Inspiration in Unexpected Places: Growing & Scaling Your Business KDS: 067

Inspiration can come from so many places if you keep your mind open.I can remember back to being a little kid and making plans with my friends. You had big ideas and big dreams… you didn’t let the “outrageousness” of the dream hinder you from making the plans, right? This cracks me up as I think about it… in the 4th grade, one of my best friends and I talked about how we were going to be rock stars. I was really into music when I was a child, I played piano and was in a children’s choir. We spent so much time drawing our outfits and planning our performances (I don’t remember what we were going to call ourselves). I wish I could remember when we pivoted to the next great idea, but that’s not the point. The point is how we felt while we were “in it.” You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? As entrepreneurs we connect with the excitement of the idea and the planning phases on a regular basis (if we’re lucky). The novelty and excitement can wear off once you start digging in and doing the work, but if it’s right, you keep going. Finding Inspiration I’ll admit it… I can be a bit of a nut when it comes to information. I jokingly said to my therapist that I wish I could get paid to read. Her response? Spot on as always, “well, you do. You take what you’ve read and learned, implement it, and apply that knowledge to what you’re doing.” That being said, there does come a point where you have to consume much less than you create. For me, I have routines for consumption. I allow myself time in the morning when I’m having my first coffee, or when I’m having lunch, or even after my work day is over (I tend to leave my office in the late afternoon, and then pick up my laptop again after dinner). Now that I have two newsletters (#FtheHustle here and Creativity Published with Jodi on Content Creators Planner), my consumption has a more direct impact on what I’m doing (can I get an Amen?). I’ve started creating a little bit more structured process for note taking and gathering. There are things I gather to share and there are things I gather for myself. All of this has led me to discovering new people and places that inspire me. What a gift! For the sake of keeping this somewhat focused, I’m going to use the internet marketing/online marketing space as my example here. There is no shortage of experts, influencers, or guru’s to follow in this space. And let’s remove all judgment about how we feel about any of those people… let’s just look at the facts (because I have no doubt some of the people that come to mind when I use those terms may trigger something in you, that’s O.K.). Like you I’m sure, I have my “go to” people that I follow, read, or listen to. On one hand, this is great. You know who inspires you, who you resonate with, and what you like about them. On the other hand, it can lead to challenges that create that feeling of being “stuck” in your business. There are a lot of “names” I’ve followed or listened to in the past that I don’t follow or listen to anymore. And it’s for one simple reason. I’ve outgrown them. When we change and grow the people who brought us to a certain level aren’t necessarily going to be the same ones who take us to the “next level” (that poor saying is so overused and annoying, but it is what it is). Even when these people have significantly scaled and grown their businesses, what they’re doing may no longer relevant to what you’re doing OR… they’re still serving the same audience (which is smart because they know who they serve and how to help them) and you’re beyond that. Here’s the challenge with...