Small Business flexibility, why it actually works.

What's the Story (the personal one)?

Like many of you reading this, I watched my fathers career and took cues for my own growth from what I saw. It's natural. Without being too mushy, I'll say that I truly admired his example. When he started his own company I  keyed in to the relentless energy to survive and succeed in those first few years where most small businesses fail.

What I learned drove me as I developed professionally. I began to see the wear and tear of 60+ hour weeks, months of both famine and drought with incoming work and the strain on personal life. This observation was the seed of an idea that grew to become my own small business, iAdmin4You.

Initially, I wanted the business to provide affordable administrative help to small businesses (1-5 people), I wanted to use my talents to help business succeed and I envisioned doing this as WFH online support. I built a very basic website that was meant to provide a small online presence and then concentrated all of my marketing efforts on social media and face-to-face interaction.

It did not begin producing the highest results that I knew it could have within the measure of time I had given it. So, I began looking at how flexible I needed to become. Why stay stuck? If it doesn't work-CHANGE!

The Story continues (becoming a business yogi)

For those who aren't familiar, a yogi is a practitioner of yoga, it entails a great deal of both physical and mental concentration to expand oneself and alleviate stressors, improve health etc. The routines of meditation and physical discipline are not for everyone but the idea translates very well into business thinking. Why not be as healthy in your business thinking as possible? Stretch your imagination, find a way to strengthen and broaden your services and finally reach a place of calm so that working through challenges doesn't eat up all of your energy!

I found that leaving my 'comfort zone' of preconceived business plan ideas, and venturing into somewhat unfamiliar territories was invigorating! Not only did my clients begin to respond with more work as I offered more flexibility in what I can provide but I was challenged to grow outside of what my expertise had been. And isn't THAT what professional growth is in a nut shell?

So, these days, I am not stuck on my pricing list, everything is negotiable.  I also now offer web design & maintenance services. And I've started creating and producing marketing materials like business cards, letterhead & trifolds for one client in particular.

There's literally no telling what I may need to offer next. Knowing that keeps me focused on disciplining my business thinking to be very adaptable.With each request I grow more flexible, test my limits and find ways to exceed them and am one happy small and growing business owner!

I am sharing this in hopes that anyone struggling with starting their small business will be encouraged to look outside of the box, grab a mental exercise mat and get started on a whole new way of working today!