You spin me round

Those who are kids of the 80s should recognise the title, or at least I hope you can! 

It felt appropriate for today’s blog, which is about getting stuck in your business. So if you feel like you’ve lost your way a little in either your business or marketing, then read on. I hope this helps. 

The churn is real 

First of all, let’s be honest about the churn being a real thing. That feeling that you are spinning around (hence the blog title), not knowing what to do next, is definitely something that so many business owners feel. Me included.  My current churn is what has prompted me to write this blog now.

So now we’ve got that out of the way, let's look at why we get this, or at least my theory around it. 

We are pack animals

We are meant to be in groups. We’re most definitely pack animals, and living a solitary existence, in any way, can sometimes be damaging to our mental health. We spend too much time ruminating and dwelling on our thoughts, which, my friends, is never good!

As business owners, especially sole traders, it can be a lonely space. Of course, we can go to networking events and meet up with business buddies to co-work (like I am today), but it can still be hard, especially when we’re trying something new. 

The reason for this? There is often no one to bounce ideas off, so what happens is we tend to end up in a never-ending loop of what we should be doing, being fascinated by the next shiny thing, and generally just going nowhere fast - or is that just me?

We need to fit in

Being a pack animal means that we need to fit in. Our brains do everything they can to keep us safe and part of the gang. This was great back when we lived on a knife edge, but not so handy for the modern business owner. 

It often leads to comparisonitis. That thing, when we’re always checking out other businesses and what they’re doing. Why is their marketing better than ours? How come they look so good in pictures? You know the drill. 

But what happens when this all gets too much?

Start with why, or again?

If you’re in business, then you probably know the seminal work by Simon Sinek. He talks about finding your why and how you can use that to build a business. I am not going to dissect the book here; other than that, I think this is a great book to read, and it can be helpful to support you in clarifying things. 

However, what is not so helpful is when you read too many books, put too much thought into it all, and guess what? You’re still stuck in your loop! 

We need to stop this crazy! 

So what do you do?

There are many theories around this; mine is that sometimes you must step away. 

Step away from the comparing, the doing, and sit there. I mean it; gaze into space! Let your eyes soften, and do nothing for as long as it takes. I’ve been doing it for weeks!!

It’s tough, isn’t it? It’s especially tough if you have a brain like mine that never switches off! But there is something about moving away that works. Most of you will recognise the feeling of being stuck and how if you change state (i.e. move or do something else), the answer comes to you.

I am just talking about a bigger version of that.  

What have I learned? 

I’ve been going through this process, so I know how it feels.

My ideas of what I wanted to do with The Hive Mind have changed constantly over the years. Initially, I wanted to do things around mental health awareness, particularly in corporate business. 

That changed, mainly thanks to the pandemic. And, whilst I love my coaching and marketing blend, I’ve always felt something was not quite right. I kept adding to the mix, and eventually, I felt like I had lost my way and muddied the waters.

I am, after all, a knowledge cleptomaniac!

But over time, and spending some of that out of my business, I’ve realised that the mental health stuff never really went away. It will always be part of my DNA; it’s who I am. It weaves a thread through everything that I do. 

The people I tend to gravitate to are people who have experienced mental health problems; they are also most likely to be neurodivergent, marginalised or just the square pegs in round holes for their industry.

Whilst all of these sound different, they can lead to feelings of isolation and not wanting to share who we are. 

This difference is what The Hive Mind is about. It’s about supporting you in shining your weird-ass light. It’s about encouraging your uniqueness and embracing who you are. 

Now is the time to stop spinning and get moving forward!