Wyse thoughts for this spring

Spring is here and that usually means renewal and restoration of some kind. If you’re a woman founder who’s feeling stuck and overwhelmed, the year is still young and full of opportunity. Now is the perfect time to get out the dusters and start sweeping away any mental cobwebs that may be slowing your business growth journey.

Spring knows what its season is all about—growth. Do you?

This month we’re looking at two key methods that can be put to work as tools to refind your sense of direction. One is about asking the right questions; the second is about the transformative power of frameworks.

We’ve seen both approaches help entrepreneurs identify the nub of what’s holding them back which in turn reduces overwhelm and frees the space for clear thinking.

Questioning your way through obstacles

Asking questions is a great way to break out of a rut by sparking new perspectives. By staying curious you develop problem-solving skills and shift the focus toward possibilities rather than limitations. But they’ve got to be the right questions.

When your brain is in stress mode, it’s difficult to think clearly. Your mind fills with small, reactive questions asked in response to mental clutter. But there are three Big Power Questions that can truly change the way you see things, so the things you see change.

By asking these questions, you can create a ripple effect that removes chaos and acts as a mental filter, sorting and organising thoughts in a logical flow. Your mindset moves away from the negative towards a more productive outlook. For more on how this works, read our blog here.

Frameworks: woolly concepts or valuable business tools?

Just like the three power questions kickstart a mental-clearance technique, so too can the right frameworks help shift perspectives when you’re at a standstill.

Frameworks may seem like vague, woolly concepts but it all depends how you define them. One of the biggest reasons businesses fail is because of the absence of a step-by-step plan so it makes sense to revise your frameworks and/or even introduce new ones.

In the world of business, there’s strength in following a set of principles to help guide decision-making or strategy. Frameworks act as mental umbrellas, providing you with a formal space where to organise your business challanges. This frees you to concentrate on the day-to-day operations of your company in confidence, knowing there’s a firm structure in place that’s holding everything together.

A The purpose grid framework

Take purpose as an example. Having a framework for purpose is essential for times when blockages arise and you forget why you started your company. Those times when you become mired in endless to-do lists and busy schedules. A purpose grid is a framework that you can return to time and again to stay true to your vision. It can help prevent the downward spiral of demotivation that happens when leaders lose their sense of purpose and goals, and which afflicts all areas of a business, from teams to suppliers to customers.

B Frameworks for finances

The same goes for finances. The importance of frameworks in guiding the financial side of a business is talked about in-depth on our Money and Financial Success course, which we launched last month with Sandra Boekhoudt from wealthywisewomen.com.

This programme tackles the lack of confidence many women feel when handling business finances. Without a clearly defined money framework, it's easy to lose track of finances and risk overspending or underinvesting. That’s one risk you definitely don’t want to take when new research shows investment in UK women-led startups didn’t just stall, but actually fell last year.

No one said running a business was easy and today’s environment is a masterclass in navigating change. But by using effective tools, like asking the right questions and redefining your business frameworks, you can find a better, more productive way forward. Growth is a continuous journey with ups and downs and it’s how you travel the bumps that matters.