31 Days Project // Day 23 // Developing a Business Strategy that suits your Lifestyle

Welcome to 31 Days to an Organized Life & Business! For the month of October I will be a participant in The Nester’s 31 days Writing Challenge. Taking some of my own advice and taking you along on my journey to a life reset. I’ll be sharing (and practicing) some tips on everything from bookkeeping, shopping, managing kids, intentional parenting, work from home mom syndrome, work/life balance, spiritual reset and more. Not because I am the expert in these fields, but because they have worked for me in the past, and I so badly need them to work again for me now.

When I say I need this reset I’m not even kidding. When I say I’ll be writing about it, I don’t mean, I’m going to talk about past advice or something that worked once for me 3 years ago. I mean I’m going to hit publish on this blog post, and then go and do what I am writing about today.  That is all I can commit to for today. Which means, if you can relate to any of this, I invite you along on this 31 day journey. Watch me triumph or fail, but I’ll be here daily to give you updates. I’d love if you joined me, and keep me posted on your progress as well. There’s hope and support in community here. 

If you missed Day 1, or would like to catch up on any other day, click the link on the right hand side or right here.

Be sure to also follow along on Instagram as I post updates throughout the day. #31daystoreset @Angelsea Urban

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Welcome to Day 23: Developing a Business Strategy that suits your Lifestyle for Creative Business Owners

 

I have one of these. I am one of these. I totally get it. The words “Business Management” may not even be on your radar. But it totally needs to be. Without the proper business management systems in place, you might find yourself hating your camera, your paintbrush, your cupcakes, your accessories, fill in the blank. Running a creative business, as a creative, is difficult to navigate. It is difficult to turn a profit in a creative business. Taxes, Profit & Loss statements, licenses, insurances –   these are all making your eye twitch just reading them aren’t they? How much do you charge for your services? What should your packages be set up to be? How do you know when you are spending too much in one area?

 

Not to mention… you are a creative… which means… the lifestyle you innately desire does not revolve around spreadsheets and number crunching. Your radar most likely consists of when you get to create next. What will the glorious light look like in that field at sunset? How quickly can you get to a pen or a keyboard because the words are pouring out of you? What flavors can you combine today? What music moved you this morning? The amazing conversation you had with your child as you explored the forest on a nature hike.

 

If you are attempting to earn a living using your creative gifts as a business owner, it is absolutely necessary to put a little bit of attention to the business model area of your life. Similarly how we talked about “Lara” and the fact that I simply just can’t tell her to sit at her desk Monday, Wednesday and Friday to do her bookkeeping…. I would encourage you to take a good, hard look, at what you can do.

 

 

Let’s get 100% real for just a moment….

 

If you thought you would work on your business 40 hours a week, and for the past 6 months the reality has been that you can only bear to do “business” stuff maybe for 1 day a week, in between other stuff, then the reality is your are not building a business that will fit into your current lifestyle.

 

Something has to give.

 

Either you strap on the boots and go full force to 40 hours a week and actually do everything you said you needed to do to fulfill that business model…

 

OR….

 

You redevelop a realistic business plan that will allow you the freedom to put your priorities in order. That what matters most in your life, the thing that is really taking up all of your time during the week, to be the area where you continue to put all of your efforts into.

 

Maybe you are a mom. And you work on your business from home while you are raising your kids. Maybe some days you should be out marketing your business, but your son was sick and you felt it better to stay home and care for him.

 

Or maybe he wasn’t even sick. Maybe you looked over and saw that he had grown 3 inches since the last time you took a good, hard look, and suddenly you realize how precious life is, and that you just want to spend more time with your family.

 

But you still want to run a business. Just maybe not in the same way as when you first started out.

 

Back when you thought you had something to prove and now you’ve circled back and realize the only person you were competing against was yourself. You know now that you are enough, just as you are. Your business success does not define you, and maybe what once was a source of happiness, income and creativity, feels like a pressure cooker.

