Donna: Hello, lovely. And welcome to the first episode for the 2022 season of the She's In Business Podcast.
I am your host on her hand, and I'm going to bring you a whole bunch of goodness to support you in your business and your lifestyle this year, because. I know what it's like to have a brain that is constantly firing with creative ideas.
And I know what it's like to be brave and take action steps in making those ideas into something that drives my business forward. And I also know what it feels like when those well-meaning ideas and those action steps can end up feeling like a never ending spiral of overwhelm. And I know that after starting running and selling multiple businesses over the past couple of decades, I'm pretty familiar with all of that.
The reason that overwhelmed can hit is because as a solo entrepreneur, as a micropreneur, the buck stops with you, and that can be a heavy feeling. Plus when you add into the mix, the responsibility of being a parent, and maintaining the relationship with your significant other. It ends up being a lot.
But what I want you to do, and what I want to do is to help you to spiral up out of that icky overwhelm, when that rises up in you, rather than spiraling down and feeling completely exhausted and stuck inside of your business.
And then that having a knock-on effect to your lifestyle and your relationships. So that being said, the topics that I plan to cover on the podcast this year are for you. If you're sick of feeling like you're on that hamster wheel, that never seems to slow down. And you want to find a way to get off that hamster wheel.
It's going to be a podcast for you this year. If you are tired of feeling exhausted, just by thinking about all the things that you need to get done, and you want a better way of prioritizing your time and maximizing your results. This is a podcast for you. If you feel trapped by your commitment to your business, and you want to discover how to bring more freedom into your lifestyle so that you can spend time with the people who mean the most to you.
And this is also a place where you can begin to really understand what it means to practice self care, not talking about bubble bath and face masks, although yes, they are nice. I love those things too, but it's not the real self care that so many women neglect. And my friend, let me tell you, it's a continual work in progress that should never end.
And if you understand what true self care means, then when you visit it frequently, you can prevent yourself from going down the path of burnout. And I'm not sure if you know someone in your orbit who has experienced or, burnout or has experienced a breakdown.
Maybe the person that you're thinking about as I'm talking here is you. Maybe you've experienced those things, or maybe you have an inkling that you're on the path to burnout.
So on the podcast this year, I'm going to bring you some tools. Some guests experts that will help you to change the trajectory, plus bring value to your business. And on today's podcast, the first episode of the 2022 season. I'm going to share in a nutshell, what I've come to learn through my own business journey about what makes for a great work-life blend as a business owner, it's going to be raw and real.
And I can't wait to share it with you.
Hello. I'm Donna Hann, a business coach and an online course creator. And this is the She's In Business podcast. You can think of me as your business bestie. Who's a few steps ahead of where you are right now. As a month fuel with ambition and determination I've created and sold three businesses. I've learn the lessons made mistakes, and I understand the daily juggle in the hustle.
I also know what it's like when relationships, fray and burn out taps you on the shoulder. That was my world until I reshaped and transformed the way I ran my six-figure business.
Today, I help women to transform their businesses and go from being the overwhelmed entrepreneur to becoming the thriving entrepreneur feeling energized, empowered and fulfilled within that business lifestyle.
I want to inspire your business journey and help you to stop spinning your wheels, because I want you to burn bright instead of burning out and I'll invite other entrepreneurs to share their real life stories too, because I want you to know that you're not alone.
You can be the savvy entrepreneur that you were born to be. And enjoy freedom to do the things and be present with the people that mean the most to you.
So if you're ready to rise to the next level and build a business by design, this is the She's In Business podcast for moms who are made for more.
I'm really glad that you are tuning in today, because I know that if just one of these things that I covered today lands for you, you will feel a difference.
I love listening to podcasts. It was one of the reasons why I started this podcast because, it's so easy to absorb as a busy mum in business, because you can listen to podcasts while you're driving or tidy the house, or while you're hanging out the washing.
And it's also so accessible, which is great. If you live regionally, like I do. There are not many training and development opportunities on hand, or like now as COVID is continually continuing to go nuts, you can still tap in and access and really great stuff. So this year I'm upping the level of content with special guests and topics that I think are really going to help you to live a lot too.
And I'm excited today to be talking about building a longstanding business. And I think it's about 4 things. It's about vision and values. It's about framework. It's about support and it's about self care. So let me break that down.
