 I used to single-handedly run my business. At the time, this made perfect sense. The work I was doing could easily be managed on my own.
As I acquired more clients, I created a lot more work for myself. The growth was exciting, but eventually it got to be too much. Along with working a full-time, corporate job, I was putting in 15-20 hours a week with my company. Besides that, I was teaching yoga and attempting to maintain a healthy social life. Even though I needed to, I wasn’t willing to give anything up. Unsurprisingly, all this added up to feeling pretty burnt out. The fiery passion that used to motivate me began to fizzle and fade. The worst part was the inability to give 110% to my employer, my customers or my students. It felt like I was never doing enough. I was rarely, if ever satisfied in any area of my life. I caught myself slipping and decided to do something about it. My current method was simply unsustainable. I knew if I was going to realize my big dreams of running an impactful, successful business, it was time to start delegating. Finding, hiring, managing and keeping good employees is no joke. You want trustworthy, hardworking mind readers (amiright?). But the truth is, no one’s perfect. And to grow, you have to experience some growing pains. Part of that process includes detaching from your baby and passing off some important responsibilities. Building an empire is kind of like dating. You have to kiss a few frogs before your find your prince. I was lucky enough to snatch up the perfect girl to join my team. She’s my cousin, Katie. And I feel so thankful for all she does for me. Bringing her on was one of the best business decisions I’ve ever made. But I had to do some work before I even considered hiring and training someone in. Do you think you’re ready to grow your team? Admittedly, I’m not an expert on hiring or management. But through experience, I’ve learned a few things about acquiring your first employee and how to keep them and you happy in the process. Here are 3 tips I hope will help you out:
TAKE ACTION! Only you know when a good time to start hiring is. Get clear on your big picture vision.What kind of company do you want to run? Small, medium or large? Figure out where you can let go and let someone else help you out. Then go back to the 3 tips I gave you and start your search. Here's to building beautiful businesses and helping as many people as possible!  In my business, I have the privilege of working with extremely inspiring people. They’re artists, healers and teachers. Collectively, their intention is to make the world a better place.
These incredible folks are also small business owners. Naturally, they need to make money to keep their doors open and put food on the table. Therefore, sales and marketing are essential for their success. Many of my clients have shared their distaste for self-promotion. They feel sleazy and gross trying to get people to buy what they’re selling. It’s difficult for them to talk about their strengths. Spreading the word about how wonderful and life-changing their services are makes them uncomfortable. It’s not that they don’t believe in what they’re doing. Rather, they think their experience and credentials are enough. They think... Shouldn’t the beautiful space speak for itself? Hello! This location is PERFECT. I mean, who wouldn’t want to come here? Or... There’s TONS of scientific evidence backing up the benefits of the practice. Obviously, everyone needs yoga in their life. And I’ve been teaching for 15 years! Look. You can be the most amazing acupuncturist, yoga teacher or massage therapist in the world. But if you fail to execute a communication strategy or hand out a single business card? You’re going to have a really hard time sharing your gifts with those who need you most. Yes, your current customers will refer you to their friends and family. You’ll get a few drive-bys. Someone will find you online. But if you want substantial growth? You need to commit to a sales and marketing strategy aimed at reaching more people, faster. Create an email list and start a monthly newsletter. Post on Facebook or Instagram a few times a week. Attend networking events. Find out where your dream clients are hanging out, and meet them there. I get it. You’re not ‘business minded.’ You hate social media. Writing isn’t your strong suit. Well, guess what? There are 10’s of 100’s of people waiting to hear from you. By not selling yourself? You’re doing all of them a huge disservice. Don’t keep quiet and patiently wait for potential customers to find you. Understand that by persuading and encouraging people to give you a try, you truly are making the world a better place. Let this understanding motivate you to put yourself out there! Take what works and leave the rest. I hope this helps you communicate to the world how truly amazing and inspiring you are. :)  I love being in love. So much so, I've spent the last 13 years of my life in relationships.
