My closest friends know that I hate winning awards.
Some people think I LIVE for awards because I've won so many. Nope.

For years, I didn't understand why I hated the recognition and applause.
I do love to win. And I love applause! (I'm a performer and a musician, after all.)
And I like seeing the trophies on my shelf, reminding me of the mountains I have climbed.

But I love playing the game even more than I love winning.

And I don't need the applause to motivate me to win. I do it because I love the thrill of pushing myself to my limits. I don't need anyone to motivate me.
I do that all on my own.

When I was in 5th grade, I won a contest for selling the most candy bars for our school fundraiser.
In 9th grade, I sold the most magazine subscriptions.
I don't care about candy bars or magazines. I didn't really care about the prizes I won. But I LOVED playing the game. Reaching for a goal. Pushing myself to the limits.
In high school, our high school teacher called out the fastest typist in our typing class. Wrote her words-per-minute score on the blackboard. I saw that number as the number to beat. I worked harder. I won.
I aimed to be the cheerleading captain, piano accompanist for choir, and chosen for the leadership council in high school. I achieved all of those things. I saw the standard, worked hard, focused, and achieved those things.

(In the Strength Finders test, "Achiever" is one of my top strengths. Pretty clear, isn't it?)

In college, I pushed myself to my limits. Practiced every day. Composed music. Arranged hymns. Accompanied multiple vocalists and the women's ensemble. Became a discipleship leader on my dorm floor.
I never expected to win "Graduate of the Year." It wasn't on my radar. When they called my name, I was shocked. My neighbor nudged me. I wasn't even paying attention. I didn't work hard to win the award. I worked hard for the thrill of the chase. The journey. The experience of being the best I could be.

I actually hate playing sports. I hate running. (I HATED running the mile in school--I was always last.) I can't catch a ball and I can hardly throw one.
But I'm super competitive.

I don't play the game of business to win or receive awards. I play the game because I love it.

I'm in business for the thrill of the chase. For the challenge. For the uphill grind.
I never ever fear failure because failure isn't possible. What would failure look like? My business failing? I'll start another one.
Someone stealing from me? I'll build it again.
An idea flopping? Ha! It happens all the time! I'll just start a new one.

I never fail. I only learn.

Being in business because you LOVE IT is the number one predictor of success.
If you LOVE the competition and the thrill of the chase, no one can ever steal that from you! It's yours.

And you may win awards along the way.
People may write articles about you. Blog about you. Invite you to be on their podcast.
Your college may honor you and give you a trophy.
Or you may fail, fall, trip, and stumble.
But as long as you get up and try again, you are always winning.

2020 has been a year of challenges. But I'm going into 2021 like it's a new game. Clean slate. Time to try again. Take what we've learned and play the game again.

What can we innovate? How can we pivot? How can we change? What can we improve?

I love the game of business. I'll never stop playing.
And maybe I'll keep accumulating trophies, but they aren't the point. I hate even pausing to accept an award. Because it's not the end. I'm just getting started. There's so much more to do. To learn. To accomplish.

It's not that I hate the attention. It's not that I hate being on stage (I love it). It's not that I think that I didn't I earn the award.
Accepting an award feels like the end of something. The culmination. 
And I'm no where near the end. I still have so much more to do.

I just love playing the game of business.

2021. A new year. A new beginning. 
Let's do this.

It always seems that the New Year is the time to make growth and expansion plans for business. "Do this to get more clients! Do this to grow faster! Do this to expand!"
But what about your quality of life? What about more time for what really matters? What about your spouse or kids? Do they fit into this expansion plan?

If your goals are only to grow bigger, what are you leaving behind?

Instead, can you be strategic with your growth? Can you slowly delegate what you are doing to multiply your time? Can you spend a few months making sure you have the right staff before you try to reach your number goals?

