Wyse thoughts for Autumn

As we all know, we entrepreneurs can fall into the ‘hat trap’, where – eager to ‘own’ our ideas – we feel we need to do everything and yes, you’ve guessed it, end up – if you’ll forgive my mixed metaphors – wearing too many hats to keep all our plates spinning. It’s exhausting and counter-productive and inevitably, one of those plates comes crashing to the floor.

As an entrepreneur we will always have many hats to wear in our day but the key is to put the “hat of you” on first, to reground yourself daily in your purpose and values, understand who you are and what you stand for – and celebrate that and begin the day looking through this lens.

As a business leader, your role is just that – of guidance and leadership – if you know what you stand for and are clear on your purpose and values, then not only will you understand your vision going forward but so will those you are bringing along for the ride.

Growth begins with you – the sequel
Yes, folks, as with all great impact stories, there has to be a part two and here at Wyseminds we have just launched the second phase of our Growth Begins With You series. As I’ve said before, while you and your business are unique, the way a business grows is not but that is not to say that you cannot influence how it grows. So, here we focus – among other things – on how we think about growth, how big really is better and what to jettison when the time comes, even if it is hard to say goodbye.

We are all Sophia
Are we? Well, yes, we are. Sophia is a fictional character and I wrote her story based on my own experiences of growing a brand in northern Europe. Boy, it was a rollercoaster, full of highs, lows and stomach-churning moments and inevitably I felt a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience. Among the valuable lessons I learned though was that I was not alone, that many entrepreneurs like me had also had those moments of self-doubt and disillusionment. It meant so much that it wasn’t just me – so I wrote Sophia’s story to help other new entrepreneurs understand how they, too, can navigate through starting up their business. Many of the entrepreneurs I work with have already identified with her challenges and now you can read how they learned from her – perhaps you will also see Sophia in yourself?

The joy of podcasting
As regular subscribers will know I absolutely love talking about all things business, from what gets us out of bed in the morning to those bright spark ideas that keep us awake at night and nothing brings me more joy than being able to talk through ideas and conundrums with fellow enthusiasts. The power of words, listening and sharing our thoughts can be key tools to success – they help us to learn and unravel the issues that we get stuck on – sometimes just hearing the conversation can be enough for us to see a way through.

And trust me, everyone in business today faces challenges, whether they have start-ups or well-established companies and this is why it’s so useful for all of us entrepreneurs to stay curious, be willing to learn and understand that we are not alone.

Discussing what I believe and why, in a way that captivates listeners reminds me of the core values behind why I do Wysemind – and the answer to Dr Rosie Ward’s question – ‘why do you this, what do you have to gain?’ on her podcast, Show Up As A Leader. The stories that you tell are the ones that matter most and inspire the listeners the most, it is those that resonate with struggle, a realization, and transformational guides that propel us forward most effectively. Wyseminds is a result of this belief – a rollercoaster of struggles and triumphs.

This is not a hero's tale from a box office; it's a genuine recounting of my journey, hoping that it might touch others in their own quests.

So, why not search for me and Wyseminds on Spotify for existing podcasts and look out for those to come.

Fancy a coffee?
If you would like to understand a bit more about how we support entrepreneurs or have a growth-led question that you would like to discuss, meet me for a virtual coffee here.

Trial Your Journey for free
Our online support programme is built for entrepreneurs to find a more seamless path to business growth. So if you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed or just missing having someone to spar your ideas with, trial Your Journey for free and see how ready you are to grow - and the right next step to do it. Sign-up here >.

I hope to see you soon!