3 Strategies to stay motivated when you want to quit your online business

Michelle: 00:00:01

Do you ever question whether or not you're cut out for this entrepreneurial journey? Especially when there's stress and uncertainty, and it all just feels so overwhelming?

In today's episode, we're going to talk about those tough moments that every entrepreneur faces and how to navigate those feelings of doubt and misalignment. I want you to know that you are not alone in these feelings. And we're going to talk about it today. So if you're ready, let's dive in. Hello. Hello.

This episode, I am dedicating to all of my fellow entrepreneurs who have had that thought, someday, that, man, can I just go work at Starbucks? Or maybe that's my only fantasy. Maybe that's only my fantasy. But that thought of, like, why am I doing this? There's gotta be something better.

Maybe I should just throw in the towel. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this. And so that's what we're really. I want to talk about it.

And it really stemmed from a conversation, actually, that I was having with my acupuncturist a couple days ago. She asked me. She was like, okay, you're a business owner. And I said, yes, yes, I am. And she said, what do you do when you just don't feel it anymore?

Michelle: 00:01:20

Right?

Michelle: 00:01:20

Like, you're not feeling energized, you're feeling. You're just feeling like, what am I doing? You know? She said, because I think she's kind of in this. There's. There's a little bit of this place which.

Well, I'll get into that in a second. And I loved it. I actually loved the conversation. And I thought, you know, what? If she's feeling it, there's other people feeling it.

And when one person is feeling a certain way, I really feel compelled to share it and talk about it because I think it is important to talk about. I think this topic is more important to talk about than any of the strategies I could give you to grow your business.

And the reason for that is because we all go through these feelings, right? We all have these days where we just think, oh, my gosh, is this. Is this worth it? Why am I doing this? Why am I putting myself through this stress?

What? Why?

Speaker B: 00:02:03

Right.

Michelle: 00:02:04

And what do you do when you're feeling that way? And so here's a couple things that I shared with her.

And in my own journey and what I've Learned in almost 8 years of being on this roller coaster of entrepreneurship, there are a couple things that make those seasons, those lulls, those moments, a little bit Easier to where you can snap out of them a little bit faster. And the number one thing I always do is look at and see, is there something I'm doing that I don't enjoy?

Speaker B: 00:02:32

Right.

Michelle: 00:02:33

First and foremost, almost always when I am feeling those feelings of like, oh, my gosh, I just want to go work at Starbucks. Does anybody else, like, is Starbucks? They're like, go to. I'd love to hear.

Like, I would love for you to DM me on Instagram at Michelle Denial Consulting and tell me, like, what is your backup plan? Like, what is your plan B? Always. For me, it's always Starbucks because I think, God, they get health insurance, they get education.

They always seem happy. Everybody in there, when you walk in, you never see a grumpy Starbucks worker. They get free coffee, right? So it's like.

But then, you know, it stops me. In all honesty, this is such a rant. But I think it's important.

What always stops me is, like, I don't want to get up and have to work the 6:00am shift or the 5:00am shift. Like, no, right? Which is also, you know, it's. It's. It was a ramp. But it's not, because I think that's super key.

Because that always kind of draws me back in, is like, what are my core values? And my core value is time freedom, right? My core value is being able to make my own decisions and my own schedule.

And so when you are feeling those moments, sometimes it helps to look back at those core values and go, you know, what are the things that I value the most about entrepreneurship? What are the things that entrepreneurship gives me that going back to a job would take away?

Speaker B: 00:03:48

Right?

Michelle: 00:03:49

So that's number one. But number two, 90% of the time, when I am feeling the feelings of like, ugh, this sucks. I don't want to do this anymore.

It is usually when I am doing something that is out of alignment, and for me, most of the time, out of alignment means content creation. When I get stuck in that hamster wheel of social media. Content creation, not my podcast. You know, I love podcasting. I could be on here.

