Have you ever taken a pause, looked around your business and wondered, “how did I get here?” Maybe your business is going great on paper, but something feels off or out of alignment with your heart and passion. This could be related to any element of your business – from your offer, to your schedule, to your income, even to your clients. In today’s episode, I’m sharing a few steps you can take to access your business and get back to a place of alignment.
The Shoot It Straight Podcast is brought to you by Sabrina Gebhardt, photographer and educator. Join us each week as we discuss what it’s like to be a female creative entrepreneur while balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood. If you’re trying to find balance in this exciting place you’re in, yet willing to talk about the hard stuff too, Shoot It Straight Podcast is here to share practical and tangible takeaways to help you shoot it straight.
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This episode is brought to you by my Sustainability Guide Freebie, where I’m walking you through 10 steps to a sustainable business. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in business for years, this guide will help you review the different facets of your business and clarify whether or not you’re set up for long-term sustainable success.
Review the Show Notes:
Your overall business vibe (1:33)
When you realize you’re out of alignment (2:18)
Your business and your life will thrive (4:04)
Action steps to get back into alignment (4:51)
Mentioned in this Episode:
The Aligned Photographer Course
Review the Transcript:
Welcome to the shoot it straight podcast. I’m your host, Sabrina Gephardt. Here I will share an honest take on what it’s like to be a female creative entrepreneur. while balancing business motherhood and life myself along with my guests will get vulnerable through honest conversations and relatable stories because we’re willing to go there. If you’re trying to find balance in this exciting place you’re in yet willing to talk about the hard stuff to to shoot it straight podcast is here to share practical and tangible takeaways to help you shoot it straight. Welcome back to the shoot it straight podcast.
So I’ve got a question for you to start this week. Have you ever taken a pause, looked at your business and wondered, how did I get here? Maybe your business is going great on paper. Or maybe your business is failing?
Maybe you find yourself offering products or services that don’t light you up or don’t feel aligned with your heart. Maybe the business you have created is exactly where you wanted it to go back when you first started. But it doesn’t feel good anymore. Your heart has changed but your business hasn’t really changed with it. No, I’m not saying that being an entrepreneur is all sunshine and rainbows. I know there are wins and losses every day. I totally understand that there are ups and downs things you love and things you don’t. What I’m referring to is your overall business vibe. What you’re offering, what you’re creating, how you’re creating it, your schedule, how much money you’re making, how are you marketing? What kinds of people do you work with?
What kinds of clients are you serving? Are you sleeping at night? Are you inspired? Are you proud? While none of those things determine on paper, whether or not your business is successful. As a creative entrepreneur, they absolutely determine if your business feels successful. What is the point of being in business for yourself if your business doesn’t feel in alignment with your heart. So let me back up a minute. I can’t speak for every single person listening, but I’m pretty certain that if your business feels out of alignment, you didn’t set out to create it that way on purpose. You probably landed here on accident. And that’s okay.
The important thing is to realize that you are out of alignment, and then do the work to realign. Even if that means changing a few things or a lot of things. You might need to cut back your hours or offerings, you might need to change your ideal client, you might need to mark it differently or raise your rates you might even need to do a major pivot. Every single one of those things is okay. In fact, if making those hard choices, and doing the work to realign your business gets you back to a place of inspiration and joy, then it is 100% worth it. Don’t get me wrong. Making changes is specially sweeping changes can be really hard.
They often require new boundaries, both for your clients and for yourself. They often require new ways of doing things and new habits. They often require self discipline to stick with the new way of doing things. These changes might be scary, they might take time to implement. You might even lose a little money at first. But just like with anything else, consistency is what matters. Continuing to follow your gut, continuing to do the work continuing to hold the boundaries. The dust will settle. Your business will thrive again once these changes are in place. And here’s the kicker I bet you anything that once your business is back in alignment, I bet you will thrive like never before. I bet your bottom line will thrive like never before.
I bet your health will thrive like never before. I bet your personal life will thrive like never before. You see it’s all connected. Your heart, your life, your business. As an entrepreneur, it all goes hand in hand. This is why it is crucial to be willing to let your business grow and shift and morph as your life does the same. So as usual, I want to leave you with a couple of action steps today. If this is speaking to you if you are feeling out of alignment or like something is off, then I’ve got three things for you. So I want you to get out your journal, your favorite cup of coffee, cup of tea, maybe a glass of wine. And I want you to ask yourself these three questions. Number one, what is working? What feels good. And I really want to emphasize what feels good. Don’t just look at the facts and the analytics and the bottom line, I want you to go beyond that. Really look at things, how they are feeling mentally, and physically.
What is getting you excited? What gives you joy? Where are you thriving and happy and inspired in your business? Number two, ask yourself, what isn’t working? What doesn’t feel good? Again, go beyond the facts and really look at how your business feels? What gives you the nervous jitters? What do you hate doing? Where are you holding negative emotions and around what things? Okay, and then number three, and this is the big part, evaluate your answers, kind of take a step back and look at them with a big picture lens and ask yourself, what changes need to be made? Is there a way to capitalize on what feels good and do more of that? Is there a way to cut out the stuff that doesn’t feel good? Depending on you your business and what kinds of observations you make, you might need to make a few small changes, but you might see some big changes that you need to make. Either way, you have the right to change them. Again, what’s the point of being in business for yourself if your business doesn’t feel in alignment with your heart, having a business that feels in alignment with your heart and your life and your values matters.
No matter how you started, where you veered off path or how you got stuck. It’s never too late to change things. You deserve business alignment. You deserve a business that inspires you and brings you joy every single day. That’s it for this week, my friend. Until next time.
Thanks so much for listening to the shoot it straight podcast. You can find all the full show notes and details from today’s episode at Sabrina gebhardt.com backslash podcast. Come find me and connect over on the gram at Sabrina Gebhart photography. If you’re loving the podcast, I’d be honored if you hit that subscribe button and leave me a review. Until next time, my friends shoot it straight.