You see, the wrong container cannot hold the growth.
If you fill up a water balloon too full, it will burst.
Instead, make sure your systems and your team can sustain the growth.
If you don't do this first, you'll be running from problem to problem, constantly putting out fires. If you don't have a strong enough team, YOU will be the one that all of this lands on. And it's not sustainable for your mental or physical health.

Instead, you can choose to run your business like a monarch runs their kingdom. You can be poised regally on your throne, crown on your head, with issues brought to you daily in a red box. You open up the box and deal with the problems one at a time. You have time for a leisurely walk in the garden. You sip your tea. You are at peace because your royal staff is handling all the details for you. Someone is preparing the royal food. Someone is cleaning the palace. Someone is tending to the grounds. Your job is to survey it all and make sure it is running smoothly.
You are not Cinderella, running around at every shrill command, "Cinderella!!" You are not supposed to be handling every request.  You are not supposed to be abused and taken advantage of in your own company. 

So what can you shift?
Yes, I know you have big goals and dreams.
But press pause for one moment.
You aren't ready for those dreams to come true unless you have the right team, lined up and ready to fulfill the commands.

Don't even think about your second location until your first is running like clockwork and you can go on a 2 week phone-free vacation. (For real! Book a cruise and see how much you or your staff panics. Or did everything run just fine without you?)
Don't even think about adding those new classes and programs until you have a manager and staff in place to smoothly manage what you already have.

If cashflow is slow and you need to expand to make more money, what can you let go of? What can you eliminate? Who can you hire very part time? Do you need a Virtual Assistant, just to help you over the hump? Do you need to fix your marketing so a steady stream of clients is flowing?

The right order matters for strategic growth. That's what makes it strategic. You must be able to plan the next 4 steps before you get there. Think ahead. 

Right now is the time to map out that plan.
Together we can assess your staff, the strengths and weaknesses of your team, your marketing funnel, and make sure you are ready for the next phase of growth.

Book your free consultation here: www.jenhickle.com/lets-talk

And if you are needing a Virtual Assistant, you can grab our free list of recommendations here: 
https://www.neveralonebusinessservices.com/virtual-assistance.html

Many voices will pressure you to grow and expand. But the wise ones will guide you to do it strategically and in the right order so you maintain grace, peace, and sanity.
This is your year. Take the first step and map out a plan.
You'll be so glad you did.

I've been in business for 25 years, but my business has evolved and changed through the years. I've mastered one thing so that I can add another. Sometimes the decision to promote myself to a different role wasn't easy. I had to decide what made sense for my time and income.

• I started teaching piano lessons and took home 100% of the income. This was wonderful, but limiting. There were only so many hours I could teach. So I multiplied myself.
• I hired other piano teachers to work for me and although I only made 50% (or less) than what they brought in, my time was leveraged. I could work on the marketing, admin, billing, and scheduling of the other teachers with my kids around me. I could work early in the morning or late at night. I had freedom of both time and location.
• When I hired administrative staff to take over the daily operations of my music school, I created a new position for myself: Director of Marketing and Hiring. It was my sole job to get new students in the door and to keep hiring amazing teachers so we could keep growing.
• Once my time was freed up even more, I could add more streams of revenue. We started building websites for other music schools and doing bookkeeping for them. After a while, the bookkeeping wasn't scalable enough, so we eliminated that wing of our business. We added new methods of marketing to our agency and hired staff to help.

Every business decision we made was based on how much time it would take us and how much profit it would bring in.

If I were still teaching piano lessons, my income would be fixed. I could add students, but at some point, I would be out of time.

Instead, every decision we make for our company is based on scalability. Can we multiply ourselves? Who can we hire to oversee parts of the company so we can expand even more?

We recently invested in a vacation rental property. It's a condo in Arizona and someday, it will be our snowbird home in the winter (after all the kids graduate). For now, we are listing it on VRBO and AirBnB and managing it from afar. Instead of doing everything ourselves, we have contracted a manager, a cleaner, and a handyman to work for us.  A percentage of the profit might be leaving our pockets, but having a team to support us means we can do even more with our time. 

