When I re-prioritize the elements of my multiple businesses, I try to see patterns that will allow me to leverage the goals of one to strengthen the goals of the others (as I imagine most business owners do).
An Example: Scentsy & Rosebud Academy
You’ll notice that, on my blog posts, I now have a graphic that includes the Scentsy bar I’m warming in my office. With my new schedule, I need to look for new ways to let people know that I’m a consultant or else drop the business (you’ll see why that latter option is less than ideal for me shortly), but I’m still trying to do that in a way that doesn’t frighten my writers and authors into thinking I’m wanting to only focus on Scentsy, or that I’m choosing to put Scentsy in front of my editing and agenting.
Scentsy fits into my overall goals, because it allows me to bring in some money on the side that doesn’t require a lot of post-sales time (I don’t have any hours to fit into my schedule once someone decides they want something–it’s just click, buy, and enjoy). In other words, while the return isn’t as high, neither is the time investment required to attain it, which allows it to remain a feasible inclusion in my life.
More to the point, though, how does Scentsy strengthen and support the goals I have for my other businesses?
Beyond the sales through socialization factor it offers (getting me around flesh and blood humans, rather than staring at a computer screen), using Scentsy lets me start the day out with getting to choose what tone I want in the office. That’s a sense of control that sets the day up to be successful, because some days being in control of anything is validation enough to keep going (ha!). A more concrete way that Scentsy strengthens my other goals is by getting my little girl involved. Part of my homeschool goals include successfully instilling “financial literacy” from Pre-K on up. To that end, I recreated the ordering forms so that she could take the orders herself (armed only with a notebook, some cutouts, and glue stick).
The money I make from Scentsy goes entirely towards Rosebud Academy (the most direct way in which it supports my other goals). It buys her curriculum, the art supplies, pays for field trips, adventure hikes, etc., all while allowing me to incorporate a financial literacy unit within her school day that she’s excited about, because she’s involved with the sales. We obviously don’t sell during school time, but when we go over money in class, relating it to Scentsy lets her see a real life application of money being earned, not just through the daily spending that she sees when we go to the store.
So, selling Scentsy strengthens my goals for teaching financial literacy, and it helps pay for me to keep homeschooling.
When Everything Feels Like a Priority
For the last year, everything has felt like the top priority in my life, which has left me constantly feeling guilty, no matter which way I decided to go. Part of that was because I was looking to my past success and trying to figure out what was going wrong. How was I possibly following behind with a system that usually kept me so far ahead?
This vacation has allowed me to refocus and re-prioritize my schedule in a way that fits my business (and family) needs now, rather than trying to stick with the same routine that worked brilliantly… twelve months ago. Having reassessed them, I’ve realized that my businesses grew a lot in the last half of 2015. As a result of not fully appreciating just how much they’d grown, I caused a lot of my own headaches.
If you read my post from earlier this week, you already know that remembering to rest is a new goal I’ve made for myself. So, here’s to another new “Combine & Save” goal: An R&R retreat every seventh week to rest and reassess. Reassessing is something I do on a smaller scale each day (for each of my businesses), but this will give me actual dates (and permission) to really pause and look at “the big picture” (and how my businesses are working to strengthen one another).
Next goal: Stop talking about my goals… hehe
Want it, too? (Affiliated links.)
Ambiance: Luna
Reading: Fabled
Drinking: Hills Bros Coffee
homepage photo credit: IMG_0810 via photopin (license)
I’m so glad you have prioritized things so you get some YOU time in to “rest and reassess”. In my mind you were always juggling many plates and many times put others ahead of yourself. Now you can focus on all areas of your life/businesses which should allow you to reap even more benefits from all your hard work than before.
Nice post!
Take care,
Donna L Martin
http://www.donnalmartin.com
Donna L Martin recently posted..A TO Z CHALLLENGE: LETTER R
I can say first hand as one of your writers that I love the graphics. It’s like a little look at how the day is. It’s a tiny picture of you sharing some of you with us and is a reflection that is creative and fun and combines many parts of things you are involved in so simply and beautifully. I’m personally enjoying them a lot. I love they’re multi-layered purpose. And I really love that you are building rest into your schedule.
Becca Waddell recently posted..My Identity
I agree with Donna, above. It’s so important to take time to rest and reflect back. At times the reflection period just presents itself, but when it doesn’t, it’s important to schedule it in. That’s tough to do sometimes, but it pays back dividends. I also like the way you use Scentsy to teach Rosebud about financial literacy. Sometimes the traditional model of an allowance doesn’t cut it. I know for my own children, we do “allowance” in a very different way, but it has helped my kids understand more about how money works in real life.
Thanks for the great post!