Things I Used to Tell Myself: “I'm Not Ready to Invest in My Business”
You may have heard the saying: “The best time to invest in yourself and your business? Yesterday. And the second best time is today.”
Well, yes, but REALLY… When do you know that it’s finally time to take the plunge and reach out to get the support that you need for your bodywork business?
I remember the first time I made the big leap. It was SCARY!
I couldn’t figure out why my CranioSacral Therapy practice wasn’t full. I mean, I knew I was doing good work — my clients were getting terrific results — but at the end of the month, I barely had enough income to cover my expenses.
And I was spending hardly ANYTHING on my business. I believe in pulling myself up by my bootstraps and doing things on my own. Not only do I learn things pretty quickly, so I can teach myself lots of things, but I was also a little embarrassed and ashamed that my business wasn’t working.
I didn’t want anyone to know that I was struggling and needed help.
But I knew that something had to give. I could no longer keep trying to figure everything out on my own because It. Just. Wasn’t. Working.
I remember being nervous, excited, and a little nauseous as I wrote the first check to work with a business coach and mentor who resonated with me for $800… a month.
Gulp.
At the time, my husband had just started his own business, and we were making ends meet, but barely.
The reality was hitting us that I needed to dramatically ramp up my business to be able to keep the doors open.
Investing just under $5K into my business in six months seemed like a HUGE stretch for us. As a matter of fact, it was about 30% of our combined revenue.
Whoa.
But as Ranald and I talked about the vision I had for my practice — one that would allow me to serve more people doing the work I loved to create a better world -- we knew that it was time to commit 100% and go all in.
That decision to commit made all the difference for me.
It instantly shifted my mindset from "How am I going to afford this?" to "How many clients do I need to earn back this investment?"
I figured out that I needed to fill just 8 more spots in my appointment book every month and I would earn that investment back. They could be new clients or I could see some of my current clients more frequently.
Suddenly, it didn't seem so scary to make that investment!
I knew that I could do the work to get those spots filled quickly if I just invested in the support I needed to get my business to the next level.
But I had to make the leap.
Joseph Campbell says, “Jump, and the parachute will open.”
The parachute can’t open to its fullest beauty unless you jump.
Now, I’m the kind of person who likes to be sure my parachute is securely strapped to me, that there are no rips, tears, or wrinkles before I jump. ☺️ But life has shown me that I do, indeed, at some point, need to make the leap.
So now, when I’m considering a business (or life) investment that seems scary or overwhelming, I think about the Return on Investment.
When I wanted to purchase an electric table because I knew it would be better for my back AND my clients, I asked, “How many sessions will I need to pay for this?”
When I was ready to up-level my branding and invest in a graphic designer… how many packages will pay for the new brand?
And the thing is... every time I made a big investment in my business, I still didn't feel ready. It was still scary, and it was still hard for me.
Getting to the next level in your business requires pushing outside of your comfort zone.
It means taking big leaps of faith in yourself and committing to making your dreams happen.
And when you can focus on the ROI of committing to doing whatever it takes to achieve your vision, you can feel not ready and still take action to achieve your dreams.
It’s time. You can do it.
=================