Don't you ever have those moments where you just can't seem to put your heart into your work?
It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?
Hello.
I'm Satoru.
I work as a copywriter, creating content for client websites, sales pages, blogs, and newsletters, so I often receive consultations from self-employed individuals. Among those consultations, there's a recurring theme that leaves me feeling uneasy.
That is, 'misunderstanding the direction of one's efforts.'
It's been over 10 years since I quit my corporate job to start my own business, and having experienced so much, I can say with certainty: business is not something you can do entirely on your own.
Especially when you work hard to transition from being a salaryman to starting your own business, you tend to fall into a 'sports-manga' mindset. You know, the idea that even if it's tough, you should just push through and work hard on your own!
I understand that feeling. I was the same way. But it's wrong. The direction of that effort is off. I used to look at people who relied on others for this and that and think, 'They're just not trying hard enough.' I thought that because I was working hard, I was superior, and that I would win in the end!
But looking back now, that's a very childish way of thinking. What a fool I was (laughs). Of course, as a premise, there is a stage where you have to work hard on your own. For example, you are the only one who can decide the core of your business.
But after that, it becomes a multiplication game. Borrowing someone else's strength is super important! Working hard on your own is fine, but you'll hit a limit before you even realize it.
Let me give you a common example. You see people who, despite being amateurs, try to build their own websites, right? Tools are so readily available now that it's easier than ever, but I often see people spending months building one all by themselves.
If you're good at that, fine, but that is a huge waste of time! As a self-employed person, there are mountains of things you need to do to generate revenue. You shouldn't be spending your time building a website. It's best for the overall picture to pay someone who can build it and focus on what you should be doing.
It might sound imprudent to say this, but a few years ago, I used to regularly hold workshops for self-employed people on how to create websites they could update themselves.
Quite a lot of people took the course, but almost none of them are still self-employed today. That's why I stopped the website creation workshops. I felt like I was holding back the growth of other people's businesses.
In business, money is brought to you by people, and at the same time, the power of people is also necessary to grow a business.
So, you really shouldn't think that you can do everything by yourself. It could end up being the cause of your failure.
There's a catchphrase that people who try hard all by themselves like that often use. Do you know it?
"I didn't have enough strength before. That's why I want to get results this time..."
When I help out with self-employed businesses, I hear this catchphrase many times.
But is that really true?
Did you really lack the strength?
I always felt uneasy about that. Everyone is honest and a hard worker. You're all trying too hard on your own!
There is no one who possesses all the necessary strength at that moment. You can understand this immediately if you imagine starting a real-world company.
You have no location, no people, no capital, and not enough products... In the midst of all that, you look for a rental property and sign a contract, recruit employees through job postings, source products from good wholesalers... You clear these one by one, and finally, it becomes a company.
Self-employment is the same. It's natural to be lacking in everything! How do you go about gathering the 'things you don't have' and the 'things you are lacking' from that point on? The answer to that is 'borrowing the power of others'.
There is something I still can't forget. When I was supporting a client with customer acquisition for their self-employed business, they said this.
Sometimes, as if I've been possessed, there are times when I can't put my heart into my work. I know my level of action is very low. Even so, it's pathetic, but I've become exhausted. I don't know if I'm moving forward or not on my own.
When you're self-employed, there are so many things you have to do by yourself. I've had the same experience, so I understand well. But, I dare to ask, don't these things apply to you?
・The tasks at hand are not clear
・Working out of habit and doing things your own way
・Don't know how to conduct research
・Goals are set but end up unfinished
・Don't know what your own strengths are
・Cannot feel a sense of the future
It's impossible to change all of these at once in a short period. That's exactly when it's important to ask for help. Don't carry it all on your own!
If you're okay with me, I'm always here to listen. Please don't hesitate to reach out. I've already experienced the struggles you're going through. (^_^)
Thank you for reading until the end.
See you tomorrow♪
