said, were able to check their emotions and focus only on work while at work.

Here’s the deal: life happens. In the 3 months leading up to that review, we were buying a house, my husband got diagnosed with Diabetes, I got diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, I broke a tooth that needed an expensive dental repair, I lived an hour away from work, and it was my first time in the full time 9-5 workforce.

Whether or not you work in an office or for yourself, there’s not always an option to check your personal life at the door when you’re doing business.

Whether or not you work in an office or for yourself, there’s not always an option to check your personal life at the door when you’re doing business. Especially when you’re working from home.

If we’re on Zoom during the day, there’s a good chance you might see my dogs (or hear them). You might see a neat pile of sewing supplies in the background, or I may not have a full face of makeup on.

The fact of the matter is that you have a personal life. Everyone does! It doesn’t make you less professional that you have a hobby or pets in your house…that you live in. It doesn’t make you less professional to apologize for being a moment late to a meeting because your child is melting down from eLearning, or even because the last 30 minutes was your only break throughout the day and you just need a moment to stretch!

Ultimately, the best indicator of professionality is communication. Communicate often and clearly, and if that means sharing a little explanation for rescheduling a meeting than so be it. Of course, there is a time for ultra-formality, but it’s unlikely that this needs to be an everyday occurrence for most small business owners.

When you are the business owner, especially at the beginning when you’re the only one in your business, you have to be able to deal with life around you, and sometimes a little of that runs over into business life.  

2) What’s that thing you call work/life balance?

I am a huge advocate for balance in our lives. I firmly believe that making time for our own interests and our family and friends is critical to good mental health, and ultimately to living a fulfilling life.

But I’m gonna get real honest here for a moment: business ownership can be all-consuming. If you let it, it WILL be the only thing you think about days, nights, weekends, vacations – the whole shebang.

As my husband noted during the height of lockdown, I use work to process and deal with hardship and stress. I work harder instead of taking a break when I get worn out.

Business ownership can be all-consuming. If you let it, it WILL be the only thing you think about days, nights, weekends, vacations – the whole shebang.

I suspect many other business owners also face this conundrum. We feel like if we’re not constantly working our business will somehow collapse before our eyes. So, it’s really a fear mechanism that if we stop for a moment (which is healthy), everything we’ve worked so hard for will instantly vanish.

I’m not saying there’s not a chance of that happening. If 2020 has taught us anything it’s that nothing is guaranteed, and we should all be prepared to be flexible and pivot when we need to. What I am saying is that it’s possible to have a balance in your life without your business collapsing. It’s possible to go on vacation for a few days or a week and come back refreshed without thinking you’re going to come back to a pile of business rubble.

If you can’t take time away, you need to reconsider your business model.

3) Burnout is a SERIOUS issue that you HAVE TO deal with.

As you might suspect, working more and making more decisions is hard! Especially if you’ve never been in a leadership role.

When you begin to own your new leadership, it’s exhausting. There are some weeks you make more important decisions for your business than you might have made in a year in your personal life. Likewise, there may be many setbacks occurring all at once.

When you do this for long periods of time with inadequate relaxation and breaks, you get burnt out. Your business won’t seem nearly as fun, even if it’s what you love to do. Your motivation will slip, and you’ll find yourself making excuses to avoid work even when you know there are deadlines looming and your paycheck is on the line.

Burnout is a huge problem in the professional world, especially in a society that “hustles” so much. The reality is that you have to deal with this. You can’t just ignore it and keep working (or avoiding work).

Burnout is a huge problem in the professional world, especially in a society that “hustles” so much. The reality is that you have to deal with this. You can’t just ignore it and keep working (or avoiding work).

Let me share an instance of what happens when you ignore burnout. When we first got back from vacation in the beginning of September, I worked 7 days a week and literally made myself sick because I didn’t deal with the major burnout I had from jumping back in too fast.

Just yesterday morning I was doing my morning journaling and writing about how stressed I was because of X, Y, & Z and I found myself in tears but unable to just cry for a moment to let it out because I had an eminent video interview for a piece of content coming up in a few weeks. It’s time for a break, folks! Mental & emotional health absolutely effect your physical wellbeing and you have to take care of yourself first.

