When someone dives into the world of entrepreneurship, they quickly realize that there are several experts they can listen to. These experts are shouting conflicting advice. But the new entrepreneur needs someone to show them the ropes, so they enroll in a course, program, or coaching to learn their success system.
Unfortunately, that often starts a domino effect of:
- Reinventing the wheel in your business where you try one planning method, then another, then start all over again because nothing seems to work for you.
- Chasing shiny objects hoping this next TREND will be the ONE thing that will finally “fix” your business, but end up right where you started.
- Spinning in circles because you’re doing a TON of work and not getting results, much less any real momentum in your business.
- Careening for entrepreneurial burn-out as your business runs YOU instead of YOU feeling like you’re actually in control of your business.
And when you go back to said business expert and question their proven success system, they tell you to work on your mindset and hustle harder.
I am so over that. Many female entrepreneurs come to me after they’ve tried EVERYTHING to get their business to predictable growth and profits. And they are exhausted from doing all the things and grinding out 60 to 80 hour work weeks. American Express shared the following statistics in 2019 as a result of their research:
- 75 percent of women entrepreneurs are earning less than $50,000 per year in gross revenue.
- The majority of these women are earning less than $30,000 per year in gross revenue.
- Only 12 percent of them are breaking the six-figure mark (less than 3 percent break seven-figures).
See how grinding out those insane hours has not helped most entrepreneurs? This is not their fault because we have been fed the hustle-your-butt-off-and-you’ll-be-a-millionaire lie for far too long. The Hustle Culture is a popular approach to entrepreneurship. Everyday you can come across new content, new stories, and new voices telling you how to bust your butt and reach your goals. But hustling and grinding is not sustainable long term. The reality is “hustling” doesn’t work for 99 percent of women entrepreneurs. They say:
- "If you’re not getting results, you’re not working hard enough.”
- “Hustle harder"
- "Work longer hours"
- "Get less sleep”
- “It’s a level playing field. If I can do it, you can do it.”
Well, we know that’s not true.
The reality looks more like completing your work in strategic pockets of time, tucked in around homeschooling, parent taxi service, toddlers nap time, managing a household, caring for aging parents, etc. It is necessary for us to have a rock-solid plan and set of go-to strategies in place so we can navigate every twist and turn successfully--from the smallest tug at the sleeve to the largest interruption ever, a global pandemic.
The other glaring issue that hustle culture conveniently ignores? The basic human need to have a life outside of your business or career. What's the point of hitting seven-figures if you have completely alienated your family and your health is compromised (thanks burnout)?
What if we stopped defining success by revenue at all costs? It is great that you are passionate about what you do, but let’s be real: You need dedicated time for yourself, your health, your loved ones, and for anything else that matters to you.
The truth about building a business you love and one that is sustainable is not sexy. But what is better than a flashy, sexy, hustle-hard motivational speech is actually having a life beyond your business. An UNsexy business building plan helps you:
- Create a sustainable rhythm in both business and life that works WITH your commitments and energy levels, instead of always feeling like you have to neglect your personal life or health in favor of your business
- Claim the space to develop a strategic plan that drives your long-term and daily actions, instead of being reactive, putting out fires, and drowning in hours of busy-work
- Be productive and purposeful while you’re working.
- Be relaxed and present when you’re not working, instead of checking your email and client Slack channel every 20 seconds during dinner
- Launch profitable offers that your clients love, and you’re excited to deliver, instead of feeling completely drained and disillusioned at the end of the work-day
Again, the constant grind isn’t sustainable and you may not be getting more things done. There is this illusion that if you’re working you’re being productive. The number of hours you spend on a project is not indicative of its quality. Squashing the hustle mindset may be challenging but the rewards will benefit your business and your life.