It's having visions and values that keep you focused, having access to a business framework to shape or reshape your business and keep it moving forward. It's about having a support network, to keep you energized and inspired. And I want to say most importantly, it's about having a health self-care strategy to prevent you from burning out. And I have something for you today, a tool, a free tool, that's going to really help you shift your self-care strategy.
I'm so passionate about this method. That I've created a whole business around it that encompasses services to guide and support and share with other women in business. Just like you to rise up and live a work life blend that is by design rather than by default and ends in burnout. So there's this podcast, obviously, you're listening to this.
There's my free Facebook group, which you can join if you like. I'll make sure I put the link to that in the show notes. I also do a free weekly coffee and coaching chat. That is a live chat. I stream through my Facebook and Instagram pages. Again, I'll link those in the show notes too. And then I also have my ready to rise 12 week online program, and that is comprised of a series of different video trainings along with weekly group coaching sessions with me.
And then finally I have my beautiful private coaching clients too. So it's become my mission. It's an absolute mission for me. And the reason why, I have made this, my mission is because I was once in that position of being a burnt-out business owner, I was juggling two kids. They were babies at the time.
Now, uh, since then, well, I'm talking about probably my most successful business yet to date, which I started six years ago. There were other businesses previous to that, that I started and sold. My dance studio, which grew to six figures very, very quickly is what I'm talking about really here, because that was the one that I felt like was burning me out.
And so I was once that business owner, trying to do everything myself without the help of a team, I was once that business owner that was running on empty and had no choice, but to push through. And I used to be like a ship in the night with my husband in that when he worked, I worked and we parented, but we just did the essential things along the way to keep our family together.
But we had really lost the connection to each other and we almost lost each other. So you can go back. If you want to know more about that story in depth, you can go back to an earlier episode. I think it might even be episode number one, where I talk about, you know, my business journey so far, which includes the separation and breakdown of our marriage and the repair of that as well.
So whilst all that was going on, my bricks and mortar business that was growing super fast, it had become the go to, in my local community as a dance studio, it was a six figure business, all of that success, but it really came at a cost at that time because I didn't have the four things that I'm going to tell you about today.
Once I had the realization that these four things were what I needed and I implemented them. Things really started to change. And I became the six-figure business owner with a heart centered work-life blend that has created so much freedom to take action on new ideas, such as starting this new business.
And it has also given me the freedom to spend time with the people that mean the most to me when I choose to and in myself, in my soul. I feel nurtured. I feel lit up and I feel energized and I feel like me again, you know, when you feel completely lost, I've been there a hundred percent completely lost in my business.
Completely lost in my marriage, completely lost in not knowing what I wanted, lost on my path of what I thought I wanted, but it wasn't what I thought I wanted when I got. And maybe that's you right now, parts of that might sound familiar to you. When I started doing these four things, it shifted the freedom came to have the time to listen to my inner, knowing, to sit and allow that inner knowing to speak.
The unsatisfied parts of my soul found its voice and started talking to me cause I was actually listening. I had the time to listen and when I was present to listen and respond by making some changes, I didn't feel lost anymore with that time to sit and listen to that, I began to feel really present and I didn't feel so lost anymore.
And that self care practice is something that I am so passionate about now because I felt strong and I felt ready to grow. And so if you're listening to any part of this and you're feeling like, yup, that's me right now, then I'm really glad that you tuned in today. So now that you know the why behind why I'm so passionate about the work that I do as a business, and an online course provider let's get into the four things that I believe are pivotal.
If you want to create the change in the way, I currently doing things and transform yourself from being overwhelmed and exhausted and on that path to burnout, to becoming a thriving business owner that has, time to spend with the people that mean the most to you and time to sit with yourself and make sure that you are feeling nurtured and that your soul is lit up every single day.
So as we go into this brand new here, these are the four things that I believe I really pivotal. If you want to create that change, the first thing is having a vision and an underpinning set of values to keep you focused. I see so many people doing something they love as a hobby to start with. It started out as a hobby, or maybe they are super talented at a particular thing, but are working for somebody else.
And they decided it's a great idea to start their own business, doing that thing, doing that hobby or doing that thing that they currently do for somebody else, which by the way is very courageous and I fully support that. However, if they go into that without a vision and without underpinning that vision with a core set of values for their business, what I'm talking about, like what they want their business to look and feel and operate like that it quickly becomes really messy as that business grows.
So, you might have a loose vision. You might want your shop to look visually a certain way, and you might sell a product that has a certain quality to it, or a service that needs to make people feel something special, something specific, but maybe it kind of stops there it's surface level.