4) It’s overwhelming to learn how much you don’t know.

This might seem silly – after all, we don’t know what we don’t know, right?

 Wrong.

When you start a business there will almost certainly and immediately be a long list of things you know you don’t know. What’s overwhelming is the sheer amount and figuring out how the hell you’re going to learn it.

 A lot of it has to do with prioritization. Even if you have a list, priorities for a new business can shift every day. Some days you’ll need to know more about social media marketing, some days you’ll need to learn about bookkeeping, and some days you’ll just need to focus on how to plan for the learning you still need to do.

When you start a business there will almost certainly and immediately be a long list of things you know you don’t know.

 At some point, you’ll probably have the brilliant idea to hire people to help you, followed by a flurry of research and the realization that everything you need help with is expensive to hire out.

It’s okay that you don’t know all the things! And there are some things you probably will have very little interest in knowing much about – those are the things you will eventually hire out. Just remember that it takes time to be able to prioritize your time efficiently and effectively. It takes time to learn how all the pieces fit together, let alone how each one works on its own. It’s okay, just take one baby step at a time. It will start to come together.

5) There may not be anyone who you can ask for help.

I’m not sure if you have a network of entrepreneurs around you or not, but I certainly didn’t when I started my business. I didn’t know one person who owned a business, let alone an online business!

So, there was no one to ask for help when I was stuck.

Don’t underestimate the power of networking! I have found my new online peers to be extraordinarily helpful in growing my business.

It might be like that for you, or you might know some people who do something similar to what you want to do with your business. Either way, sometimes there’s just no one to ask – except maybe Facebook groups, most of which you don’t know everyone in the group very well.

Don’t underestimate the power of networking! I have found my new online peers to be extraordinarily helpful in growing my business. It might be uncomfortable at first, but fresh perspective is almost always helpful. Make it a priority early on to build a network of like-minded people who can help you when no one in your immediate personal circle has a clue what you’re doing, let alone how to help you.

6) People don’t always believe in or understand what you’re doing.

This might sound harsh, but it’s true. That doesn’t mean people don’t believe in you. Hopefully your inner circle of loved ones believes in you and your big dreams, even when they don’t understand how in the world you could make money at it.

My husband and I were talking about this recently because I met one of my major income goals for the year. I happened to say something about how I thought he felt like I was crazy for setting such a scary goal in January. To my surprise (and delight), he said something like, “Yeah, I did kind of think you were crazy.”

Sometimes you just have to be your own inspiration until others catch on.

Why would I delight in this?

Because the next thing out of his mouth was, “I didn’t really understand how you were going to do it, but I knew that if anyone could do it, it was you.”

Heart eyes, right?!

I, of course, laughed when he said he’d thought I was crazy. I knew it, just like I knew other people in my life had NO IDEA how I was going to make a living writing, let alone doing writing coaching. But I’m me, and that was enough knowledge for them to support me even when they didn’t understand. Sometimes you just have to be your own inspiration until others catch on.

7) Succeeding is scary.

I was making investments in myself and my business long before I was making profit.

And let me tell you, it’s SCARY.

Like, fingers shaking on the mouse before you click to pay. Like, wondering how in the world you were going to pay this back when you already have bills stacking up. Like, should I spend this money at all or should I keep hoarding it for a rainier day than today?

Unexpectedly, it’s also scary when you get your first client. And when you send the biggest invoice you’ve ever sent… and the client pays it without a question or second thought!

So weird, right?

It’s also a huge rush. I definitely wasn’t prepared to be nervous about billing for services I’d already completed.

8) Business requires infrastructure, even though you may not be in an office setting.

So, you know all those systems you used in your corporate job? The nice CRMs or the project management software? Maybe even the SOPs?

None of those are there in a brand new business.

Like, nothing.

You have to build all those things from the ground up, even if/when you know nothing about it.

Admin tasks are no joke! In the beginning, a ton of tasks you do will be administrative. It has to be that way because in order to really scale and grow you need those pieces in place.

Alternatively, you could pay someone to develop a system for you on top of whatever software you need. You can probably get by with free tools or ones you already have on your computer for a little while, but unless you designed all those beautiful spreadsheets and implemented bookkeeping at your old job it’s a lot of dang work! And even if you did those things, it still takes a long time and a lot of effort to build.  

