Poo Poo-ing the Woo Woo
Sometimes you need to lick your wounds.
We have attended a few “female-in-business” events that are ultra encouraging and celebratory with very “YOU CAN DO IT” vibes. We are bigger fans of REAL TALK. We applaud those that meditate, breathe deep, surround themselves with crystals, aim for balance. These are not bad things. We also know that life is not sugary sweet everyday. There are days you don’t feel good, days where your most valued client walks out the door, days where you make mistakes. The market crashes, the competition beats you to it, the funding falls through. The hunt is tough. The elements are sometimes tougher. And sometimes, the only thing to get you through that is training, hard work, surrounding yourself with people who get it, and ASKING FOR HELP.
Let’s set the record straight right here - we believe in positive thinking. There are sport psychologists for a reason. The human brain can change outcomes. If you believe in yourself and your product, it absolutely makes you more successful. We believe that you are definitely influenced by the people you spend the most time with. So if you have a “negative Nancy,” limiting your time with that person might be better for you.
One other thing we are sure of is that when you step out and take risks, you are not always greeted with sparkles, rainbows, and sunshine. Sometimes you fall flat on your face. Sometimes you have to pivot, fire someone, move locations, close your doors. We are also built on a culture of doers, move makers, so we know that for every instagrammy, beautifully-staged business moment, there is also a moment where you leave the office, go home, and cry with a bottle of wine and sappy Netflix shows.
In our experience, the roller coaster never stops. When you own a business, you are always learning, growing, pushing, falling, getting back up, and the cycle continues. It’s not for the faint of heart, and there are more and more organizations being built for entrepreneurs for this very reason.
Here’s why we are different:
We are all about being REAL. All about sharing how business is really going, instead of the typical answer, “Oh, everything’s GREAT, I’m so busy! So many clients, so much to do.” or “I’m fine, everything’s fine,” when what you really want to say is:
You can’t have it together all. of. the. time.
You can’t do everything. by. your. self.
Not forever anyway. We need each other. And our culture is all about the circle of trust, which means sometimes accepting constructive criticism, and sometimes means celebrating BIG wins with champagne. Either way, we are a trusted pack. We are a network of women who come up with solutions, hold each other accountable, and keep pushing.
A friend of ours sent this image to us recently, as we were having the discussion around the new culture of positivity, especially in business ownership, where as a woman you feel like you have to present yourself as “killin’ it” all day long. It can be super lonely on those days where you do fall on your face. This hit home for us so we wanted to share, for ourselves, and our pack: Maybe what we need to hear is “Girl, this sucks! I get it. What do you want to do about it”
PHOTO CREDIT: me.me
Before responding, take a minute and HEAR the message sender. It can work wonders!