And the problem this has when your business grows. Or when something goes wrong, when things don't go to plan, which inevitably will happen at some point, if you don't have the things that I've been talking about, if you've only got a loose vision, if you don't have more than the surface level, if you haven't invested your time and energy into digging really deep into your why or your purpose, like I've just sort of shared with your mind, if you have an anchor.
That vision of your business to funk, to have a really clear vision that is anchored to values, then it might be a quick win rather than a long lasting business. If you have an anchored, how you want the vision of your business to really function. In the way that you operate, which really comes down to values, then it might be a quick win rather than a long lasting business.
I want to dig into that a little bit more, cause it can sort of sound a little bit confusing. The core values that we have as human beings is really what drives us to make decisions. I want you to put your customer hat on for a minute, okay? Take your business hat off. Put your customer hat on.
If you value the planet. As a customer in your core, one of your core values is that you really value the planet and its health, which we all should. Then you will go out of your way to buy eco-friendly products that you, I know that you know, are gonna help the health of the planet as a customer, if you value quality, and you're happy to pay that bit extra, to get that quality.
If you value your personal health, then you're prepared to do and buy the things to increase the level of health. Not only for you, but also, probably within your home for your family too, if it's a core value. So now if you put your business hat back on, if you clearly know what your business values are and they align to your ideal client market.
Then that's going to make your business so much easier to manage going forward. So you're going to be clear about what your marketing message is. You're going to be clear on the type of things that you choose to do or sell within your business. And you're going to be really clear on what to do if something goes wrong, because you have a clear set of values within your business, that anchor you, they guide you towards making sure that your vision comes to fruition.
So that's the first thing, having a vision and a set of underpinning values that are going to keep you focused. The second thing is that you need a business framework, this blueprint, this method, this strategy, whatever you want to call it, it makes your business strong and talking about having a framework that you can wrap your business around.
And I want you to picture the framework of house. You know, a house as in, it's got no walls that we see there, the, the framework that sits inside the walls, you know what I'm talking about? The framework of the house, it's the structure. It's the bones. It's what keeps your house standing. And it's the same for your business.
You need a framework that holds your business upright. So the may in the early days of business, when I first started, like when I was 19 and I've created and sold lots of businesses along the way. In those early days, and still now I really value professional development and I will always invest in myself and my business this way.
Be it a free webinar where you're just investing your time, be it a small investment, like a $30 book or a larger, more significant investment, like a $3,000 conference, I'm always looking for ways to make my business framework better and stronger. And I do that by learning from others. So things like having a clear understanding for your sales and marketing strategy, things like having a system for your financial forecasting, knowing what the previous financial year looked like, so that you can then create a budget for the upcoming financial year, having systems and processes for the way that your business operates so that you can bring a team on board when your business starts to grow so that if something happens and there's an emergency and you have to step out of your business at a short notice, you've got the systems and processes all documented clearly so that someone can step in and take over for you.
It's also about having, tools that help you to set your goals, to help you plan your time, to help you make sure that you get things done. It's about making sure that you've got the business framework for your branding, for your leadership. And you might think, well, I'm, I'm not a leader. I don't have a team.
I'm going to challenge you on that. As a business owner, you are a leader, you are leading your own business. So this is about making sure that you have. Some people call it a business Bible or a business manual that forms the bones of your business operations. It's your framework. And the two points that I've just covered that having a vision and those underpinning set of values and having a business framework base that really big components in my 12 week flagship program, ready to rise.
And the reason that they are big components is that you need these things for your business to flourish. You need these things in place to create freedom from your business, without them, your business becomes a flash in the pan, and it can be so expensive to set up a brand new business. So you want to make sure that you recoup these costs and you make a healthy profit over time.
Not just, recruit what you put into the business to start with. You want to profit over time. That's why you're doing this, right? And having a healthy, strong business framework will help you to do that. Now I've got more for you. I've got two more things that I believe are really important. For you as a business owner for the longevity of your business. And I'm going to dig into those in just a second.
Plug: Do you wish you had a business expert at your fingertips who can help you prevent business burnout plus teach you about the core business methods needed to grow and build our long standing healthy business. Plus provide you with tangible tools, templates, and guides to help you stay on track and help you to create a plan to positively transform your business to bring you more freedom. I can be just that. For less than $10 a day. The 12 week ready to rise program will mean you have an award-winning business owner. That's me! At your fingertips, helping you to transform your business and taking back control so that you can be more present with the people who made the most to you and have time for self care.
