Hey there, my fabulous listener, welcome to episode 253 of the Small Business Made Simple Podcast.

Thanks for lending me your ears today – I know you have lots of choices, so I sincerely appreciate me being one of them!

If you’re enjoying this podcast – I’d love you to take a screen shot and share it on your socials and tag me in it.  How cool would that be!

Don’t forget you can get the show notes for this podcast at www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/253

Did you have a listen into last week’s episode? Head back there if you didn’t get a chance to listen in already- click here to listen to ep 252 – www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/252

But before I get started, I wanted to give a shout out to this week’s podcast sponsor – [INSERT KATE TOON PITCH]

Back on episode 248 I did a mid year check in with you all around your goals for 2023.  Head back there and listen into that one if you have already – www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/248 but since that episode I’ve had a few people reach out to me and ask me about my word of the year.  Am I still in tune with my word of the year.

For those playing along at home my word of the year, as discussed on episode www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/224, was CHALLENGE.

Am I still in tune with my word of the year – absolutely.  How about you? Do you set one? How do you feel about yours?

I can say that challenge was definitely the right word for me this year.  Besides my husband and my kids (lucky for them!) I am pretty much-challenging everything about my life and business.

I’ve made massive changes such as writing a book (yikes!) by the time this episode goes live, I should have finished draft number 2 and it will be heading to the editors shortly. I have taken a giant step away from my e-commence business – www.spendwithus.com.au – to concentrate on the book and my marketing business.  I have cut people from my life as I have challenged that friendship.  Now that might seem harsh but when challenging certain friendships I came to the conclusion that it was always me making all the effort, so I simply stopped making that effort.  If the friendship survives because they reach out, then that’s wonderful, if not, I am ok with that. I have challenged what I sell here in my business and I will be making big changes to that over the next 6 months heading into 2024.  Gosh, I have just challenged almost all the aspects of my life.

Has it been comfortable – heck no.  Have there been tears – more than you could imagine.  Do I feel more in alignment with myself and who I want to be – yes, for sure.

Change is never easy.  But many, many moons ago, a mentor wrote in my Christmas card – nothing changes if nothing changes …. And I’ve always been guided by that saying when I am frustrated about my business.  Being frustrated means that something has to change, and because the buck stops with me, it then means I have to change it.  There is no one else.

Picking a word of the year seems like a “nice” activity to do.  But if you really embrace it, really let that word come to you and bring it into your life, your lifestyle, your business, it can change your life.  It’s not just a nice activity – it, for me, is a necessary activity that each year moves me closer to where I am to go.

Of course, if you didn’t pick a word of the year – you still can! If the one you picked isn’t serving you, you can change it!

Challenging things is hard work. All the changes I have made have come after mulling over them. Although I love that I am challenging things, nothing has been done in hast. 

I have often thought about the story or fable of the man drowning this year.  It involves a story about god – but if you don’t believe in a god – that’s ok – the message is still the same.

The fable goes like this – a man is drowning and a swimmer swims by and asks if he needs help – “no god will save me he says”. Then a man in a canoe comes by, asks the same question and gets the same answer – god will save me. Then a speed boat comes by and same same – god will save me. The man drowns and when he arrives in heaven he asks god “Why didn’t you save me” to which god replies “I sent you a swimmer, a canoeist and a boat – what more did you want”.

The moral is what signs are you being sent that you are ignoring – at least that is what the story means to me. Sometimes I feel like it takes a slap in the face with a wet fish for me to see the signs that are all around me, begging me to do this or change that – they are so obvious when we take the time to see them. 

Don’t wait for the wet fish, look out for the signs heading into the last half of this year.  Maybe hijack my word of the year if things are going the way you’d hoped, and challenge some stuff – or everything.

I apologise that this episode seems to be all about me – but in reality – it is actually about you.  About me asking you to step into who you want to be, get the business you want and deserve so much, and watch for signs, take the challenge or look out for wet fish coming your way!

If you’re completely stuck and you feel like your challenges are too much at this point, then I’d love to invite you for a discovery call with me so that I can see how I might be able to help you.

There’s a link in the show notes to make an appointment with me or go to https://calendly.com/jenn-smm/discovery

We can have a chat about your goals, your struggles and roadblocks and what’s holding you back and how I can help.

Or come and join in the fun in my Facebook group Like Minded Business Owners https://www.facebook.com/groups/LikeMindedBusinessOwners – love to hear from you over there.

So, that’s it for episode 253. If you loved this episode and found it valuable, please take 30 seconds out of your day to leave me a rating and review if you want where you are listening.  One more goal of mine is to reach more people with this podcast, and you can help me achieve that, by leaving me a review!  Thanks in advance.

See you next week on the podcast for episode 254!

Thanks again to Kate Toon and her new book Six Figures in School Hours – you can find out more and get the book here: https://www.katetoon.com/writing/books/six-figures-in-school-hours/

But in the meantime, let’s hang out on social and get social on social – you’ll find me on Instagram, Facebook and my fav LinkedIn.

But whatever you do,

……..remember small business peep, as my opening song says, there’s no point in dreaming small!