And it has to be done. You can’t avoid it, just like you can’t avoid taking care of burnout. Admin tasks are no joke! In the beginning, a ton of tasks you do will be administrative. It has to be that way because in order to really scale and grow you need those pieces in place. You have to be able to tell where your money is going and where your projects are.

9) Providing services to others makes you question what your time is worth.

There’s nothing quite like a prospective client asking what your rate is for a service. There’s also nothing quite like having a client say that their budget is half your rate.

You immediately question whether your rate is appropriate and whether you could come down for this client only. You also feel like backtracking and saying, “Oh, did I say $40/hour? I meant for this other service. For what you want I’ll do $20/hour” even when you DON’T mean the other service.

The real question to ask yourself is what you bring to the table. What makes your service worth the money you charge for it?

When you offer services, realize that your ability to serve will be maxed out at some point. There are only so many hours in a day to do work, so in order to grow, you will eventually have to raise your rates and figure out how to diversify your income.

$20/hour seems like a lot – and it is a good amount! But when you’re a business owner you also have to think about how you’re going to grow.

You’re going to have to work a lot more of those $20/hour jobs than you would if you had a higher rate. The more jobs you take, the less time you’ll have to create a strong infrastructure and figure out how to do the business end of your business.

I will say that if you’re a complete beginner in your area, it’s not a bad idea to work for a lower rate at first to get some experience behind you. Get some social proof while you’re finding clients and building your business. But when you offer services, realize that your ability to serve will be maxed out at some point. There are only so many hours in a day to do work, so in order to grow, you will eventually have to raise your rates and figure out how to diversify your income.

10) If you love what you do in your business, it will probably be one of the best things you ever do.

I feel like the things I’ve talked about have been more on the negative side, but truly, being a business owner is incredibly rewarding!

It’s unlike anything else I’ve ever done, and probably unlike most things you’ve done, too.

It’s also the best thing I’ve done professionally, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

It’s also the best thing I’ve done professionally, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

You get to see your hard work get results, even if they’re slower than expected. You get to see progress and growth and opportunity. You get to experience the thrill of being the ultimate “boss” and make decisions that actually matter! You get to be you doing what you love, and what career offers that kind of opportunity better than your own business?

This week was a bad mental health week, and you know what? It’s okay. It’s okay that I’ve had to move a meeting here and there. It’s okay that I’m overwhelmed. I know it will pass.

But I didn’t feel that way when I first started my business. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s so important to talk about!

My challenge to you, especially if you’re thinking about starting a business, is to do one nice self-care thing for yourself this week and make it a habit!

4 Simple Steps to Stop Unnecessary Rewriting

You’ve written and edited a beautifully detailed scene, and because you know yourself, you’ve taken a few days off to get some critical distance. 

You come back and to your utter horror, you hate it. 

Every. Single. Detail. 

You scrap it and rewrite it, feeling assured that this time was definitely better! 

You come back the next day and groan. It’s just as bad as the first time! 

The crumpled drafts are piling up and you are so sick of looking at this dang scene! You throw something on the page haphazardly and slam your laptop shut with frustration. 

Does this sound familiar? 

For many writers, it’s hard to be completely satisfied with our words, even when they’re supposed to be “done” or close to done. We get into a cycle of rewriting on repeat until our brain feels like it’s going to explode. 

It’s not fun, is it? 

The good news is, you can teach yourself to stop rewriting so many times.

What do I Mean by Rewriting? 

Before we dig in to how to solve the rewriting issue, I wanted to clarify what I mean by rewriting because some people use it differently. 

What I mean when I say rewrite is one of two things: 

1. You’ve gotten rid of or decided not to use all of a piece of writing. For example, an entire 10-page scene from the draft of a book

2. You’ve kept the main idea of a piece of writing, but reconfigured how it actually reads. For example, a chapter about love started out as a nasty divorce but now reads as a first conversation about the possibility of ending a marriage.

Rewriting is a big deal because it takes a lot of time and effort - it’s not just sentence level editing. 

Why do we Rewrite? 

We don’t just rewrite because it’s fun, right? Because most of the time it’s really not that fun. 

