Rethinking Your Business for More Sustainable Success
Business makeover
All business owners should be prepared to continually assess their business and make changes as necessary.
Are you a woman entrepreneur or small business owner who's been in business for a few years? Are you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and on the verge of burnout? Do you have the feeling that you need a makeover to achieve sustainable success? Do you wonder how to know if your business needs one, and what you can do to make it over? In this blog post, I'll show you how to know if your business needs a makeover and the eight steps to follow if you do.
Having a successful business is all about loving what you do while staying top of mind with your ideal customers and keeping ahead of the competition. A business makeover can help you update and reinvent your business, keeping it modern and relevant. It can also help you to stay ahead of the trends in your industry and give you an edge over your competitors. By investing in a makeover for your business, you can reinvigorate your drive, purpose, and optimism while addressing the genuine obstacles that limit your success.
To assess if your business needs a makeover, look at the symptoms. Examples include feeling like the “fun part is over” and it’s just work, being bored with your current business, not having the skills or mindset to proceed, having unrealistic expectations, or needing to work on your leadership and communication skills. If any of these sound familiar, then it may be time to consider a business makeover. However, if you are in your first couple of years in business and are still experimenting with different ideas, then you may not need a makeover yet. Another sign that a makeover may be beneficial is if your business is built on your zone of excellence but you are longing to express your zone of genius.
Once you’ve determined that your business might need a makeover, the next step is to decide exactly what kind of makeover it needs. A makeover could take many forms and could involve anything from changing the direction of the business to rebranding and overhauling the website or adopting new marketing strategies. The key is to focus on what you want to achieve and to make changes that will move you toward these goals. This could involve anything from changing the way you market, to improving customer service, to redesigning your logo or website.
It’s also important to consider the resources that you have available for your makeover and to make sure that whatever changes you make are in line with the budget that you have set aside. You may need to get creative in order to find ways to make the changes you want, while still staying within your budget and it’s important to make sure that any changes you make are in line with your overall mission and vision for the business. Taking the time to evaluate and assess your current situation, as well as your goals and resources, will help you come up with a makeover plan that is tailored to your specific needs and will actually move you forward, not backward or sideways.
A good way to determine if you need a business makeover is to look at how you are spending your time. If you are spending most of your time on mundane tasks, such as administrative work and customer service, then it may be time to reassess how you are running your business. If you find that you are not able to devote enough time to working on the future of your business, then a makeover may be necessary. For example, if you find that you are constantly feeling overwhelmed and don’t have the time or resources to focus on strategic planning, a business makeover can help you streamline your processes and create a more effective workflow.
Recognizing the signs that you may not need a makeover is an important step. Too often, people jump the gun and assume they need to completely revamp their business when they are feeling bored or unmotivated. However, this could be a sign of unrealistic expectations or a lack of leadership skills rather than a sign that you need a makeover. If the “fun part” of your business is over, you feel bored, or you don’t have the necessary skills to proceed, you may not need a makeover. Instead, you may need to adjust your expectations about the reality of being a business owner, or you may need to develop your leadership skills. In this case, it may be helpful to hire a small business strategist or coach to help you close the gaps that are causing frustration or boredom. Sometimes, a makeover won’t really help if there are skills deficits or unrealistic expectations at the core of your business discontent.
It is also important to understand when it may be time to scale back. If you have reached the point where taking on more projects or expanding the scope of your business will leave you feeling overwhelmed and stressed, it may be time to take a step back. This could mean paring down the number of projects you are taking on, or it could mean looking at ways to streamline and simplify your existing processes. A business makeover is not always the answer, and in some cases, it can actually lead to more stress as you try to juggle the additional work. Take the time to assess your current situation, your skills, and your goals, and then decide if a makeover may just be a tempting way to distract yourself from the foundational issues that need to be addressed.
One of the scenarios I encounter often in my coaching business is when a solopreneur started their own business doing exactly what they were doing as an employee. This is a typical zone of excellence business where you replace your job with self-employment because you have an established reputation and expertise, are making more money, and have more freedom on your own, but are not expressing and leveraging your greatest gifts, your zone of genius. If you have been in business for several years and often think of something you’d rather be doing, then a makeover may be necessary. Start by assessing the areas of your business that are not allowing you to express your genius, and make a list of the changes that you could make in order to bring your company more in line with your genius gifts. This could include changes such as bringing on additional team members, improving processes, or changing the focus of your business. If your zone of genius truly can’t be incorporated into your existing business, could you hire someone to take over many of your CEO functions so you can start a genius model business as a side hustle or project? I have helped a number of entrepreneurs find fulfillment not by making over the business but by replacing themselves to some extent, creating time, energy, and focus for developing their genius work.
A business makeover is an ongoing, iterative process. All business owners should be prepared to continually assess their business and make changes as necessary in order to keep up with industry trends and customer demands. We also need to stay open-minded and be willing to pivot when needed, even after a complete business makeover. By understanding this, you ensure that your business will continue to thrive in the future. Hiring a business strategist or coach may be a wise choice at different points in your business journey, not just when you feel stagnant. Look for a professional who is not only experienced but one that you feel is a good fit in terms of both personality and values.
Finding the right small business strategist or coach can be a difficult process, but it is an important investment that should not be taken lightly. The right person should be able to help you identify areas of improvement in your business and help you develop a plan to address these issues. It is important to be realistic about the time and budget you have available and to work with the coach or strategist to ensure that things are progressing in the right direction. The strategist should be able to provide feedback and help you stay on track, and it is important to remain open to their suggestions but in a collaborative way so you feel genuine ownership over all the changes being made. If something isn’t working, discuss and adjust the plan and try something new.
Even if you are working with a coach or strategist, it’s important to have a support system in place when taking action on the makeover. This could include family, friends, masterminds, or industry mentors. Having a support system in place allows entrepreneurs to feel less isolated and alone while undergoing a change process. Change can feel stimulating and exciting but also create fear, doubt, and uncertainty, putting mental health at risk. Having a support system that reminds you how far you have come and encourages you to celebrate successes along the way, no matter how small, to keep the momentum going and put failures and setbacks into perspective. It takes courage to start a business and courage to implement changes in that business. Make sure you get the guidance and support you need so that both you and your business can thrive.