Embracing Change, Fueling Growth

One thing every small business owner I talk to agrees on—it’s a lot to run a business. There are so many details that require our attention. No matter how prepared we may be, there will always be surprises, and with surprises come a learning curve. Over the past year, my biggest learning has been to be patient with myself. While the foundation of my business, my consulting services, is a place of confidence, there are so many auxiliary elements that I am learning as I go. One place that has felt particularly vulnerable to me is my social media.

Before starting my business, I had stopped using social media altogether. It had been a few years since I had even opened Instagram, and my knowledge of the platform was dusty. Moreover, my exposure until that point had been completely recreational. I had never followed any business accounts or paid particular attention to how businesses approached marketing. That said, it is a free marketing resource, and a great way to tune into other local businesses, so it felt like an essential component of building my business.

Developing a brand identity as well as clear and consistent messaging has been a journey. One that I am still in the very early phases of. However, I can also appreciate how far I have come. I continue to tailor my approach and attempt to improve my aesthetic. It has entailed a lot of observation and the willingness to keep trying. There are weeks I am consistent about posting, and weeks that I am not. It can be easy to look at past posts and wish I had known more, but to be more objective about it reveals progress. I see huge growth across a handful of areas of focus. Areas that I created structure and goals around.  

This kind of growth makes me feel optimistic about my business and is the same optimism I bring to my clients. There is always room for evolution. Evolution is essential to any business—even businesses that are thriving. When everything is constantly changing around us, standing still means being left behind. Given that, I consider willingness to change one of the best predictors of success and celebrating growth as one of the best ways to fuel continued evolution. By embracing change, we pave the way for growth.