Kathleen here. It’s no secret that I read a lot of self-improvement and non-fiction business books. Right now I’m reading Tony Robbins’ new book called MONEY: Master the Game. I also love listening to podcasts from experts like Seth Godin, Lewis Howes, and Pat Flynn (that is, when I’m not obsessing over Serial – anyone else addicted?). In the morning, over tea and oats, I’m reading blog posts and watching videos from lifestyle and business gurus like Marie Forleo and Danielle LaPorte.
With all that, I get a lot of actionable ideas from reading up on how to improve my life and my business, but every so often I start feeling bad about not having a six-figure month, or raking in millions like those guys do. These really rich and smart people are all about teaching and inspiring creative entrepreneurs like you and me to be crazy successful with million dollar launches through stuff like positive thinking and smart investments … but I’m not a millionaire (yet). But sometimes after consuming all the shiny seven-figure hype, I can fall into that rusty old comparison trap. When you’re just beginning, it’s an easy trap to get stuck in. You look at your bottom line and your upper limit and start to feel as if you’re just not enough – not smart enough, or positive enough, or famous enough.
The thing is… I DO run a really successful and growing six-figure business with my sister, but it didn’t happen overnight. Our six-figure business started with a three-figure project. It didn’t happen by launching a product and crossing our fingers. We grew Braid Creative by staying consistent in our method and working really hard for ourselves and our clients. Over two years, thousands of creatives have taken our ECourses, but just a handful at a time each month. My personal blog started with a dozen readers and those people over time became “in-real-life” friends, and their comments had more impact on my blog in the beginning than thousands of faceless “followers” that eventually started reading what I had to say. My point is this: it’s okay if your metrics are small – rock those little numbers because they matter – they set the foundation of your business. Treat the little projects like really big deals and your business will grow and attract the big numbers you desire.
