Mindset Mastery is a weekly newsletter about the psychology of self-employment from Jenni Gritters. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while and you receive value from it, I’d encourage you to sign up for a paid membership. By doing so, you’re also helping me make business coaching for self-employed folks more accessible to all.
Resource alert: Austin L. Church at Freelance Cake is finishing up a pricing and money mindset guide for freelancers called Free Money. If you aren’t confident in your prices, this book is for you. The book will drop officially on January 18, but you can get early access if you pre-order or join the waitlist!
Sarah’s business wasn’t working. That’s what she told me, through tears, on our free intro call. She was so, so tired. She’d been trying everything and revenue was still down. She was working more than ever, sending dozens of emails to try to land more projects. She told me, guilt lacing the statement: I just want to take a full-time job again.
Sarah (not her real name) had been working in media for years. She was a veteran of her craft, an incredible editor and someone with deep experience in the editorial management space. If you needed to hire someone to revamp your editorial systems, there was no one better than Sarah. But her work pipeline had dried up.
Sarah isn’t alone. This has been a solid vibe for many of my clients in 2023, especially in the latter half. Sarah and I were also having this conversation right before the holidays, which meant that things were extra quiet. That lull, combined with a complex economy and businesses reducing their budgets, resulted in what felt like a catastrophe.
Can you help me? Sarah whispered.
This is what I told her:
You can’t keep doing what you were doing before and expect it to work. I wish you could, but the world has changed. You have changed. Your customers have changed. Their needs have changed. 2024 is going to be a whole new thing. And none of this is your fault: It’s the natural way of things, accelerated by an economy under duress.
In short: You have to change what you’re doing — and how you’re willing to show up— if you want your business to bring in revenue.
She was quiet for a while. I could hear her clicking her pen, thinking about what I’d said.
I can help you figure out what needs to change, I said. But only if that’s what you want. Only if that’s what you’re willing to do.
Okay, she said finally. I’m in.
Sarah and I are still deep in the work together. We’re spending three months rebuilding her business structure so she can do this long-term. She’s learning so much about what she wants, who she truly is, and how she’ll incorporate shifts like this in the future. She’s learning to think like an entrepreneur, how to be creative and see closed doors as an opportunity to pivot. She’s learning to be resilient, to ask questions and get curious about what’s not working while also not taking it personally. She’s learning to trust herself.
Suzy Holman has a podcast called Your Business Will Heal You, and I’ve been thinking about that phrase a lot lately, as I work with Sarah and others like her. 2024 is calling us to step up and change what we’re doing. That’s terrifying; it requires bravery and courage, and a lot of work on our own beliefs and habits. But, in fact, this process of redefining our business will also heal many of us. By asking questions, trading judgement for curiosity, learning to bounce back when rejections come, and starting to believe ourselves — we’re healing some of our oldest wounds.
Sarah is launching a new service line, targeted at a completely different audience. She’s patiently following up with old clients, but also seeking out new ones. She’s asking her customers questions about what they need, so she can build solution at a price point they can afford, with services they need, in a way that also works for her. She’s setting new boundaries, claiming ownership over her work rather than playing by others’ rules, and realizing that her expertise is worth more than she’s been charging. As she adapts her business to the changing times, she’s feeling, somehow, landed and more sure of herself.
This has all come along with moments of gut-wrenching sobs, as clients back out of deals because they can’t afford the work this year. It’s come along with facing her own self-doubt head on, and realizing that she blames herself for things that aren’t in her own control. It’s come along with excavating the trauma of her past media jobs, which she carries with her daily — always expecting the other shoe to drop.
Because the good always comes with the hard. Always. Being brave enough to go into these extremes is what creates a sustainable business and helps you heal.
The business is the outcome of the inner work, always. Always.
2024 is going to ask more of us, friends. The economy is changing, industries are contracting, and we’ll have to get creative. We’ll need to lean into curiosity and relationships. We’ll need to listen closely, try new things and be flexible.
I know you have that in you. Because if you are willing to go there, it’ll work. YOU will be able to trust yourself to make it work.
There’s no better time to start than right now, by asking yourself some important questions:
How is this year asking you to step up?
What’s not working in your business, that you could release from your tight grip?
What’s keeping you from letting go of what’s no longer working?
What trends have you been noticing, that you could lean into?
What do your clients and customers need from you? (Have you asked them?)
How could you meet those needs creatively?
We can do this. WE can do this.
xo,
Jenni
Curious about my background? I’m a writer and business coach based in Central Oregon. I have two small children and I work part-time so I can spend a lot of time with them. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with non-linear business building and teaching people how to build successful businesses that support their human needs first. Check out my coaching offerings here, and follow me on Twitter & Instagram.