I never, ever get. You know, I never run out of things to talk about on the podcast. I never run out of things to say on coffee chats, right?

I never run out of things to say and networking and masterminds and all of those things. But I do really struggle with content. I struggle with graphic design for content. I destroy. I struggle with making my content feel sexy, right?

Or whatever it is. I get so sick of that word Like, I don't know, why is everything gotta be sexy? I don't. Whatever.

Anyway, my whole point here is that are you doing something that is out of alignment? Are you doing something because somebody told you they should?

Are you doing something because somebody else told you it worked for them, or you think it worked for them more?

So you saw it and they posted some result, and now all of a sudden you think it's really working from them, which in a lot of ways probably is not working for them. It's just that they shared one screenshot, right? There's so much context that goes behind those screenshots, you have no idea.

So please don't fall prey to them. Although we all do. But that's really. And that was what I said to my. My acupuncturist. I said, you know, what is it?

Speaker B: 00:05:22

Right?

Michelle: 00:05:23

And there is a piece of her that she is feeling like she's not utilizing, right? She has a skill. She has a strength in. She's a. Like an herbalist. She's been an herbalist for years and years and years and years.

And for those of you that have been following my long Covid journey, like, her herbs are the one thing that's made me feel better than I have felt in years. So she has a. An incredible talent. She's one of the smartest people I've ever met in my life.

And there's just a piece of her that she feels kind of shut down because of the situation, because of the space that she's using, because of the shared community. And she just feels like she is in this. Like, I don't know if I should really talk about it or whatever.

But again, it's out of alignment because being an herbalist is who she is. It's. It's what she knows heals people, right? And so.

And you know, she's having to agree with certain supplements that are being recommended by other providers that she doesn't necessarily agree with, right? But those providers refer her business, right? So there is this disconnect.

And that disconnect creates this, like, feelings of unsettledness, these feelings of it. I don't know what is this even what I'm supposed to be doing? Am I doing the right thing here?

Speaker B: 00:06:36

Right?

Michelle: 00:06:36

Like, why. Why am I fighting?

You know, you get to this point where you feel like you're just swimming upstream all the time and you're going against the current. And again, the reality is, is that you're simply just not living your own truth, right? You're not.

You're not standing up for who you are and what you believe in. And that a lot of times can cause us to spiral. That's when imposter syndrome kicks in. It's when comparisonitis kicks in and all of these things.

And so it's like, you know, is there something that's sitting that's out of alignment right now?

Speaker B: 00:07:05

Right?

Michelle: 00:07:05

Is there something that you're doing that is out of alignment? And I will tell you, a couple years ago, when I wanted to throw in the towel and go work at Starbucks, what I had given up is coffee chats.

Because I started to feel. Somebody told me like they were a waste of time.

I started feeling like I had somebody tell me that, like, they book coffee chats because they know if they ask me questions, I'll answer them. And they don't need to pay me because, like, they could just book a coffee chat, which kind of stung a little bit.

But again, it goes, that's who I am. Like, if you ask me a question, I'm going to answer it. You know what I mean? Yes, we're business owners.

But for somebody to point blank say that kind of like, was a huge sting. And so I stopped doing them for a while.

And then I went all in on LinkedIn and different things, and it was wonderful and it was great and I met the most amazing people and I still am in touch. And many of you listening here are from LinkedIn.

And I again, I think social media has a place in business and I love it, but I missed that human connection. And when I sat down and really reflected and said, what is missing here? What is going on? Why am I feeling like this?

It was that lack of human connection. It was that lack of personal connection. It was all of that. And so when I am feeling those things, it's like, is this what I want to be doing?

Speaker B: 00:08:22

Right?

Michelle: 00:08:22

It's not that entrepreneurship is not what you want to be doing. It's not that you don't necessarily want to own your own business.

It's that something in it that you're doing right now is not what you want to be doing, right? It's not what you enjoy. So you've either got something, you're either.