 

OR…

 

Maybe you have it in your gut to dream big and huge and give it all you’ve got until you’ve got nothing left to give. Your work is your stamp on this world, your legacy, and you’ve got the focus, determination and drive of an Olympic athletic fighting for their life. Nothing will stop you from reaching your goal. Nothing. You feel a great sense of accomplishment with each step you take, and the reward you receive doesn’t even matter, it knowing you did what you set out to do. Your creative soul cannot rest until you allow whatever is in you to get out onto the paper, canvas, music, camera, or whatever medium you use. Business schmizness… it’s not about that…. But you do it because it’s necessary.

 

I’m not here to tell which plan is right for you, or that there are only these two scenarios above.

 

My question to you today is…

 

What is your plan, your business model, and does it align with the lifestyle that matters most to you?

 

And ….. When was the last time you evaluated that?

 

If you need to step up your game, then set a tangible plan in motion to make that happen. Buckle down and make the sacrifices that you had been putting off. Gain the support you need from your family, or friends.

 

Put to paper all that is on your heart to take it to the next level. Break it down into small steps and tackle them one by one. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. You’ve got this. You really do. Just keep at it.

 

But….

 

If your lifestyle feels like your priorities are upside down, I challenge you today to set a plan in motion to change the course. Set yourself up for success to lead the life you promised yourself you would.

 

Stop telling yourself that Tomorrow will just be different because ____________. What about the last 6 months? The last year? The next year? What do you really want that to look like?

 

It’s okay not to have the answer you thought you would have. It really, really is.

 

If that means downshifting your business plan to make more time for family, then give yourself permission to do so. Create an Exit Strategy, a DownSize Plan, or Redefine your current Business Model to accommodate the Lifestyle that you are recommitting to. Take a step back and evaluate what matters most in your life, then create a list of 5 small steps that you can take right now to get you there. Start with 5 and take it from there.

 

Try to resist the temptation to just throw in the towel altogether. You were given these creative gifts for a reason. You don’t have to attach them to being a FULL TIME Business Owner. But you totally can create a business plan that works for your lifestyle.

 

The real one. In this season.

 

 

After that you can get right back to dreaming about design, landscapes, frosting, and paint colors. Frolicking in the fields of gold, maybe with your kids or maybe even retiring early with a successful saleable business.

 

I have been on both sides of this fence in my life, and I can say with certainty these are definitely NOT the only two choices either. I am happy to share my experience with anyone who asks, send me a message and we can totally chat.

 

If you are looking for some hands on detailed help, consider looking into it further here.

My hope is that you do give this some thought today. Even if it’s just for today. That this will plant a small seed in your heart to evaluate your plan, even if just to confirm your current one.

 

Thanks for visiting today!

 

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Be sure to check the blog every day during the Month of October for new content. Or sign up for the VIP Newsletter for important updates.

East Coast Fine Art Lifestyle Family Portrait Photographer Angelsea Urban

Angelsea Urban is a photographer and entrepreneur helping women use their creative gifts to nourish their homes and cultivate their businesses through practical stewardship. Her unique photography work focuses on Redefining the Family Portrait Experience by telling the story of  family through personalized foundations while creating a space to strengthen family bonds throughout the experience. As a certified tax professional and seasoned business consultant, Angelsea has helped the careers of photographers, restaurateurs, musicians and general small business owners through teaching, workshops, coaching, and hands on consulting. Her ministry work focuses on fostering creative gifts in women entrepreneurs to prioritize family and discipleship. She has photographed for families, brides, Bravo TV, NFL Films, and more and has been featured on multiple blogs and magazine print for her work in photography and in business. Angelsea teaches and photographs throughout the United States, and resides with her husband of 17 years, their two children, and their barely 3 pound Yorkie near Long Beach Island, New Jersey.  

To book your session with Angelsea Urban, please visit www.angelseaurban.com

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