The day I Made A $Million
It's been awhile since I've posted...a bit over a year in fact. It's been busy.
So today I sold my first million as a Sole Proprietor. How does it feel? I'm not sure yet. So far it's a day like any other day despite the fact that I've been counting down to this moment for a month or so knowing that is was close.
I suppose that things have been slowly changing---for the positive!---for awhile now. First of all, thanks to my part-time assistant, Lisa, I was actually able to TRACK the fact that I was close to a million in sales. She's such a Quickbooks whiz---http://quickbooks.intuit.com/----that I've been able to quickly check just where we are financially for some time. Big change over me managing that piece of the business. Big welcome change. Lisa has such a comfort level with the software, the thought process behind it, and basic accounting that she makes it seem so easy. Yes, the software is intuitive but my relationship with it never got past the blind date, "what shall I do next" phase. My gift is not managing numbers so my advice to anyone else out there with the same issue is, "Give it up to someone who loves it and go sell something."
And that's what I did. First big change.
Second big change was admitting that I am competent. Now why would that not be obvious? The only answer I can come up with is that, like so many of us I just assumed that I just couldn't pull it off. Not rampant insecurity just self-talk like: "you made the same mistake...again," "what were you THINKING?," "I will just NEVER get this..." etc.
Too much "never", "ever", "always" second guessing.
What I finally figured out is---drum roll please---what a waste of good energy. If you make a mistake or can't figure something out spend your time fixing the mistake or asking for help. Not beating yourself up. Sounds simple but I'm pretty clear it's taken me 51 years to really understand it. The Count Me In/Make Mine A Million coach provided through The Coach Connection ---http://www.thecoachconnection.com/---in my case, Bob Stolte, helped me with this one and so much more. The small tool that made the biggest difference was list making. Every day. Check it off. And journaling. Write it down. Empty onto the page all the swirling, incomplete thoughts that slow you down. It didn't hurt that i had to account to Bob once a week what my progress was...
Third big change was face your fears and get on with it. Talk to the bank or reach for a bigger customer or expand your business base or whatever it is you need to do but think you can't. Because you can. It won't always be a picnic but YOU CAN. Again, journaling and making lists. Get a coach. Ask for help.
And then relax. Take a deep breath. And do it again.
On to 2.4 million!
So today I sold my first million as a Sole Proprietor. How does it feel? I'm not sure yet. So far it's a day like any other day despite the fact that I've been counting down to this moment for a month or so knowing that is was close.
I suppose that things have been slowly changing---for the positive!---for awhile now. First of all, thanks to my part-time assistant, Lisa, I was actually able to TRACK the fact that I was close to a million in sales. She's such a Quickbooks whiz---http://quickbooks.intuit.com/----that I've been able to quickly check just where we are financially for some time. Big change over me managing that piece of the business. Big welcome change. Lisa has such a comfort level with the software, the thought process behind it, and basic accounting that she makes it seem so easy. Yes, the software is intuitive but my relationship with it never got past the blind date, "what shall I do next" phase. My gift is not managing numbers so my advice to anyone else out there with the same issue is, "Give it up to someone who loves it and go sell something."
And that's what I did. First big change.
Second big change was admitting that I am competent. Now why would that not be obvious? The only answer I can come up with is that, like so many of us I just assumed that I just couldn't pull it off. Not rampant insecurity just self-talk like: "you made the same mistake...again," "what were you THINKING?," "I will just NEVER get this..." etc.
Too much "never", "ever", "always" second guessing.
What I finally figured out is---drum roll please---what a waste of good energy. If you make a mistake or can't figure something out spend your time fixing the mistake or asking for help. Not beating yourself up. Sounds simple but I'm pretty clear it's taken me 51 years to really understand it. The Count Me In/Make Mine A Million coach provided through The Coach Connection ---http://www.thecoachconnection.com/---in my case, Bob Stolte, helped me with this one and so much more. The small tool that made the biggest difference was list making. Every day. Check it off. And journaling. Write it down. Empty onto the page all the swirling, incomplete thoughts that slow you down. It didn't hurt that i had to account to Bob once a week what my progress was...
Third big change was face your fears and get on with it. Talk to the bank or reach for a bigger customer or expand your business base or whatever it is you need to do but think you can't. Because you can. It won't always be a picnic but YOU CAN. Again, journaling and making lists. Get a coach. Ask for help.
And then relax. Take a deep breath. And do it again.
On to 2.4 million!
posted by Robin Moorad at 10:21 AM
2 comments