So where is your time going? Is there someone else who could do what you're doing? Can you be a supervisor in your company, instead of an employee?

The only way to gain back your time and sanity is by setting up strong systems and hiring the right team members.

YOUR job is to supervise all of it and make sure everyone is doing what they should be. 

You can do this OR you can keep your small company and stay a 1-man show. It's totally up to you! Not everyone has the capacity to grow and expand. If you are happy with making money per hour and never having to manage other people, then be content with your decision. Own it. Embrace it. And maybe it's just for a season. And that's okay.

But if you have dreams to go bigger, embrace your new job title of manager and CEO and stop doing all the things. You simply can't do everything! You have to learn to delegate and let go so everyone will benefit. You didn't start a business to work 12 hours a day for a boss (yourself) that won't even let you go on vacation. If your business has grown but YOU have stayed in the same position, it's no wonder you are maxed out and exhausted.

I know-- you might be used to being in control. But this is where checks and balances come in. Don't just delegate and hope for the best. Inspect what you expect. Stay involved. Watch instead of doing everything.  Let go of admin tasks and bookkeeping. Once it's going well, let go of more. Get really strategic with WHO you put in place because the wrong people will make everything fall apart. Don't just hire the cheapest people you can find. Hire amazing people and pay them well and you will get peace of mind, quality control, and the strength to keep scaling your business. It's amazing--when you hire the RIGHT people, they actually will do a better job than you did! That's when you know you're on the right path.

It's like trusting your kids to unload the dishwasher. Sure, a glass might get broken occasionally. Sure, it's faster to do it yourself (at first). But when you teach your kids HOW to load and unload and you supervise to make sure it's done right, then you can be meal planning or cooking while they are getting the dishes done. It's the multiplication of your time.

There's a reason I love eating out at nice restaurants. They have everything down like a beautiful symphony. The chefs are amazing, the servers are incredible, the clean up isn't done by me, and I leave rested and restored. Sure, I can cook at home. And I do. But nothing compares to experts doing their work with excellence. You deserve to have top-notch staff so you can sit back and watch your business run better than before.
​
So think about it. How can you multiply yourself? What do you need to STOP doing so your company can grow and flourish? WHO do you need to hire? WHO do you need to let go of if they just aren't up to your standards?

None of this is easy. But it's all worth it when your time and income is multiplied.

​In some start-up business circles, selling is the goal. In fact, hustling go-getter entrepreneurs don't even worry about the profitability of their company--they are only focused on the sale or acquisition that will make them money.
In other small business circles, it's a shocking subject. I have friends that would rather shut their doors than ever entertain the thought of selling their baby. They created this company, it is their job, and they would never entertain the thought of a sale.

About 3 years ago, I started dreaming big. Really big. And this little whisper started in my heart: "I want to sell my music school." I was shocked when the thought came to me. My business was running like a well-oiled machine. It was profitable. I had built it from its infancy to maturity and now I was considering selling??

When I hesitantly shared my goals with a few business consultants, their responses varied. One had quiet confidence and said, "You'll know when the time is right." She believed in me.
Another flipped out. "What?! Why?" he exclaimed. "Why would you even consider that? Things are going well! You should expand—NOT sell!”
His response shocked me. I had revealed my secret dream and he threw cold water on it. I determined to shove that dream deep down into my heart. I protected it and kept it quiet. I didn’t need to share my thoughts to make my intention come true.
 
From that day forward, I kept my mouth shut but my eyes open to the possibility of selling. Who would reveal themselves as the new buyer? How would I find them? I believed that all I had to do was look. I knew the timing would be up to God. If He gave me this dream, He would also help it come true.

While I waited, I prayed and moved my feet. I knew I had to get some things in order.

1. We hired a strong manager.
We had a manager, but she was young and was juggling two of our businesses. When she told us she was moving on, it was the perfect time to split our staff between the two companies and put a more mature adult in place who would solely focus on the music school. We poured into her and trained her on every aspect of the business: systems, numbers, and operations.

