How to stop “playing business” and get serious about your dream in 4 easy steps.

Are you still “playing business?”

It’s an honest question I’ve asked myself in the early stages of my business, and one worth asking yourself too. A lot of people love the idea of business. They love talking about their business, dreaming about their business, learning about their business, talking to coaches about their business and attending workshops about their business.

They do a lot of the same things that people with thriving businesses do. They have coaches, they read books, they might have a VA, a website or even a product, but they’re not really all in. Many people mistake attention for success but Russ Mayberry of Digital Marketer always says, “You can’t eat likes or views.”

The truth is most people are just playing business. They’re dabbling, they’re dreaming, they’re deciding, they’re planning, but they’re not growing, capitalizing, scaling or producing.

If this message is landing like a big clunk in your heart, this is good news. Because now we can shift this. Now we can get serious. And please know my friends, that everything that I write about and teach is from lived experience. I have navigated these same waters, have made the same missteps and corrections along my road to entrepreneurship. We’re in this together.

If you’re passionate about really doing this thing once and for all, here’s what you need to do to get serious in 4 easy steps.

#1 - What’s your WHY for the work that you do?

Do you really want to become an entrepreneur and why? What is the lifestyle that you desire? Who do you want to help? Why can’t you NOT do this? When you are tethered to a strong purpose, you’ll stay in the game. If you can’t find one then you’ll continue to play games.

#2 - The difference between dabbling and devoting yourself to your mission 

Be honest with yourself. A dabbler treats this like a hobby. There’s no structure, no commitment, no organization. Just dipping in and out of the work when the mood strikes. The devoter has a plan and sticks to it no matter their mood.

#3 - Staying in your zone of genius

People who achieve next level things stay in their zone of genius and outsource tasks to others who live in theirs. Believe in your dream enough that you are willing to pull in the right people to help you bring this to life whether that’s through mentorship or building a team.

#4 - Creating a long and short term strategy

Action is everything. The dabbler tricks themselves into thinking that planning, deciding and dreaming is an action. Only action is an action. Reverse engineer your plan of attack starting with the long term vision and working back to what you have to be doing daily in your business.

 
How do you find your why?

Simon Sinek says “When you start with WHY, those who believe what you believe are drawn to you for very specific reasons. It’s those who share your values and beliefs, not the quality of your products, that will cause the system to flip.”

Imagine trying to market a product and your why was….

“Because it felt like a good idea”
“I needed some extra cash”
“I like the idea of being an entrepreneur”

That’s not a WHY that will build a business and brand around who you are and what you do. It’s also not a WHY that has enough power behind it to keep you motivated and disciplined for the long road of entrepreneurship.

A powerful WHY drives the success of your business, attracts your dream clients and helps you build a team around who you are and what you do.

WHY must you do this?
WHY you and no one else?
WHY is now the time to do this?

**When we read things we might get an “aha”, but that knowledge doesn’t become wisdom until we integrate it into our life. Take a moment here to write down your WHY before you read on and know that it’s something to revisit again and again.**

Stop dabbling and start DEVOTING yourself to your mission.

First, let’s get clear on what a dabbler is.

A dabbler works when they feel like it. There’s no plan, no strategy, no organization. They love talking about “the thing” but rarely DO “the thing.” They flip flop on their direction often, lose interest as soon as the work gets real and are forever chasing the “next shiny thing” instead of seeing their projects through to fruition.

They want to get coached, talk about their brand and program, tell people they have a business, but when it’s time to create the product, write an email marketing strategy, organize the books or consistently produce content they fall to the side.

The dabbler lets their emotions run the show. The work when they feel “inspired” and they stop as soon as they hit a resistance point. They love excuses, they get distracted easily and they’re always switching gears. They make a little bit of money here and there but nothing significant considering the time that they’ve been dreaming and talking about this thing.

Almost everyone is, or has been, a dabbler (myself included once upon a time) and I need to tell you that you cannot be successful if you stay this way.

On the flip side, when you’re devoted to your business, it looks like this:

📌 Make your declarations. A declaration is a commitment. It’s an “I will_______ by_______” statement. You declare that something specific and measurable is going to happen and you set a date that it's going to happen by.

📌 Make a roadmap for yourself starting with a long term goal and work backwards. Dabblers wake up and do whatever they feel like that day. Devoters know the yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly plan and they stick to it.

📌 Set financial goals, track your progress, look at your analytics and continue to make decisions based on data not feelings. Track how you spend your time and make sure your hours at work are on the needle moving actions in your business.

Expect that resistance, self sabotage, fear, limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome will show up every step of the way for your entire journey of entrepreneurship. Make friends with it. Get used to it. The only way around this is through. Devotees know that if they stop every time they’re feelings kick up a storm, they’ll never get anywhere.

Find (and stay in) your zone of genius.

You are not good at everything. You were born with a very unique set of tools, gifts, insights and talents. In the beginning stages of your business, you might just have to be everything. The janitor, the bookkeeper, the marketer, the administrator, the ceo (and there are benefits to knowing how all the parts of your business work first). But, eventually you want to slowly but surely start outsourcing the things that are not within your zone of genius.

How do you find your zone of genius? Gay Hendricks coined this term. In order to find yours you want to...

Conduct a Skills Inventory 📝

Make a list of all the skills you possess, both technical and non-technical. Ask yourself which of these skills come naturally to you and bring you joy and fulfillment. These may be indicators of your Zone of Genius.

Identify Your Passions 🔥

What topics, causes, or activities do you feel deeply passionate about? What brings you joy and fulfillment in your personal life? Consider how you can incorporate these passions into your work.

Reflect on Past Successes ✅

Think back on past projects or experiences where you felt a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. What were the common elements of these experiences? What unique talents or strengths did you utilize in these situations?

Ask for Feedback 🙋🏻‍♀️

Sometimes, it can be difficult to identify our own talents and strengths. Ask colleagues, friends, or family members for feedback on what they perceive as your unique abilities and strengths.

Take Personality and Strengths Assessments 🌟

Personality and strengths assessments, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or StrengthsFinder, can provide valuable insights into your natural tendencies and unique abilities.

In my business? I outsource graphic design, admin, back end systems and automations and bookkeeping. I just hired a marketing agency too that will be helping my team create ads. This allows me to stay in my zone of genius of coaching, writing, podcasting, creating and teaching.

Create the strategy.

Depending on your zone of genius, this is where coaching, consulting and mentorship comes in really handy. Many entrepreneurs get lost in the details or with the “mouse view” actions. My zone of genius is in seeing the big picture and helping my clients design the roadmap to reach their goals.

Creating your strategy…

🎯 What’s your financial goal for the year?

🎯 How many of your current products and services do you need to sell to reach that goal each quarter/month/week?

🎯 What content strategy will you use to promote those offerings each month in your email list, ad campaigns and social media?

🎯 Who do you need to align with and bring on board to help you reach those goals?

🎯 What do you need to do daily to maintain your energy, stay focused on your tasks and enjoy the road while you do this?

I think being a dabbler is a natural first step for any entrepreneur. But I am here to work with the devotees. The ones that aren’t playing games. The doers, not the dreamers. I can seriously help those people. I’m bringing the football coach energy into the Sovereign CEO Academy space in a big way from this moment forward so I can celebrate you and the big results you’ll bring in.

Expect me to be real honest with you in the most loving way, because I know what you’re capable of when you really devote yourself to your dream.

Love your football coach,
Karla Joy Treadway