We are catapulting toward the end of January, which seems unreal. Just yesterday, I was creating my 2023 plan and looking forward to the New Year, I’m sure of it. Only, here we are, three weeks in and if you’re curious how mine is going, I’m here to tell you, it’s been a rollercoaster!

Not a bad one, but it’s definitely been unpredictable. I’m hitting my goals, so that’s not the problem. The problem is the unpredictability of my mindset day-by-day and because of that, I’ve had to take a real look at why I’ve been so up-and-down and want to talk a bit about that for other online business owners who may be feeling a little off post-holiday buzz.

Often times we’re looking at the first of the year as some miraculous date that will change everything all on it’s own. Now, this wasn’t the case for me; I knew that in order to achieve what I set out to achieve I would have to put in the work, however, I do think there was some sort of disconnect as I expected myself to reflect on the things I needed to change and start changing them overnight. This happened to an extent and I still feel the excitement of the new year, but what I didn’t take into account is that the content I was consuming may detour my progress; that being an entrepreneur in the online space didn’t mean I had to spend the majority of my time online.

And, I’ll admit, I got trapped in the toxic cycle of consuming more than I was producing.

When I started Keira’s Modern Desk, I had very little knowledge of the online space. I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t even know Virtual Assistants were a thing. This was both great and gnawing, as on one hand, I’d just found my dream job, but on the other, I felt like an imposter playing house. The deeper I dove into learning about the industry, the more I felt in over my head. I saw women making claims of $10k months while they travelled the world, and here I was, making $1,600 starting out with no real idea of how I could scale my teeny tiny business into something so grandiose. There many late nights and early mornings spent researching the hows and whats; I consumed free training after free training from VA coaches, claiming they could help me reach new financial heights – and maybe they could, but I wasn’t making the kind of money to invest in what they were offering and I wasn’t going to send myself into debt to make it happen.

What I found was that there was some advice that was universal, and so, I started taking those little pieces, the tidbits everyone was preaching, and applying them to my business. That was how I made the shift from selling myself on Facebook, Upwork, and Fiverr to Instagram. That is when things got real for me.

The Truth About The Gram

• It is not a magic pill – You are not going to hop on Instagram, magically gain 2k follower and have clients flocking to your account just because you are “consistent”. Consistency is important, yes, but even if you go the route of attraction marketing, it takes work, and not just a little work. You have to create content that aligns with your goals and your ideal clients vision, but that first entails getting true clarity in where you want to be, who you want to help, what exactly you want to be doing with them, and why you want it. If you want any platform to work for you, figure that out first.
• Don’t believe everything you see and hear – If I told you that I made $20k last month, would you believe me? What reason would you have not to? And the problem with this, the wrong person may believe me and start pondering why they aren’t there yet, what I’m doing differently to make it happen, and start wracking their brain on how to get there, ultimately shrinking themselves because of a number I threw up on the internet. True or not, someone’s financial gains have nothing to do with your business. Say it were true, I made $20,000 last month. Maybe I have been in business longer or maybe I offer a different type of service, maybe I’m including my husband’s salary – there is a plethora of reasons you shouldn’t compare where you are to where someone else is, but mostly because just because someone said it, doesn’t make it true. Furthermore, their income shouldn’t determine your goal. Find the number that works for you and your family and if that’s 6-figures, great, but if it’s not, it doesn’t make your company any less desirable than the next persons.
• Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should – Debated putting this out there, but someone needs to hear it. Maybe I’m that someone, I don’t know, but just because something isn’t working doesn’t mean it won’t and that we should give up that one thing and pivot to the next. We start something because it’s a good idea, it works for our schedule, we love what we’re doing, but we aren’t seeing the return and next thing you know, we’ve added something new or shifted our title or gone into coaching because we see all of these 6-7 figure coaches, and hey, if they can do it, so can I. This IS where I believe consistency truly matters. Running a business is not easy. It takes time and if we give up before we’ve given it time then we will fail at everything we try. Keep putting yourself out there, keep showing up and keep offering the best quality of work and you will eventually see the numbers and the return.
• Instagram is a tool, not a lifestyle – For some – the monetized influencer, mainly – it makes sense for their business to revolve around Instagram, however, for the average entrepreneur there are things to consider. If Instagram shut down tomorrow, would you still have a business? What other platforms are you marketing on? Do you have an email list? I got into the routine of repurposing my content for other platforms, but I was spending all of my time nurturing IG and then wondering why I wasn’t seeing engagement or conversions other places. Instagram is by far my favorite place to market still and of course, I’ll be keeping up to date there; though, it’s also time I start giving attention to some other platforms where my ideal clients hangout.

But the most important thing I’ve learned…

The online space is full of noise and everyone has a “right” way of doing things. I found that if I kept listening to what other people thought was right for me then I ended up feeling incredibly confused and incredibly out of place. One of the best pieces of advice I received was to invest in a mentor. It is empowering to have someone in your corner, but even then it’s important to understand that your mentor is your guide and not your boss.

When I decided to pivot from VA to OBM there were so many posts going around begging coaches to stop recommending this shift for people, or OBMs complaining that they aren’t VAs and want to stop being treated like they are. I GET IT, okay, the fine line isn’t for everyone; however, for me, being a manager means stepping in where you need to if the business is in need or suffering. You ever gone grocery shopping and seen the manager bag groceries? Of course. Why? Because they step in to fill the shoes of the need within their company.

But that’s my way, and not everyone will think it’s right. The point is, do it your way despite the noise because your way is the only way that will be right for YOU.

In conclusion, the online space is phenomenal, but it’s not always easy to navigate. There is a lot of competition out there and while it’s easy to say that we’re not competing, it’s not always easy to feel that way when we’re comparing. Shut out the noise. Do the things you want. Let yourself be who you are, unapologetically, because I promise you, the person you are is who is going to drive the results in your business.

xo,