You've got something on your plate, which is a task that you do not enjoy, and you've taken it on. I had another client who is a creative, right? She's a creative client. She loves being on the creative side. She's a designer.

And she found herself kind of out of the design world because she ended up outsourcing a lot of, like, she hired team members to do a lot of some of the design work and whatnot. And she found herself sitting in more of the CEO role and because that's what people tell you, right? Like, you gotta own your inner CEO.

I talk about that all the time. I've talked about that on the podcast on how to own, you know, own your inner CEO and all of that.

But, you know, quite honestly, that role is not cut out for everybody. Not everybody loves sitting in that.

Speaker B: 00:09:22

Right.

Michelle: 00:09:23

And that's okay, too, is like being able to admit that this is not the role I want to be in. I want to be the designer. And then maybe you hire out the CEO role, right? Maybe you hire a fractional CEO like me. No, just kidding.

You know, But I do offer that because there are certain people that that's just not them, right? That's not their zone of genius, right? And so those are the feelings. And that's that client that was feeling that. She's like, I just want to. I just.

I'm done. This is not what I signed up for. This is not what I want to be doing. I want to go back to being a designer. And so that's what we worked on.

I was like, okay, let's get you back into that role.

Speaker B: 00:09:59

Right?

Michelle: 00:09:59

And so the point here, the action step here, the thing I want you to take away from in this episode, is really looking at if, if and when you're ready to burn your business to the ground. Number one, don't.

Speaker B: 00:10:11

Right?

Michelle: 00:10:12

Obviously, don't always, always, always take a breath. So go take a walk. Walk away from your business. Go call biz bestie.

That was the other thing I mentioned to my acupuncturist is 90% of the time, if I'm in those feelings, I go and have a conversation with somebody that I know is going to light me back up about business, right? So whether that's a mastermind group, whether that's a networking group, whether it's a coffee chat, you know what I mean?

But, like, for me, it's always verbal. I'm a verbal processor. I love it. If you need to journal, journal, if you are, meditate, you know, I do all of those things, too.

But, like, when I'm really feeling these things, like, I just need to verbal diarrhea on somebody, and then I, like, hear myself, and I'm like, this is not what I want. This is right here. And usually when you just talk it out, you can see or find, like, the one thing that's out of alignment.

And again, it always comes down to a lot of times doing something that you don't want to do in your business, right? Or forcing yourself into a role that you don't have any intention on ever being in that role, right? You didn't sign.

It's not the role you signed up for, or you've taken on clients, or you've grown too quickly, or you, you know, because somebody's told you, like, say yes to everybody, or grow, grow, grow, build an agency. You know, again, back to that party of one.

I've had so many people that build their business so big, and then they hate it, and then they just want to burn it all to the ground. And the reality is, all they really need to do is move it back to being a party of one, right? And that's okay, too.

So if and when you're in that moment, I want you to save this episode, and I want you to remember this episode, and I want you to also just give yourself the grace and give yourself the understanding that we all go through it. Entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, business owners, big, small, everything in between. They all have those moments of asking yourself, why?

Why am I doing this?

Speaker B: 00:12:03

Right?

Michelle: 00:12:03

But again, reconnect to your vision, reconnect to your core values. Reconnect to what drove you to start this to begin with. And then also look and see, where are those feelings really coming from?

Is it because you're not doing something that you enjoy? Is it because there's a piece of you that you feel like you're suppressing?

Speaker B: 00:12:26

Right.

Michelle: 00:12:27

I know for me, a couple years ago, that was also because, you know, you hire people in different things, and they tell you, you should run this program, you should do this, and you end up trying to, like, bend into this mold, right?

Speaker B: 00:12:40

That.

Michelle: 00:12:40

Then it's like, that doesn't. That's not me. This is not who I am. You know, it's.

