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Today’s talking points:

We're talking about figuring out what success means to you personally and aligning it with a clear vision for your business. By doing this, you can make positive changes, get your team excited, and bring back the fun in running your business.

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Welcome to the first episode of a brand new series of the podcast: How To Run Your Business Like a BOSS!

We’re getting started with a big question…

Have you ever fallen out of love with your business?

You’ll know if you have but it also might disguise itself as other things… it looks like feeling frustrated all the time, things might not be working smoothly, and maybe you even feel like you want to just burn it all down and start again.

Well, good news for you - if you have ever felt this way, it's likely not because you need to start over from scratch, but because you're out of alignment.

Sounds fluffy? Don’t worry Boss - in this episode, we're going to talk about how you can realign your vision with your business so that you can fall back in love with it again.

We’re going to cover three key areas:

Your definition of success - I’ll walk you through 5 different core areas of your life, questions to ask yourself to measure your version of success as well as examples from my own life (I know you love a concrete example!)
How to figure out your owner’s intent, so what you want your business to do for YOU personally, what you want it to provide in terms of time, money & energy
Your whole business vision in terms of the direction you are going in with your offers, content, systems, etc.

This is jam-packed and full of lots of concrete examples!

This will help you SO much in getting realigned in your business and when you feel more aligned, your business becomes more fun.

And THAT’S when you start to fall back in love because you see that energy, enthusiasm, and excitement come back.

Let’s dive in.

why is your big vision so important

We're kicking off by diving into the big vision and how we can navigate the seasons where business feels hard and things aren’t going as we planned. Trust me, we've all been there – doubting ourselves, questioning our small business owner prowess, and wondering if it's all worth it.

I've witnessed many small business owners hit new heights of success, only to find themselves more stressed than ever. Instead of living the dream, they're frazzled. It's not about falling out of love with your business; it's about losing that zest for the day-to-day grind. Suddenly, the passion turns into resentment, and you dread facing your desk every morning.

You might be thinking "Hold up, I love what I do!" I get it. Many clients have said the same thing. But the thing they’ve fallen out of love with is the actual ‘doing’ part. We get so caught up in the daily grind, on autopilot mode, that we lose sight of the big picture. That's where we start – step one in this process.

That’s exactly why I wanted to talk about how we can realign, reconnect, and refocus your business with your vision. Because your vision is your business's compass, it's the GPS coordinates, the address you plug in for your destination, your North Star. Without a clear direction, you'll end up anywhere. And when anywhere becomes the destination, overwhelm sets in.

Why do we feel out of alignment?

First of all, why do we actually find ourselves getting out of alignment in the first place? I have a couple of thoughts about why this could be happening.

you’ve already achieved your vision

One key reason we lose alignment with our vision is that we've already accomplished it. When was the last time you sat down to craft a clear vision for your business, mapping out that macro picture of where you want to take it and your big-picture goals? It's probably been a while, right? That's perfectly normal. We usually do it when we're starting out, but as we dive into the daily grind of running our businesses – growing, serving, doing all the things – we hit those goals we initially set. We make it happen. Yet, we often forget to hit pause and truly celebrate our achievements. Celebration isn't our strong suit – many of my clients are guilty of that.

Secondly, we fail to ask, "What's next?" When we neglect to pause, redefine our vision, and set new goals, we find ourselves adrift without a clear business direction. This is the primary reason I see people stuck, not due to a lack of Instagram followers or time constraints, but rather the absence of a solid, clear macro vision.

you’ve outgrown your personal vision

If you have outgrown your vision, you need to create a new vision. Outgrowing a vision is pretty common and more likely than not having a vision at all. This is because a lot of us start our business with some very clear goals that we have in mind; usually, those are more personal goals.

Typically, these reasons are more personal. So, why did I start this business? That's the owner's intent – the reason behind opening this business. When talking with female business owners, their main goals often include wanting more freedom, and flexibility, choosing their work hours, earning a good salary, and enjoying vacations with their kids. These are just the basic parts of their vision. By the time people come to me, they've usually achieved or are close to achieving these goals. They're doing work they love, working with the clients they want, and have the potential for more freedom – if they'd just put the right systems in place.

If you’re ready to grow beyond yourself and start growing a team, remember this - Your initial vision was all about you, so no matter who you hire, they won't be as interested in your personal goals.

Say you worked at a big company, would you be inspired by a vision focused on the CEO making millions while the rest barely get by? As you move from working alone to being a real boss leading a team and a community, your vision needs to be bigger than just your own goals.

