I finally stopped making biz plans that didn’t make sense for me.

I used to journal “business growth plans” that would be built around me hitting some magical income goal. And for too long, it was goals that I just copied from what I saw on Instagram. Like 6 figure years or 10k months. 

Never mind that I was working a part time job and living with my parents. And my actual goals for my next steps I wanted to take in life were things like “move back into an apartment of my own.” And “have some money for plane tickets to Philly and for surprise vet bills.” 

Also, never mind that I live with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and regular adulting things like going to the grocery store can overwhelm my brain for an entire day, so IDK how I would ever keep up with the number of clients, workshops, meetings these plans required. 

In a shocking turn of events (sarcasm), none of these journaled business growth plans ever panned out. 

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In my content creation work, I always say that the content that actually gets posted is the content that gets seen by the most people.

I think for entrepreneurship, we can say something similar about decisions or growth plans for your business. 

The steps you are actually able to take (and able to keep taking!) in business are the ones that will actually grow your business. 

Some growth is better than no growth. 

Some growth continued over time will create a steadily expanding and developing business. 

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Okay so how do I make decisions for growing my business that actually work for who I really am as a person? 

I come back to 3 main things:

1. My creative process (how my brain actually works and actually likes to make things)

2. My values and boundaries as a person 

3. My mental health, energy levels, especially in my CURRENT season of life

Let’s take one of these and look at a tangible example.

Something I’ve learned about myself is that I value SIMPLICITY. I love keeping things simple. 

• I live in a studio apartment. 

• I have like a 2 step skin care routine (if you could even call it that lol). 

• I will wear the same 2 outfits for like a whole week. Wash and repeat. 

So when I am coming up with something new for my business, I ask myself “Does this feel simple to me?” 

The simpler something feels to me, the more likely I am to stick with it. To enjoy it longer. To not feel overwhelmed by it. 

So I make simple decisions for my business like minimizing my number of current offers, only making content for one or two platforms, and focusing on one or two goals at a time (right now it’s enrollment for our group program and posting on my new content-creation-support TikTok account). 

This simplicity for me helps me take actual steps towards MY goals, not the goals of those completely misaligned, unrealistic business plans I use to journal. 

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If you currently feel overwhelmed by figuring out what to try next for your business, I invite you to reflect on one or two of your core values.

• What can you learn from those values that might help you in making your next decision for your business? 

• Start small - what’s one tiny thing you could work on today or this week that would feel meaningful or supportive? And why. WHY does it feel meaningful or supportive to YOU?