It’s a word that every entrepreneur knows all too well. The gamechanger is a big event, opportunity or innovation that can radically transform a business. If you are trying to grow a business, a gamechanger can be illusive. Difficult to achieve and find, it’s not always apparent what or who is the big “ah-ha” that you really need.
As a small business owner, so much of my life is intertwined—there is no clear delineation between work and family—and of late, I have come to realize that I need a gamechanger in a big way. Recently, we’ve had a few family illnesses that have had Scott and me on the road. Many of my days consisted of heading to work before dawn, getting in the car to be gone all day and then returning home at night to play catch up.
I am blessed that I am in a position to make this happen, but good fortune does not alleviate the fatigue that creeps in after several weeks of this unusually insane schedule. The combination of driving, worrying, praying and taking care of kids, house and work was pushing me to the brink. While jogging at dusk one evening, it hit me; I needed to reassess how I am doing everything. I have created this life, crammed full to the brim, and maybe I have become my own worst enemy? What could I do better?
So, if admitting that I needed help was my first step, figuring out what to do was the next. I decided to start looking around at others in my life that had their act together. This led me to Kathleen. I met her through a volunteer commitment at church. She had worked for one of the most passionate, detailed, accomplished and demanding people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. If she could keep him happy, perhaps she might be able to help me. I reached out.
We spent time together and she immediately started to see what needed to change. I was taking on too much. I know, master of the obvious, huh? But what could I do to change? This led to an amazing series of conversations around everything from my email organization, planning my day and looking at the utilization of our staff and their resources. The early results? Gamechanger. I have already been able to spend more time planning for our future, thinking strategically about our growth plan and generally feeling much less overwhelmed.
I probably wouldn’t have considered a change like this had I not hit rock bottom; I would have most likely continued my unreal pace, assuming this was the way it had to be. Thankfully, rock bottom has given me more than fatigue and stress—it has steeled my commitment to making this change. Now, if only I could get my kids on board…