If you want to live a heart centered. work life blend that does not include burnout, head to the show notes to join the wait list for the next round. So you don't miss out.
So the third thing I have for you today is having a support network. I used to feel totally unsupported. And the person that I would go to for support was my husband, but he just didn't get what it was like because he's not a business owner has never been a business owner.
And on days when things felt hard, He would say, well, just close it. We can live off my wage or, you know, you can get a job if you want to, but he didn't understand that. Although I might've been venting about how frustrated I was, I still loved it because it filled my cup up in a way that other things can't.
I'm a wife that loves her husband. I'm a mom that loves the kids, but I'm also a mom that's made for more and running my own businesses as much as it's challenging. I love it. And I can't see that changing. So for a long time, he didn't get that. He does now. He gets now that I need more than just those things, but that's where I discovered that I needed to find a support network of other women in business that do really get it.
So, there are different ways that you can do this. It can be as simple as a free Facebook group and you can join mine if you like, you can search up She's In Business with Donna Hann and it should pop up for you in Facebook. But I'll also put the link in the show notes too. And this is so impactful because it's where you can find and meet other women in business to grow your connections base.
In my group, I jump in live each week to answer questions, to help people get unstuck as well and inviting other members to share what they do to broaden their reach. And it also will hopefully help you make sales potentially and expand your reach into getting to know other people that they might pass your name onto somebody else who might need a graphic designer or might need, whatever it is that you offer. Right? So as much as it's a support group, a Facebook group, it can also be a way that you can network and meet other people. So that's the first thing you can get that support through a free Facebook group, right?
Then there are coaching options. So this is obviously not a free option, but very powerful.
So having a business coach that has walked your path, but is 10 steps ahead of you so that you can learn from their journey. You can tap into their learning. For me, I have invested must be. I don't know, over 60 K and professional development over the last six years or so five years or so. And so if you've got a business coach that also invest in themselves, you can tap into that.
What they spent their money on. You can tap into those lessons and those learnings that they've had. A business coach can help you to get unstuck, which can save you so much money. They can help you to bounce ideas and help to bring those ideas to fruition. And it saves you so much money by educating you and preventing you from making costly mistakes.
A cost-effective way of getting business coaching is by joining a group coaching program. Lots of people do group coaching as part of their online program that they offer. Um, I do that as well within my Ready To Rise program. I opened that program three times a year and it's opening again in March. So you can join the wait list, now, if you'd like, I always give like a extra bonus to those people who joined from being on the wait list. So if you're interested, jump into the show notes and grab the link there, but I like to keep the groups small. Everyone gets to bounce their ideas. Everyone gets, um, you know, different suggestions to resolve their business challenges.
Everyone gets to share their wins and it's a one hour session that happens every week for 12 weeks. So that's a more, more affordable way of doing business coaching. If you're thinking that that is what you want to, going to.
And then there is private coaching, so one-on-one, and this is a serious, fast track to accelerate your business success.
And I do, I offer that too, but only to a handful of people. Because one-on-one is very, very personal. It's very tailored. And for that, I need to limit the number of people so that they get the maximum results possible. Now years ago, when I realized that I needed help, a business coach was invaluable to me and it changed the game for me going forwards.
So I'd encourage you to, if you're looking for a coach to find someone that you really click with that has experience in your industry, that will hold you accountable. The thing with coaches is that they don't work, they don't do the work for you. They help you with the tools and they guide you, but they can't run your business for you.
So you do have to do the work, right? It's not a quick overnight fix for your business. The value of a business coach is that they keep you accountable and they cheer you on as well as providing you with all the knowledge and learning that they have had over their business career. So look, I would love to be your business coach, if this is something that you are interested in.
So make sure you email me. To book a free discovery call with me where we shoot the breeze and we talk about, you know, what I can offer you, what you need, what you want and see whether I'm the right person for you. And if you're engaging with a coach, that's not me make sure that you definitely have one of those free discovery calls before you commit to that, to make sure that they are the right person for you.
The last point. Number 4. Is self care. So I'm talking about taking care of your heart, taking care of your soul and your spirit. And self care is a journey that we are on for our entire life. You should never, ever, ever, ever, ever stop caring for yourself. The self care industry itself is a billion dollar industry that will sell you face masks and bubble bath and messages and all of that sort of stuff, which is lovely and beautiful, but true self care on a deeper level.
