My mom and I were on the phone the other day when things got a little tense. In fact, the issue has been bothering me for awhile and it’s an issue that many entrepreneurs deal with when it comes to family…sometimes they just don’t get it.
*In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please read my disclosure here.*
They Just Don’t Get It
Now, I want to be clear, my mom wants me to be a success at everything that I do. But, when it comes to talking about entrepreneurship and the things that I have to do to make things happen…she get’s a little weird. Need an example? Here we go. I was sharing how I had changed my pitching strategy to a daily process. Nothing crazy, but, I’ve decided that I must send out writing pitches once a day everyday.
My mom says the following when she hears this “Well, I don’t think you have to do it everyday. You need to figure out some balance.” I’m like, mom, I want to make more money. Let’s be clear, I’m not wanting to make incremental amounts of money-I want to make A LOT of money and that means that I have to work harder. It’s just a fact. It just is what it is.
And, this is coming from a woman who works HARD in every role that she has ever been in. In fact, I don’t understand when she pushes back at me when I make comments like this. But, I’ve finally come to understand a couple of things.
Entrepreneurship
Doesn’t always make sense to the people around you. My mom has no desire to ever work for herself and even though she is brilliant (has basically 3 degrees) there is something about the choices that entrepreneurs make that she just…doesn’t get. I’m not on vacation-I’m working.
- No-I can’t just drop everything to meet up. In fact, I use Deskpass so that that I can work from co-working spaces instead of my home. Deskpass is a service that allows you to use co-working spaces in: Denver, Chicago, NYC, Austin, LA, and San Francisco. I love this service! My day begins pretty early (am getting back into my Miracle Mornings) and I do work. Because…I have to eat and pay my bills.
- People Aren’t Mind-Readers–People have no idea what I’m selling if I don’t aggressively market my business. While my focus is on growing my passive income (got payment notifications today!) I’ve decided that it’s smart to grow all of the revenue streams for my business. Which means that I have to get in front of people who will pay me. What are my revenue streams?
- In-Person Events-I’m so excited about the first event kicking off on May 4th! That means I’m actively looking for monetary and in-kind sponsors for those events.
- Coaching–I help entrepreneurs network their way to more money. If you hate traditional networking, I have some solutions for you. Sign up for a free discovery session HERE.
- Affiliate Income-This is my favorite income stream! There is nothing better than getting an email notification that a tool you shared has helped someone out. If you’re a digital marketer looking to crack the code on affiliate marketing, I recommend Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course. I’m still surprised by how affordable it is. Snatch it up before the price goes up!
- Freelance Writing-If you can find high-paying projects with great editors…this is a no-brainer. Fortunately, I have fabulous clients right now! And, I’m looking for more.
- Sponsored Content-I have a limited number of sponsored posts that I will do each month.
- Digital Products-Currently I sell a guide on my Colorado website and now I’m developing some digital products for this site. Again, I love when I get notifications that people have purchased something that I’ve created.
- Ads-Yep, I do display ads on my websites. It’s pretty subtle on this one, the Colorado one it’s a little more obvious. But, purposely not distracting.
There are a couple of other ways I make money, but, the point is I have to get in front of people for very different offerings as often as possible for two different projects. And, I’ve made some very focused changes to my life so that I can grow my earnings.
And, it’s working.
Or, When
I decide that this is the year that I need to take a break from conferences and people keep pushing me to go. And, I’m thinking, you’re entrepreneurs too! Why are you pushing me to do things that I’ve said won’t serve me well in this moment?
Entrepreneurship is a very emotionally intense undertaking and these interactions, have at times, caught me off-guard. It has been very frustrating.
The Universe
Will test you when you least expect it. And, I feel like these moments happen to make sure that I’m always on alert. The irony that I’m finally totally focused and in alignment and these moments keep coming up isn’t lost on me.
And, it hasn’t been lost on me that money mindset issues rear their ugly heads as you focus on entrepreneurship. Issues connected to:
- Income growth
- Imposter syndrome
- Self-doubt
- Fear
Have all come up and it has been humbling. So, I keep on keeping on. Business conversations are usually had with people who “get it.” And, I understand that not everyone will understand what I’m trying to do. And, that’s ok.
Latest posts by Michelle (see all)
- How Work Policies Against Black Women Birthed a Love of the Soft Life - 20 March, 2024
- How Taylor Swift’s IP Victory Could Change the Business of Music - 28 February, 2024
- Why Don’t More Personal Finance Content Creators Talk About Policy - 16 January, 2024
It’s amazing how many of our closest loved ones don’t get it. I don’t even talk about certain things around certain people anymore. There is no reason to.
I love the fact where you said that people aren’t mind readers. You are 100% correct. You have to market, market and market. That’s something that I am doing more of.
I’ve just accepted that I can’t talk about what I’m doing and it’s ok. I’m not going to constantly defend my choices. I’m marketing like a NINJA now. That’s my biggest area of focus.