Having a boyfriend is amazing for so many reasons. The emotional support, cozy cuddles and inside jokes, among many other things, make coupledom rewarding and enjoyable. Of course romantic partnership has its challenges and downfalls, as well. You have to compromise, communicate and make a lot of sacrifices to keep the peace and love strong between 2 people. Now that I'm a single woman for the first time in a long time, I'm having some important realizations... I was feeling really down and out in one of my favorite yoga classes the other day. My mind was running circles around recent events. Disturbing images and unsettling feelings were taking over my experience on the mat. Then I asked myself, “What’s different between where I am now versus where I was 3 months ago?” The only difference is that I had a boyfriend then, and now I don’t. Yes, this is significant. But then again...not really. I’m still me. I still have the most amazing friends and family. I still get to practice at a beautiful yoga studio. I still have a great job. I still get to eat healthy food and drink clean water. It occurred to me that I’d been letting my happiness be controlled by 1 element in my life. My focus was on the 1 thing I didn’t have when I could’ve been looking at the 1,000’s of wonderful pieces that were still there. How much happiness are you investing in 1 area of your life? I think it’s normal to get stuck in tunnel vision. When work is going well and you’re hitting your number? You’re on Cloud 9. You feel powerful, successful and excited. But when you have a down month? You feel like utter crap. Suddenly, nothing in your life is going right and you think you’re kind of a loser. Perhaps you finally shed those lingering 5 pounds you’ve been meaning to lose for all of 2016. You’re absolutely elated! Your clothes look and feel better than ever. You walk around like the hot babe you know you are. Then you attend a few holiday parties, get off your diet plan and gain all 5 pounds back. Now all you want to do is hide away in your apartment. And you feel like a big, fat failure. Maybe you’re planning to finally get engaged. You’ve been with your lover for 4 years and you couldn’t be happier. You’ve picked out the ring of your dreams and he knows the exact size of your finger. You get a manicure in preparation for a big night out. But...he never pops the question. You feel discouraged and disappointed, and you wonder if you’ll ever get married. Any of these scenarios sound familiar? It’s easy to fixate on the 1 thing that’s going either super right or terribly wrong. I catch myself in negative thought loops more often than I’d like to admit. Let’s make a pact to focus on the big picture, especially over the next couple weeks.The holidays tend to trigger strong thoughts and feelings. Remember: Your circumstances don’t dictate your happiness...YOU do. Even if that 1 thing doesn’t go as planned? Your life is still full of beautiful blessings. Give your attention to what you have instead of what you lack.  The other day my friend commented on how resilient I am. After she said that, I thought to myself… Resiliency is such a beautiful word. So I looked up the definition and this is what I found:
noun
It definitely resonated. Even though I’m going through some personal difficulties? I do my best to remain cheerful and hopeful, like always. But then I realized when life challenges you to be resilient? You never actually return to the original form as the definition states. Curve balls happen. You don’t get the job. Your business plummets. Unexpected things come out of left field. I know when I’m suffering, I want nothing more than to get back to comfort. The goal is to return to health, happiness and overall ease as quickly as possible. And I believe that’s a good target to aim for. Just don’t forget to embrace change. Yes, you need to be strong and resilient. But you also need to accept that every experience is transforming you into a better version of yourself. I, for one, barely recognize 15-year-old Greta. I’m sure in another 10 years, I’ll have a hard time relating to myself as I am now. That’s because the highs and lows of life have bent, compressed and molded me into someone else. I’ve become better, brighter, and more knowledgeable, year after year.And honestly? I have no desire to go back to my original form. Here's my call to action: Let your struggles stretch you to your limits. Push the status quo. Accept challenges as change makers. Use them to become someone new rather than staying stuck in old. You're stronger than you think you are  Some days you hit every red light. Your customers yell at you. And then you lock your keys in the car.
Other days you call into the radio station and win tickets to your favorite band. You get 94 likes on your Instagram post. The lasagna turns out just right. As humans, we experience good days and bad days. That’s how we grow, learn and appreciate the ebb and flow of life. You can’t always control what happens to you. Sometimes you’re simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But you can choose how much or how little you suffer when things don’t go as planned. I believe suffering happens when you resist your life. When I’m going through hard times, or I don’t quite understand why something is happening to me, I say to myself, “Don’t resist your life.” This affirmation reminds me to accept whatever is happening in the moment. And rather than reacting to unwanted circumstances? I try to ride the wave. I’m not perfect, but when I remember to feel my emotions come and go, like waves in the ocean, life goes much more smoothly. Practice an attitude of acceptance by welcoming in the good AND the bad. Allow yourself to feel any emotion that comes up. Fully embrace it. Ride it. And sooner than later? It will pass. When you resist your life, or try to hide from the pain you’re experiencing, you actually give it more power. Kind of like pretending you’re not sick when you know the best thing for your body is to take a day off and rest. But you keep pushing and pushing until eventually you’re forced to take 3 days off instead of 1. I’ll say it again, “Don’t resist your life.” Trust that even if things don’t make sense right now, one day they will. Or at the very least? They’ll make a little more sense than they do now. Where are you resisting? Give yourself permission to feel it, experience it, hate it, love it or whatever it is you’re being pulled to do… Ride that wave to the other side. And on the other side? Is freedom…  The other week I got really annoyed with one of my friends for flaking out on me last minute. It bothered me that I had turned down other opportunities to hang out with her. Mostly, I felt like she didn’t value my time. I was disappointed because we didn’t get to be together.
But then I realized… She was being a mirror for me. Because a couple weeks later one of my dearest friends sat me down and told me she felt frustrated that I had been canceling and changing plans. She told me I needed to be mindful of not overextending myself. It was hurtful to those who were left with nothing to do when I bailed out. Dang. The reason I had been so impacted by my first friend is because I was doing the exact same thing to people I cared about. You attract people and situations that show you what you need to work on in yourself. Think about the things that make you emotional. Are you bothered by people who interrupt? Do negative people irritate the hell out of you? When people are late, do you feel your blood boil? Look within. Are you actually the one doing the things that piss you off? Your life is a gigantic, moving mirror. Pay attention. Examine the people, places and things that disturb you. Take back control of your circumstances by learning from your reactions. Here are some examples I’ve seen at work in my own life:
You’re constantly being given feedback from the people and situations that come up. This is an amazing gift. Instead of being a victim to bad situations? Use them as opportunities to better yourself. Here’s to accountability and growth! |