2. We relentlessly worked on our systems.
Countless hours were spent improving our internal systems so our school could run flawlessly without input from me or Chris. Some of our processes were too complex, so we simplified them. Some of our procedures were tailored to specific employees or shifts, so we streamlined everything. We let go of some employees and hired others. Many hours around our conference table helped the entire company to run more smoothly before we could ask a new owner to take over.
​
3. We got our finances in order
The most important information a potential buyer wants to see is your finances and how profitable the business is. But most importantly, a new buyer wants to see growth potential. Thanks to Chris' love of numbers, he assembled all our paperwork and reports in perfect order. It was easy for us to prove both the profitability and the potential in our music school to grow and thrive.

By focusing on these 3 things, we were in a perfect position to sell. When we heard of someone who was actively pursuing the acquisition of music schools, we set up a phone meeting. That was July. By September 21, the last paper was signed and our school was sold. The process was nearly perfect. Our strong manager, systems, and reports made the transition easy with no speed bumps. The new owner told us, "This was the easiest acquisition I've ever done."
Why? Because we had the right team, systems, and numbers in place.

Some people have lamented to me, "How could you sell your baby?!?" but this baby was all grown up. Ready to live on its own. I had raised it and taught it to stand on its own. It was at the "maintenance" phase and I'm a true entrepreneur: I love to start new things. It was time to move on.

I never started my business to create a job for myself. I started it to grow a company that is ever-expanding. As the years have gone on, I've changed seats often. First a piano teacher, then a manager of teachers and the admin of all the details. Then I switched roles to the CEO, overseeing all of my staff. Then I started Never Alone Business Services and a marketing agency to expand my influence nationwide. Now I'm coaching and mentoring business leaders as they scale and grow their own companies.

Three years ago, I knew I had to sell my company to properly mentor more business owners. I couldn't be in the weeds and details of my own company and give my clients my very best attention.  I've promoted myself and my clients have benefitted.

If you have a dream in your heart to sell your business, but you need to get a strong manager in place first, and set up strong systems that are sustainable without your daily input, let's chat. We are coaching many music schools who want to sell and we can map out the process that is tailored for your unique situation.

Maybe you want to sell because you're ready to retire. But maybe you have another dream you want to pursue. Maybe it's just time. Whatever your reason, don't let anyone talk you out of your dream. YOU know best for your future. And if God is leading you, then He is also on your side.

We are here to help, if you need it. You can schedule a call with us here: www.jenhickle.com/gac
We are always cheering you on.

The heart-sinking feeling of receiving a bad review. The words wash over me, makes my blood run cold, and my heart sinks to my toes.
My face flushes. I want to hide. I want to run. I want to cry.
Is there truth in this?? Or did this person have a bad day, a bad month or even a bad year?
What can I say? Should I ignore it? Run away? Fight? Defend myself?
 
It's happened to all of us (and if it hasn't happened to you, it will). It's part of owning a business.
When you serve the public, you're sure to tick off the public, too.
Even if you are trying your hardest...doing your best...working all hours of the day and night...
even if you are pouring out your heart and soul...
Someone is bound to NOT be happy with your services. 
 
So what do you do??
1. Push your emotions aside. This is business. Even if they are irrational and accusing, YOU have to stay calm. 
Pull up all the logic you can and be the bigger person. Keep a level head, even if you are feeling crushed, embarrassed, and defensive.
 
2. Apologize. What can you take ownership of? What can you genuinely apologize for so the person feels heard? Whether it's a red-faced angry client in your lobby, a scathing email, a ranting phone call, or a public 1-star review, FIND what you can apologize for. People just want to be acknowledged and listened to. It's your job to NOT be argumentative. Instead, do what you can to admit where the wrong took place.
 
