A favorite new term of mine to describe where most of my ideal clients live is: the messy middle, a place where they’re straddling two platforms of growth afraid to leap to the unknown on one side and afraid to let go of what’s comfortable on the other side and being literally stuck right where things are hard.
So many entrepreneurs (especially ones focused primarily on the online space) like to set lofty goals like hit six or seven figures instantly — without any clear idea of how in the world to actually get there.
What I’ve found with my clients in this messy middle, is that there is a pattern of growth that most businesses go through, and no one tells you it’s going to happen.
Year 1 is all about focusing on #allthethings all. the. time. There is a such a steep learning curve that it’s hard to figure out what to even focus on for any length of time. It’s like drinking water a fire hose and trying not to drown. If I could sum up the first year of your business it would be: you’re consuming a ridiculous amount of information and exhausted
Characteristics of the first year:
• everything feels exciting and new
• you have way more energy than you thought possible
• you work a ridiculous amount of hours and don’t mind
• you know exactly what you want to focus on
Year 2 – 5(ish) is what I call the messy middle. You’re no longer in complete learning mode. You’ve learned a bit about what’s working, you’re making money and traction, but scaling it beyond what you can handle 1:1 or completely on your own is getting to be difficult. The problem comes when we stay too long in the learning stage and get lost in our own businesses.
“It’s the idea that you’re forgetting why you started your business in the first place because you’re listening and trying to do #allthethings you see working for everyone else.”
Characteristics of the messy middle years:
• you feel exhausted trying #allthethings
• you begin to resent your business and doubt what you’re doing
• you wonder about pivoting your business and doing a complete 180
• your voice is not the predominant one in your head you listen to
If you are stuck in the messy middle and struggling to see true growth in your business, and you wonder if you’re ever going to “arrive” here are some suggestions:
Tap into why you started your business in the first place and what goals you are setting.
(hint: they can’t just be money goals or your business will spiral downhill and you’ll hate it)
Figuring out those things above lets you shut out all the loud voices around you that are driving you bonkers. It allows you to set boundaries for how YOU want to run YOUR business and find clarity to move forward at a fast pace.
The ticket out of the messy middle is to shift from consuming to being a focused action-taker.
To find out about my not-so-secret #girlboss Mastermind, book a chat with me here. It is for messy middle entrepreneurs who are ready to be action-takers and significantly change the revenue and profit in their business in 2019. I’m only taking 10 women (and I’m being pretty picky about who I let in — so book a call before all spots are filled if you are curious about the details)
or go to divimallory.wpengine.com/connect
