How to run your business into the ground…FAST.

It occurred to me recently that there are SO many gurus out there telling us how to grow our businesses exponentially…but not many who offer a crash course in how to – well – crash.

I believe I may have something of value to offer here (even more so if you can fully appreciate my rather dry sense of British humour ).

Mistakes? I’ve made a LOT of them over the last six years of working for myself.

If there truly was a need for a 5-step program for burn-out, exhaustion and emotional collapse – I really do believe I would be the PERFECT candidate to bring it to life. Burn-out? I’ve been there. Emotional collapse? Check. Exhaustion? Totally get it.

I’d call it: How to run your business into the ground, FAST…(in five simple steps).

As I sat here trying to figure out what I could write today that would help someone, somewhere, smile a little (or at least feel a little less alone)…it hit me: I could share my top five ways to achieve ultimate dissatisfaction when it comes to running a business…and how to manifest this non-miracle into your life.

So, here goes…

1) Pay a LOT of attention to what others are doing.

The Holy Grail of Business Breakdown.

In my opinion, there is NO greater guarantee for misery than spending more time dissecting what others are doing (instead of keeping your eyes on what’s right in front of you). If you’re looking to sabotage your own success, look no further than…anything that doesn’t come from your own heart.

Over the years, I’ve pretty much perfected Step #1. I have a beautiful idea – and all it takes for it to collapse in front of my eyes is a tiny distraction (courtesy of Instagram) to send me down the Rabbit Hole of Comparisonitis.

If you’re a sensitive sort like me, the only way to NOT pay attention to what everyone else is doing is to ration the time spent on social media (if at all), and be ruthless about what you allow yourself to indulge in. The second you feel even the slightest hint of comparisonitis, you force yourself back to focusing on what matters. You remind yourself that that is NOT your path, and that your ONLY responsibility is keeping your eyes on what’s in front of you. On what’s yours to give, or create, or share.

Be vigilant, recognise your triggers, and guard your creativity as if your life depends on it. (Because it does).

2) Try to be someone you’re…well…just not.

If there was a (poor quality) T-shirt to be had out of this exercise in business destruction, I’d absolutely qualify for this one.

I spent the first year of working for myself trying to be someone I’m not, and it resulted in the Real Me becoming depressed, defeated, and exhausted. I wrote in Americanisms (SO not cool when you’re undoubtedly British), said all the things I’d never say but thought everyone else wanted to hear me say, and offered what I thought people wanted me to offer.

It ended in tears, confusion, and what was essentially an existential crisis.

I wish I could say that the story ended there – that I learned my lesson, and from that day forth have only ever been myself in my business. But I’d be lying.

As it turns out, being who you are in business is one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do.

It requires a daily commitment to self preservation (which is not so bad when you know who your ‘self’ is, but on the days you lack clarity and confidence – it’s like wading through mud).

It demands laser-focus vigilance in walking your talk (even when your walk – or your talk – feels a bit off-the-beaten-track).

It means having the guts to fly your own unconventional-looking flag, and the grit to admit that you’re only human.

When I realised I was being someone I wasn’t, I also realised I didn’t know who I really was. I found validation in my Alchemist (Primary Archetype), and clarity and confidence in my Sage (Secondary Archetype). The combination of my Archetypal Blend laid out a path for me to follow, and it came from my own heart…not someone else’s.

3) Never (ever) question your assumptions.

Step #3 is so insidious, you may already be a master and not even know it.

A sure-fire way to kill any trace of creativity and clarity is to never EVER question your assumptions.

One of the strengths of my Secondary Archetype (the Sage) is asking questions – yet even I have missed opportunities and allowed good things to slip through my fingers because of assumptions I’ve (wrongly) made. I’ve assumed what other people are thinking. I’ve assumed what people want from me. I’ve assumed that no-one actually reads my emails. I’ve assumed no-one wants what I have to offer. I’ve assumed crickets means no-one is out there. I’ve assumed what people are willing to pay. I’ve assumed that it’ll be hard instead of easy. I’ve assumed that change = unreliable.

Becoming aware of my assumptions – and then questioning them – is a daily practice for me. I often make assumptions about my assumptions, so they can be tricky to catch (or am I just assuming that?).

Anyway, you know what they say about assumptions. They make an…yep, you know how that goes.

Assumptions. Go question them.

4) Be reactive with your decisions.

We live in a world that demands us to be switched on 24/7. We fear that if we don’t respond quickly enough, we’ll lose the sale / be judged / miss out. As a result, we tend to make decisions too quickly – and reactively. We react, rather than sit back, absorb, and reflect.

Reactive decision-making has gotten me absolutely nowhere other than hot water. (And not the hot-tub kind).

The expectation for us to keep up has us knee-jerking our reactions, and it’s dangerous business. We say yes to things we’d rather say no to, say no to things we’d rather say yes to – and overall fall completely out of alignment with who we really are.

(If you’d like to super-charge this step, combine it with Step #2. It’ll boost your frustration in no time).

Truth: not all decisions are made equal. You know (feel) when you’re being reactive. Recognise it, breathe, and allow yourself to think through a more considered approach.

5) Stay on the fence.

I’ve possibly left the best (worst?) til last.

Perhaps THE most efficient way to run your business into the ground (fast) is to stay. on. the. fence.

We stay on the fence because it’s safe. It means we avoid making bad decisions by making no decisions at all. Being on the fence means having something solid beneath you – whereas there are no guarantees if you decide to fall either left or right.

One BIG lesson I’ve learned, though, is that while staying on the fence feels safe – it’s a false sense of security. You can only hold your balance on the knife-edge for so long, and then you’re pushed into making a decision. Consciously making a decision (even if it turns out to be the wrong one) is WAY more pleasant than being forced into making one. Trust me – I speak from experience.

Staying on the fence is simply avoidance. Whatever it is you’re trying to avoid – whatever decision you’re trying to avoid making – will need to be made sooner or later. The longer you stay stagnant, hoping for the right answer to reveal itself, the more you are leaving yourself open to complication, and being forced into a corner you’d rather not be in.

Take control, take responsibility, and stay on the fence for as little time as possible (unless you DO want to run your business into the ground, of course).

Confession: as I was writing these five steps to chaos and confusion, I committed most of them myself.

I happened to read someone else’s email newsletter, which sounded so much more…sophisticated, than this one. I re-read the words above, and found them paling in comparison.

I wondered whether my sarcasm was too much, and whether it would be well-received. I wondered whether I should be less ‘witty’, and more ‘direct’.

I tuned into an assumption floating round my mind that no-one really cares what I have to say – nor will they feel inclined to read to the end, if they do happen to open up in the first place.

I neeeeeeeaaarrllllly pressed delete. I reacted to my own fears of being judged. (If you’re reading these words though, it means I did manage to avoid giving in to this reaction).

I nearly decided to put off sending this email until another day. The fence is rather accommodating today…but no, I know that postponing is just another excuse for an email not sent.

So there you have it.

How to run your business into the ground, FAST…(in five simple steps).

I hope you found this immensely useful (although I shall respectfully say that even if you didn’t – that’s totally ok. I’m just going to assume that you did from the sunny side of the fence).

C xo