Dear Diary,
Today I am having a wobble.
This happens from time to time. I don’t think you can run a business, especially one that means so much to you, without occasionally having those moments where you question absolutely everything.
Am I doing the right things?
Do I actually know what I’m doing?
Am I spreading the right message to the right people?
What even is my marketing at the moment?
Am I talking about the things people actually want to hear from me about?
And once one of those questions sneaks into my head, it seems to invite all of its friends along with it.
The strange thing is, nothing has happened to cause the wobble.
There hasn’t been a disaster. Nobody has told me I’m doing everything wrong. I haven’t suddenly woken up and decided I hate my business.
Actually, quite the opposite.
Recently I’ve felt more connected to Digitastic than I have in a long time. I’ve been working out what I want the next version of the business to look like. I’ve been thinking about the things I really love doing, the things I want to be known for and the message I want to put out into the world.
There have been quite a few lightbulb moments.
But apparently you can have a lightbulb moment and a wobble at the same time.
I think one of the hardest things about running your own business is that nobody is standing next to you with the answer sheet.
There isn’t somebody who can tell you that if you post this many times, send this many emails, offer these exact services and say these particular words, everything will work.
We’re all figuring bits of it out as we go.
And when you’re having a wobble, suddenly everything starts looking like something that needs fixing.
Maybe I need to change the website.
Maybe I need to talk about something different.
Maybe nobody understands what I do.
Maybe I need a completely different marketing plan.
Maybe I need to create something new.
Maybe I need to do MORE.
That last one is particularly dangerous for me because my brain can come up with approximately 746 new ideas before I’ve finished my cup of tea.
But I’m starting to realise that a wobble probably isn’t the best time to redesign the entire business.
One of the things I tell other business owners all the time is that people need to hear what you do more than once.
Yet somehow, when it comes to my own business, I occasionally forget that.
I expect myself to say something once and for everyone to immediately understand Digitastic, what I stand for, how I can help them and why it matters.
That isn’t how it works.
Building a business takes repetition.
Building a reputation takes repetition.
Building trust takes repetition.
And marketing definitely takes repetition.
Sometimes the answer isn’t another new idea.
Sometimes it is saying the same thing again.
And again.
And probably again after that.
I think that’s what I want to remind myself of today.
Having doubts about what I’m doing doesn’t erase all the work I’ve already done.
It doesn’t mean the decisions I’ve made recently were wrong. It doesn’t mean I need to throw away the plans I’ve been excited about. And it definitely doesn’t mean everybody else has magically figured out business while I’m sitting here wondering what on earth I’m doing.
It just means I’m having a wobble.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll wake up with another idea I’m ridiculously excited about.
Maybe an email will land in my inbox that reminds me why I do this.
Maybe someone will tell me that something I said three months ago finally clicked for them.
Or maybe nothing dramatic will happen at all and I’ll simply feel a little more certain again.
That’s business.
There are days when I feel like I know exactly where Digitastic is going.
And there are days like today.
So I’m not going to make any massive decisions from inside the wobble.
I’m going to keep talking about the things I believe matter. Keep helping people understand their tech. Keep banging the drum for digital literacy. Keep helping business owners make their systems work better for them.
And keep showing up.
Because maybe having a wobble doesn’t mean I’m on the wrong path.
Maybe it just means I care enough to question where I’m going.
Love,
Alex