In my experience, there are 3 main reason writers do serious rewriting:

1. Needs Improvement - Sometimes our writing just wasn’t that great the first time around. It - needs to be better, clearer, more descriptive - something just needs to be better.

   There are legitimate reasons to rewrite, like this one. Rewriting is part of the writing process, honestly, because we can’t possibly be great every first draft we do. The problem becomes when we obsess over being perfect, not when we’re actually working to make our writing better.

2. Not Satisfied with Words - The most common reason I hear for major rewriting is because a writer isn’t satisfied with what they’ve written for some reason or another.

   Many times it’s not even because the writing itself is bad or needs significant improvement. It’s because the words on the page don’t reflect exactly what the writer imagined, so instead of taking some distance and getting fresh eyes, they throw away their work and start over. 

3. Perfectionism - I talk a lot about being a recovering perfectionist, which is only relevant here because it comes up so much with rewriting. Everyone wants their words to be amazing! 

   No one is perfect, though. The idea that our words could truly be perfect if we just keep rewriting only serves to slow us down from the real progress we could be making with editing and adding new good material. 

If this sounds like something you do (I know I’ve struggled with this, especially before getting feedback!), here’s what you can do. 

4 Simple Steps to Stop Unnecessary Rewriting

1. Take a Breath - Before you put your hands on your keyboard (or on your printed manuscript), take a deep breath. Think about this exact moment in time and what you’re about to do. Consider why you want to rewrite (or rewrite again in many cases). 

2. Give Your Document One Last Look - Read through your words, even if you’ve decided you hate them. Look at what’s actually on the page and note what you don’t like about them. Really consider why you want to rewrite this section and how long that might take. Make notes about it, if that will help you process.

3. Close the Document or Put the Document in Your Drawer - Without erasing anything, or throwing anything in the trash can, put that bad boy away! If you’re prepared to completely erase your hard work and have your finger poised over the delete button, stop yourself right now and put it back where it came from.

4. Do NOT Open that Document or Drawer Until It’s Time to Work Again - When it’s time for your next writing session, and not a minute before, get that writing out and look at the notes you made. See if there’s anything you can add, or if there are things you can move around rather than rewriting the whole piece. 

Taking some time away from this writing, especially if you hate it, will help you make a calmer, more collected decision rather than an emotional spur of the moment choice you might regret later. 

Next Steps

I’m not saying there’s never a time to scrap pieces of writing - some of it can be bad. Like, embarrassing bad. But you can almost always improve something rather than spending your time continuing to start over and over again. It will probably be less frustrating that way, too!

The question is, what to do with this information? 

1. Admit to yourself that you may have a problem with rewriting. You don’t have to tell anyone if you don’t want to, but in order to train yourself to stop, you need to acknowledge that you have an issue with rewriting too many times. 

2. Decide that your best is enough. This is key: YOUR BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH. That’s not to say you won’t need editing, because you probably will - everyone does; but your words that express your ideas are good enough the way you write them. You can always clarify and add to your heart’s content, but you need to decide for yourself that you and your effort are good enough to stop constantly rewriting. 

3. Decide to put the draft away for a while. This is probably the hardest part. You need critical distance away from your writing - it’s important to the writing process. When you’re excited or close to finishing a section, it can be really hard to put it down and walk away, especially if you feel like you could rewrite the piece quickly. Be brave and make the decision to put that draft away and take a break for a little bit. 

4. Get assistance with how to rewrite more effectively when you’re ready to go back to your project (or start a new one). One of the difficult parts about writing is that it’s largely solitary. We create these worlds from our mind but we do it alone! 

   If you’re stuck, or you just want a friendly face to help keep you accountable (and boost your confidence so you can kick rewriting’s butt), I can help. I work with writers on this all the time because it’s hard! Doing it alone can make it harder, so why not enlist help? Click here to read more about how we can work together and get you on the right track. 

My challenge to you is to take a long hard look at why you’re rewriting so much and decide to tackle it so you can move on with your project.

How do you handle rewriting? Are you stuck in the perpetually rewriting loop? Have you escaped the loop using another idea? I’d love to hear about your experiences! Find me on social media, drop a comment below, or email me at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com!

Let’s chat because you, my friend, are on your way to great writing.