On Saturday I met my friend
Elle at Baja Burrito for a delicious lunch and a business chat.
Elle is one of those people who just have it so together when it comes to life/career/basically everything. You can't help but be inspired when you're around her. Her work ethic is totally enviable (and somewhat contagious luckily!) She's currently working her way through Marie Forleo's B-School and man, the work load is crazy! She shared some of the exercises with me as we talked about her business and I was so impressed. In case you don't know,
Elle is a paper/wedding stationery designer under the name
Jam + Toast! Anyway - we chatted for well over 3 hours and by the end of it I just felt
so motivated and inspired.
She called our meeting a "Mastermind Session" and that was totally on point. We agreed to try and make this happen every 2 weeks or so that way we can both work our way through business blunders and help each other see a fresh perspective for whatever problems we may be facing. She's getting ready to move to Wilmington (!!!) at the end of May so our sessions will be via Skype, but I'm already looking forward to them! It was so so incredible to sit and just talk about ideas. "Is this a good idea? How do you feel about this? What do you think about ____?"
I really feel as though it was just the kick in the butt I needed to really really figure some things out. I've said it a few times (too many) now but I've just been teetering on the verge of something awesome (or so it feels!) but haven't felt the nudge I needed to just go full force. And as silly as this may sound, I think part of it has to do with the fact I don't feel super inspired by my office set up. We only just moved in but I think that paint switch needs to happen and something has gotta give with my clothes/shoes. I think I'd rather downsize all of those and have a more dedicated work space rather than it just be pretty. (Yikes! Just don't tell that to my husband who spent all those hours drilling holes in the ceiling haha I'll keep my wardrobe rack but I think the shoes might go? IDK! Getting sidetracked here!)
I keep thinking about all of our "businesses" (this blog, Honeybean, Him + Honey, design work, etc) and I want to consolidate them as much as possible. I want to rebrand certain aspects of stuff, have a dedicated work site for each one, and streamline everything on this blog. I wanted to redesign the LCH layout, but every time I go to try I get hung up on the beautiful flowers and I just can't let it go. Until I feel comfortable with a full redesign, I'm just going to tweak the navigation and clear out the sidebars, all the while making it about 200 pixels wider. It's so cramped right now! I also want to launch some surveys/polls and get (anonymous) feedback from all of you.
I feel so blessed to know Elle and be able to spend time with her and chat about life, business, etc. She's one of my very best friends and she's such a great person to have in my life. I'm excited for her next chapter in North Carolina (We can't wait to visit!) but we'll miss her and Bryan so much! Saturday's meet up really made it obvious to me how much it helps to have someone you can talk to about things like that. We can relate to each other and help each other out along the way.
Sometimes being a solo entrepreneur or small biz owner can be so daunting and stressful. You feel like you have nowhere to turn and no one to talk to (I mean, there's Mike but I'm talking about someone not directly tied into the success/failure of the business) -- we get to see each other reach goals and milestones. We can celebrate those small victories along the way.
If you have your own business (or want to start one), I highly recommend finding someone you can confide in and learn from. Almost like a mentor, but a peer. It's amazing how one little afternoon can make you feel so revived and inspired. I can't wait to put these new goals and ideas into motion. While I know it's a flexible schedule and only a foundation, I already have all of April laid out. Here's to hoping it's beneficial to be back on the scheduling wagon! Thanks,
Elle!
Do you have anyone like that in your life? If so, do you feel like it's helped you succeed?