3. Refund. There's nothing more powerful than a full refund. It will stop the complainer dead in their tracks. Money speaks and leaves the offended person speechless, which is exactly what you want to happen. You want the complaining and the slander to stop. So, if you can, write a check and give them their money back. Once, we had a mom so angry with our program that we refunded an entire semester. She was stunned. We never heard from her again and the bad-mouthing stopped. What could she say? We listened, we apologized, AND we wrote her a check. Problem solved.
 
4. Change. Even if your irate client is irrational, wrong, exaggerating, misinformed, or a jerk, there is likely TRUTH inside of their complaint. There always is. So what can YOU take ownership of? What can you do to take that feedback and make positive change? How can you adjust what you are doing? If one person complains, it's likely that 9 others are out there thinking the same thing. So don't let your emotions override your logic. Step back. What can you improve? What can you adjust? Use this time to learn and your business will continue to improve and grow.
 
I've had angry clients, seething reviews, and irate clients. It's never ever fun and some of those experiences will always be with me.  I choose to become better because of them. I choose to improve. I choose to make changes. I choose to rise above and NOT be sucked under.
It's YOUR choice, too.
 
You can't be perfect. It's impossible.
But you can be BETTER and you can always improve. THAT is in your control. And then, move on. Focus on the clients who love you. Focus on all the GOOD you are doing in the world. Don't let one or two people pull you down. Acknowledge that life might be really hard for them right now. Release them. Let them go. 
And get back to serving those that still sing your praises.
 
You're doing good in the world! Don't let anyone stop you from keeping on.
 
Jen

​You’ve been creative. Thought outside of the box. Pivoted. Been creative. This has been a hard year but YOU have triumphed. You’ve persevered. You’ve pressed on.

The world collectively holds its breath, wondering what 2021 will bring. It can feel scary to make plans when you’re just trying to survive today.

You pull out the Christmas decorations, go through the motions, and wonder what next year will bring.

You grab a calculator again and try to estimate what you have, what you need, and if you can get there.

Things are uncertain but this I know for sure: music will never die. It can’t.
It won’t. In fact, in hard times, even more beautiful music flows because we need it.

I saw the economy crash in ’08 and my neighborhood cleared out.
Families abandoned their houses as everyone lost their jobs.
It was terrifying for a small business owner. I read the headlines and went to work. I knew I had to do MORE marketing and find the RIGHT people. And it worked. We grew that year!

No matter what happens in 2021, you CAN get new clients. There are plenty of people who want and need music in their life. NEED an activity for their kids. NEED the therapy from playing an instrument or singing.

So don’t stop your marketing. Don’t put your foot on the brake. You can let up a little for the holiday season, but get ready to hit it full speed in January!

Our BEST recommendation is Google Ads for January.
Why? Because if people are already searching for music lessons, then they are already pre-sold and ready to buy. Facebook is a bit of an opinionated mess right now. While we still recommend advertising on FB, if you are going to choose only one, choose Google Ads! We will write your ads, manage the bidding, manage your clicks, and send you reports so you know what’s happening.

Limited offer! Our best of the year: Sign up in December and don’t pay anything until January! We will get you all setup and ready to roll for the new year so you can hit the gas and get NEW STUDENTS during January, one of the highest enrollment seasons of the year!

We are here to support you through the highs and lows of business. Just reply to this email to set up a time to talk to Chris. Mention this post for December Google Ads for FREE!
​
Chris & Jen

​We have been eating turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and stuffing for days! YUM! I deliberately made extra food this year because I LOVE the leftovers.  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

We got our tree up, the stockings hung, and Christmas music has been fully (and officially) unleashed!
(I was sneaking it in, but now it's officially "allowed," according to my 17-year-old, who insists that it is only allowed after Thanksgiving. This makes me laugh because after teaching piano for 20 years, everyone knows we start the Christmas music in October!)
​
Minnesota is currently locked down with all gyms and eat-in restaurants closed down again. Schools are mostly online. Activities and concerts and social gatherings are all "paused."
I wanted to be angry about it, but truthfully, I'm grateful for everything slowing down at Christmastime. It's a chance for some self-care and catching up on reading the stack of books that are piling up on my nightstand and in my Kindle app.
I'm enjoying the glowing Christmas tree and the blazing fireplace in the dark, quiet mornings. I'm taking time to pray about my business and ask the Lord what He wants me to do in 2021. This December will be noticeably different from years past, but I am grateful for the slowing down so I can find my center and have clarity for the New Year.