It is a much deeper level than just that. And I believe that self care actually starts with stillness. It's about getting comfortable with taking a pause in your day, in your week, a pause to stop and breathe and tune in and listen, listen to what your heart and your soul and your spirit is yearning for.
And then do that. If this is not a regular practice for you, then your inner voice may not speak very loudly and it may not be very clear and it might feel pointless, but let me reassure you that over time, that inner voice grows confidence and strength, and that inner voice learns how to speak up to be heard.
So I want you to start with a weekly pause, or even a monthly pause, write it into your diary. I'm not even kidding, like market in and just allow yourself to be still. It can be as easy as grabbing a cuppa and whilst it's cooling down enough for you to drink, take that moment, take those five or 10 minutes to tune in and breathe deeply.
And if nothing rises up for you in those 5 or 10 minutes, And take those five or 10 minutes to appreciate a moment of stillness and notice the tiny things around you that you love, that make you smile. And as cliche as it sounds, it can be like tuning into nature. Watching a bird do its thing. You are appreciating nature, is fantastic for embracing those moments of stillness, watching your kids play. You know, sometimes my moments of pause and stillness also involve having a small child perched on my knee, but I make space for that because we move through seasons of life. Just to dig into that a little bit. When my kids were babies, I found it really, really hard to find moments of pause.
And so, in that season where my kids were babies, I would find that moment of pause while I was breastfeeding. That was the best I could do in the season that I was in. Now that my kids are older, I can sit outside with a cup of first thing in the morning and I can pause and take 10 minutes to journal.
And when my kids were babies, that just didn't work. But now it works. Cause I'm in a different season. And, you know, sometimes I'm able to do that without the house steering. It's beautifully quiet. Other times I ended up with two extra little bumps on my chair next to me asking me questions, or, you know, just snuggling in.
So do what works for your season of life, but make sure that you prioritize tuning into you and listening to your soul, that inner knowing needs to have moments to be present for you. So you need to create those moments on a regular basis. To maintain your connection to yourself. It's important.
Otherwise we become lost again. Self care is an important thing that I think, through my experience is like the most important thing out of these four things. And so, because of that, I've developed something for you. It's a one-page self care plan. It's a super easy way. It's really, really simple, but it's a super easy way for you to implement self-care into your daily practice, your weekly practice, your monthly practice as a business owner.
So you can grab it at donnahan.com/selfcare and I'll link it in the show notes as well. So make sure you grab that because even if the one thing that lands for you today in this podcast is self care. You've now got the tool to go ahead and start implementing that straight away. What I've learned along my business journey is all these things help, not just in the immediate short term, but massively over the longevity of your business.
But underpin the way that you operate your business in your decision-making and your staff management too. So I started this episode of the She's In Business podcast by saying that building a strong standing business, a long-standing business is about four things, vision and values, framework, support, and self-care, it's having a vision and value system that keeps you focused.
Having access to a business framework to shape or reshape your business and keep it moving forward and having a support network to keep you energized and energized, energized, and energized. Yes, please, but also energized and inspired. And I also wanted to make sure that the most important thing you take from today is having a self-care strategy to prevent you from burning out
So here's your next action step.
I want you to choose one of those four things that I spoken about today and make it your focus to bring more of that into your space over the next three months. And I'm saying three months, because it can take time to infuse this into your lifestyle and into your business.
If you need any of the things that I've mentioned, go to the show notes. All the links are there, but I would also love for you to DM me. And I want you to tell me about which of the four things you chose to implement and how are you going to implement it. And then I bet ya, you'll be holding yourself more accountable to doing that new and powerful theme to change towards having a longstanding business that isn't burning you out.
Also if this podcast has helped you, then I would love for you to share it with a friend. We want to make sure that as many people are benefiting from these sorts of things. So please share this episode with them, share it on your socials and tag me, and then I'll reshare it and give your business a shout out to.
Helping moms and business to thrive is what makes my heart sing and sharing is caring in the sisterhood of business. So, um, I would love for you to do that. Have a great week, have a fabulous week. And I can't wait to hear from you in my DMS about what you are going to do, out of things to start taking action straight away.
Make sure you check out the show notes, but anything extra I talked about today, if you liked the episode, make sure you subscribe and I'd love it, if you left me a review. Even better, share it with a friend, because what I really want is to help women in business feel supported on their business journey, share it on socials tag me so that I can give your business a shout out too.