There are two parts to reshaping your vision. I still believe in the personal part because, let's be honest, business is personal. There's a personal reason why we're all doing this. We still want our own rewards as business owners, and there are lots of good things that come with it if you set up your business right. This personal vision is what I call your owner's intent – what you personally get out of running this business. But the wider group, like your team and community, won't care as much about that. So, you also need the second part, the business vision that guides your team and community. The cool thing is, that these two parts can blend together easily, just like mine do.

owner’s intent and goal-setting

So let's talk about your owner’s intent first, in more detail. What is your owner's intent for your business? I always start here with my definition of success and when I do this, I'm looking at different categories.

I assess my life, lifestyle, health, well-being, relationships, creativity, and connection to something greater than myself. I define success in each of these areas. If you've done this exercise with me before, think about what's changed since then. Reflecting is crucial because changes are always happening. Currently, I'm navigating a new stage in my life with the arrival of my second child. Transitioning back to work after maternity leave has brought about a big shift in my routine. As needs change with each life stage, it impacts my personal definition of success. Consider what changes and shifts have occurred in your life and the world around you.

Now, think about your life and lifestyle. Financial success and goals are integral to my definition. Building a life around being a present mum, wife, and daughter means working hours that suit me. As I return from maternity leave, my new schedule, working 20 hours a week from 9 am to 1 pm, allows room for self-care, activities, and family time. Financial success ensures I can afford the lifestyle I desire.

Health and wellness are also important to look at here. My definition of success here involves proactive self-care. Drinking enough water, maintaining a balanced diet, exercising, and paying attention to triggers contribute to my well-being. Mental clarity is essential, in shaping my success criteria for health.

In relationships, success for me means quality time and experiences with my husband, family check-ins, and ensuring everyone gets solo and group time. Maintaining close relationships with parents and friends is equally important to me. Female friendships are so important too, but often overlooked in business. Make time to intentionally catch up through regular check-ins, meet-ups, etc.

Creativity is one of the biggest ones here. My creativity falls on active rest, including play and learning. Balancing intense work with creativity enhances mental well-being. It involves playing with my kids, exploring new interests, reading, and continuous learning.

Finally, connection to something greater involves mindfulness and reflection. While it could be spiritual or religious for some, I focus on mindfulness practices. This holistic view of success ensures well-rounded fulfilment across life's different dimensions.

This comprehensive definition of success helps combat feelings of discontent or frustration. It prompts reflection on whether resources—time, energy, money—are allocated to different life aspects. Balancing work and personal life is key to being the boss of your life. Prioritising these elements, ensuring resources are available, and assessing that future needs align with your owner's intent.

Patience is key here; I won't compromise my well-being for short-term gains. This owner's intent aligns my current definition of success with future goals.

long term business vision setting

Now, let's transition and discuss moving from your owner's intent—a more personal definition of success—to shaping the vision for your business.

It's essential to create something that excites people and draws them in. Here's where many business owners stumble; they get bogged down in day-to-day tasks without starting with the end goal in mind. People often jump from one goal to another, but without a higher purpose, achievements lose their fulfilment over time. Focusing on the long term and having a grand vision makes daily activities more meaningful.

Another mistake that people make with this is, that we end up living how we think we are supposed to life, often chasing other people’s dreams. The fear of paying bills leads to abandoning personal ideals and dreams, thinking it’s silly if we pursue them. As someone consciously growing their business, it's crucial that I build something that benefits not just me but also my team and clients. Those are the stakeholders in the business, and everyone deserves to thrive, everyone deserves to feel excited and also to be able to get the resources that they need in order to live their own definition of success.

So your vision for your business really needs to tell the story of where you're going, where you're headed that GPS that you are plugging the coordinates in. And now you can create a plan for how you are going to get there.

Without a clear vision, teams may struggle to make decisions, leading to dependence on the business owner for every question. Empowering the team with a shared vision enables them to make decisions independently, reducing bottlenecks. When the vision is articulated, the business strategy becomes streamlined, allowing for quicker results and the potential for a self-managing team. The dream.

let’s recap

Once you sit down and really ask yourself those hard questions, you have so much clarity on what needs to change. Chances are, your business does not need to be burned down to the ground and start again – it just needs more direction. When you have that direction, you're more able to clearly see what works and doesn’t work.

This will help you so much in getting realigned, reconnected and refocused in your business. When you feel more aligned, your business becomes more fun. When you've made space for your personal definition of success, your owner’s intent, and you've created a vision that your whole team and clients can get behind, that's when things start to change. That's when you start to fall back in love; the energy, enthusiasm and excitement come back. Trust me, boss, this truly works.

In case you missed it, here is the last episode of the podcast - How to start a profitable business in 2024 - exactly what I'd focus on

or…

Get on the waitlist for The Embodied Boss Collective here!