You may notice sales slowing down in November and December. THIS IS NORMAL. Don't panic. Instead, enjoy the slowdown and prepare for January! I cannot stress this enough: work on your January marketing now and you will have a profitable January. (January is a huge response month and if you are prepared, you can pull in lots of new clients!)

Where to focus in December:

• Write emails and schedule them to go out every Tuesday in January (done for you examples have been posted in the FB group)
• Write your FB ads now and run them for the entire month of January  (done for you examples have been posted in the FB group)
• Get good pictures ready for both your emails and your Facebook ads 
• Make sure you hook up Instagram to your Facebook page so your ads are running on both platforms
• If you are grossing more than $10K/mo, sign up for Google Ads--the most effective way to capture those leads who are already searching for you!
• If your email list is a hot mess, get organized, or hire a VA to help you! (get your list of VAs here: https://www.neveralonebusinessservices.com/virtual-assistance.html)
• Join the Funnel Fix program so you can work on your marketing strategy, your copy, and your funnel! Request more info here: www.jenhickle.com

Just like an apple tree takes years to grow and produce fruit, your business will take years to grow, too. Faithfully water it and provide it with sunshine and be patient! Keep taking action but don't expect immediate fruit.
These things take time.  

Do what can, with what you have, where you are. Take baby steps in faith and believe that your efforts will pay off!

Need a VA to help you with all the details and tangibles? Download our list of featured VAs here: 
https://www.neveralonebusinessservices.com/virtual-assistance.html

Want our Agency to handle your SEO, Google Ads, and Facebook ads for you? 
Schedule a time to talk to Chris: 
https://www.neveralonebusinessservices.com/lets-talk.html 

"You're holding me back!!" I yelled. I slammed my fist on the steering wheel. I was in my parked car, on the phone, sitting outside of my music school.
​I was frustrated. 
I was angry. 
I felt misunderstood and held back.

It was not my finest hour. But I was fed up. I felt backed into a corner. I was being told to "calm down" and "be patient."  I was told that boredom is good. I should get used to it.
Those are not words that resonate with me.

As a creative entrepreneur, there is nothing inside of me that wants to maintain or keep things steady. I thrive on big new projects and coming up with new ideas. 
Even if I start something and shut it down.
Even if my big new idea doesn't get any further than my notebook.
Even if I start a website and Facebook page, only to close it up after I realize "This isn't what I want to be doing."
THIS is how I learn. I have to go explore. I have to try things on for size.

It drives Chris crazy.

He's not wired like this. He is wired to get the plan, implement the plan, and keep the whole thing running (thank God). The difference in our personalities can be VERY difficult sometimes. It causes conflict. Hurt. Misunderstanding.
But when we work through our differences, we also form an amazing partnership. 
It's just that getting to the "amazing" part can be very, very painful and hard.

Maybe you are a little like me. Maybe you are living in shame from false starts. Maybe you don't even trust yourself anymore. 
But the desire to do big things, try new things, invent, start, create. . . it just doesn't go away.
That's because you are an entrepreneur.

I've had many business coaches. Nine that I can count off the top of my head. They each have taught me something different. They each have given me skills that have helped me advance my company forward.

But the ones who provided a community of like-minded entrepreneurs have been the most effective.

I can't do life in isolation. Especially working from home. 
I need people who "get" me and who cheer me on.  I need a safe place to land when I'm discouraged. I need a safe place to brainstorm when I have a new shiny idea. I need people who TRUST that I can make it happen and not doubt what I am doing.

