The truth behind my $114k week…
“I didn’t pay myself in July”
OR
“The $114k week that almost didn't happen”
These were some potential titles for today's blog post, friend.
I struggled to pick one because both are true for me.
Late last month, I had a $114k week.
As in, about $114k of new or renewal biz came in the door. WOW. This is a wildly high number - even though some of this cash will come in the form of an extended payment plan.
But today I don’t just want to just talk about the sexy big $$ week because this result kind of implies that things are easy, clients sign a contract the minute we finish a sales call, and Anthony and I are flying first class to Rome asap.
Not true (but we might do Canmore later this month 😉).
Story time:
The other night, I was at a v. fancy dinner with some of my closest gfs.
As the evening turned to night, the red wine was flowing, we all had cozy blankets and were curled up around an oversized fire table (fyi - I'm 99% sure the patio was approx the size of the main floor of my house lol).
Anywho, we got to talking about the entrepreneurial / high-level exec journey… and just how fckin hard it can be at times.
I don't usually share about my biz aside from surface-level niceties like “It's busy!”, but I did that night… and I felt seen.
So, friend, let me share with you too what actually happened in the lead up to my $114k week:
I didn't pay myself in July because my biz had a loss of about $7k that month
My client acquisition efforts sucked. I had 9 sales convos, sent out 7 proposals - one lead didn’t even acknowledge receipt of said proposal, 2 said “maybe later”, 1 said “yes” but then left me on read etc etc etc…you get it
One long-time client verbally agreed to a $48k renewal and then backed out suddenly
I fully financed a retreat and none of the potential leads became clients (yet?? ;)
And…..my mom had a major health event that stopped me in my tracks
Now, I’m not telling you (or my gfs) any of this to garner pity, friend.
One of my greatest strengths is that I am a persistent MF lol.
Things have turned around for my team and me. We’ll have lots of work for the next 2 - 3 months for sure. I’ll be fine.
I am telling you this because I want you to know that the big, braggy headlines you see online never tell the whole story. They are legit .0005% of the whole story lol.
What's the real story?
1 - BEING A BUSINESS OWNER (OR HIGH LEVEL EXEC) IS HARD.
2 - VERY FEW PEOPLE SEE YOU AND YOUR EXPERIENCE HOLISTICALLY.
3 - ENTREPRENEURSHIP REQUIRES SKILLS THAT YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY POSSESS BEFORE YOU STARTED YOUR BIZ (AKA IT'S TRIAL BY FIRE OUT HERE).
4 - NO ONE ON YOUR TEAM WILL EVER CARE AS MUCH ABOUT YOUR BIZ AS YOU DO.
(YES, THAT YELLED LOL)
Today I want you to know I see you.
I know what you are going through as a CEO:
I know you are frustrated that your biz’s profitability is kinda sh*t when compared to others in your industry
I know you don't like giving tasks to your team and they only do them 60% as well as you'd hoped
I know you are exhausted from grinding to bring in work
I know you are carrying a big load at home.
I also know that sometimes you don’t think there is a path out.
And it may be hard to believe right now, but I promise you there is.
I don’t have any fancy solutions for you today, friend.
Instead, I offer you acknowledgement.
I see your struggles.
I know you are overwhelmed in your quietest moments.
So struggle and let yourself feel the overwhelm…
But don’t give up on your dreams. ❤️
You and I both know this is just a season in your biz and - you never know - your very own $114k week just might be right around the corner.