It's funny, even working with a podcast coach for this podcast, you know, I'm working with a growth coach for it, and she gives me all these templates and all of these outlines and different things that we've been talking about, different things. And you'll notice you're going to start seeing some changes here. But there are some things that she suggests that I'm like, I just can't do it.

That's not who I am. It's not how I talk. It's not how I teach. It's not how I show up.

Speaker B: 00:13:14

It.

Michelle: 00:13:14

You know, one of the biggest compliments I get from people on this podcast is like, oh, my gosh, Michelle, when we have a conversation with you or when we listen to your podcast, it's the same. Like, I feel like I'm sitting in the same room with you having a conversation. And that's so important to me because that's what I want.

I want you to feel like I'm here. We're just chatting.

We're, you know, whether I'm your coach, a mentor, you know, strategist, biz, bestie, whatever it is, I want you to feel like I'm just communicating with you as a human.

Speaker B: 00:13:44

Right.

Michelle: 00:13:44

And I don't want it to sound robotic. And some people can do that really well, where they follow, like, a certain outline and different things, and I can't.

And I tried a couple times, and I, like, ditched all the episodes, and I finally just said, this is not me.

And I ended up finding myself procrastinating, procrastinating on creating episodes and recording episodes, which is, like, the one thing I'm never behind on, because I love to get on the podcast and share these things with you. And so I was like, I'm not doing that. I'm sorry, I can't do that. So that's where I'm saying, like, usually those feelings, this anguish, this.

Like, these. This unsettled energy that you sometimes feel, a lot of it comes from doing something that you're just not meant to do, Right.

Or something is out of alignment.

Speaker B: 00:14:33

Right?

Michelle: 00:14:34

And so that's what I would really. And then also think, like, are there fears stopping me? Is there something. Maybe I just need to simply educate my clients a little bit more.

Is it that maybe I'm just not putting myself out there enough?

Speaker B: 00:14:47

Right.

Michelle: 00:14:48

There's so many things. So many things. And, you know, I'm happy to have that conversation with you.

Like I said, one of the things that always helps me is just being able to verbal. Verbally dump all of my feelings and thoughts. And also just, like, finding that person that's not trying to fix it and just will listen.

Because the whole whole point here is for you to listen to yourself and for you to come up with and find those things within yourself that are holding you back or that are giving you those feelings. And a lot of times when you can just verbally process them, they'll come up, right? You can immediately start to hear them.

And so you're not looking for somebody who's wanting to fix it, Right? So if you need that person, if you need that, if you're kind of feeling that, like, Reach out to me, send me a DM and say, michelle, you know what?

I just listened to your episode and I'm needing that person. I'm needing that person that can just listen. I don't need you to fix it.

Speaker B: 00:15:41

Right?

Michelle: 00:15:42

And I'm happy to not fix it. If you want me to help you fix it. We can talk about that on a, you know, in a different situation. But I can also just listen because I get it.

I get it. I've been there. I've been there, and I don't want you to do it.

And we can all maybe go job shadow at Starbucks and maybe it'll make us all realize, yep, this is not for me. Right? The fact that I would have to set an alarm to be there for a certain shift is enough to make me snap out of it in general.

But maybe that's not enough for you to snap out of it. So, anyway, I love you. I believe in you. Know that you are not alone. You are never, never alone in this journey of entrepreneurship. Okay?

So reach out to me, send me a dm and save this episode for when you're feeling like Starbucks is a better option. Thanks so much for listening today, but remember, now it's time to take action. My goal is to get you results.

So what is one action you can commit to taking this week? Feel free to share it with me in my DMs or tag me on your socials. Not sure what action to take?

Grab the link in the show notes and schedule a strategic power hour. We can talk through it together and get you a strategic plan of action in just 60 short minutes. Oh, and one last favor.

As with every podcast, reviews and ratings are what help us continue to show up and grow. So if you wouldn't mind, please take a quick minute to leave a five star review on Apple or Spotify and share this episode with a friend. Thanks.

Talk soon.