Let me challenge you: If you are surrounded by people who just want to play it safe, survive the week and get to the weekend, maintain what they have built,  or people who are negative, complaining, and super competitive, I challenge you to find a new community.

If you are a woman, surrounded by men, you may need a new community.
If you are a stay at home working mom surrounded by stay at home moms who do not work, you may need to add to your community.
If you are a homeschool mom and the only one of your friends who is working from home, you need to add to your community.

It's not healthy to stay isolated. 
YOU are not the one who needs to change. Your support system needs to change.
YOU don't need to blend in. You need to find a group that gets you.
FIND a group of people who celebrates you. Not questions you.
Find people who cheer when you are excited and mourn when you are sad.

You don't have to leave your marriage or abandon your friends. You just need to add to what you already have.

The Never Alone Inner Circle was built for creatives and dreamers. Feelers and thinkers. Passionate people with big dreams and determination to make things happen.
If this sounds like you, explore the program details here:
https://www.neveraloneinnercircle.net/

One more thing: Did you know that most millionaires have SEVEN streams of income? If you aren't wired to just run one thing, then it's time to listen to your gut and start that new thing.
Yes, some people will think you're crazy.
Some people will question what you're doing.
But you'll never know if you're right unless you try.
And who knows? The next thing could be the thing that changes everything.

After all, you aren't starting from scratch anymore. 
You're starting from experience.
​
And check out this week's video I made for you. See if it speaks to your heart.

Several years ago, I was stabbed in the back. A father whose daughter took lessons at our studio, decided to start his own music school--just a few miles away from our location. He opened the doors and still sat at his daughter's recital, in one of seats near the front, looking right at me. He even joined a coaching program that I was in! I was seething. How could he do this to me??
My mentor at that time kindly told me, "There are more than enough clients for everyone. Ignore him. Keep your eyes on your own business."

At first I was furious.  I wanted sympathy. I wanted revenge.

Instead, I did exactly what my coach suggested: I ignored him. I focused on growing my own school.
​
Around that same time, one of the teachers at my music school left and started his own music school a few miles the other direction. This time I didn't give him much energy. "Do your own thing, Jen," I coached myself. I focused on my company, my staff, my systems, my marketing.
I could have frozen in fear. I could have shrunk back and refused to hire anyone else in case they, too, would leave me and hurt me.
I didn’t. I chose abundance. I chose to believe there are enough fish in the sea. There are enough families to serve. The potential hurt is worth the opportunity to serve more kids and more families.

Since these two hurtful events, guess what happened? We doubled our income. Around that time, we were grossing around $500,000 per year. Just 3 years later, we bring in $1,000,000 per year.

You can choose to fight your competition or you can choose to fight your fear.

I worked extra hard. I was attentive to our marketing message. I gave my clients more amenities that the new schools couldn't afford. I doubled down on my time and my discipline to my work time. I added additional streams of income. We now have 3 large streams flowing into our main umbrella company. It gives us security-- if anything happens to one, we know the cash flow will not completely dry up. I have trained my staff to manage and maintain what we have, so I can scout out new streams of serving people. (I love service-based industries. There will always be needs we can meet, people we can serve, and money we can make.)

When I was tempted to flip my lid and throw a fit about new competitors popping up, I took that energy and grew my own company. I asked myself, "What can I do about this?" I can't stop someone from wanting to fulfill their own dreams. I can't stop them from pursuing their passions. But I CAN serve my clients and keep my eyes on my own work.

I'm not interested in dominating my market. I am interested in doing the absolute best job I can for my clients. And that creates a culture of very happy clients who refer their friends. Our reputation is strong. Our name is not tarnished. We work with integrity and we always will.

I don't need to crush my competition. I need to crush my own fears.

I created a video this week that at first might rub you the wrong way. But I have to speak truth. Watch it and let me know your thoughts.

​I'm always here to cheer you on.