Are you a woman entrepreneur whose to-do list has become an instrument of torture?
No matter what you do it stubbornly refuses to shrink. At night, it worms its way into your dreams, disturbs your sleep and creates havoc to your wellbeing.
On and on like this, until one day you’re no longer the only one suffering. Your once enthusiastic team is now feeling your stress and before long it starts affecting your customers.
This frenzied modus operandi – otherwise known as misalignment – arises when the four key areas of a business – purpose, team, customers and business – are out of sync. When these are out of line, so too is everything else. You, the founder, need to put them straight.
Shifting the mist of the to-do list
When a business is misaligned, you end up placing yourself at the heart of your business and get pulled in each and every direction trying to do everything.
You lose sight of your vision and purpose and no matter where you turn, there it is: the to-do list tormentor. It leads to such confusion and unclear responsibilities and is so common for early-stage companies that we think it ought to come with a hazard warning, an overwhelm of putting out fires, trying to find time to focus on our future.
This wonky method of operating is what needs urgent action. But how? And what?
It may sound obvious, but it starts with reassessing personal and professional goals through asking What is most important to me, both in my business and personal life? Your answers will get you thinking about:
1) Your definition of growth
2) Your vision of the change you want to make
3) Your value elevator pitch – your story told in a simple and clear way.
Then you need to find the strength to step away in order to make the necessary changes. It’s not difficult when you adopt a logical, strategic approach that serves all the four key drivers of your business equally and considers aspects of running an organisation that are probably obscured to you right now like:
1. Time: how are you spending your time? Solving problems or working hard to get today’s actions done?
2. Purpose: Are your actions aligned with your vision and purpose and driving the future growth of your business? Or are they pulling you in different directions, focused only on solving today’s challenges?
3. Passion: Are you still doing what you love, positioning yourself to do what you’re best at for your company?
Finding clarity: when everything makes sense
You started your business to make a positive impact. It’s normal to feel unsure and question if your current path is truly reflecting what you and your customers want. By reviewing your tasks and focusing on high-value activities, you can learn to release or delegate the rest.
Our online business growth programme has a free introductory offer to support women founders to “Get Your Story Straight” aimed at those who want to make changes but don’t know where to start.
With the guidance of business coaches who understand the common growth pitfalls, everything will start to make sense.
Removing yourself from the nitty gritty is the hardest bit. In her story of being ruled by a chaotic to-do list, entrepreneur Carina Primavesi describes how we helped her find a way out of misalignment and into a better, more productive future for her eco company Beewise.
Alignment isn’t about being 100% ready with your product or service or having a fully mapped out plan. It’s about taking the time to step back and break free of the confusion.
Once everyone involved in your business is following the same path as where you want it to be heading, the right energy will once again flow. Discover how real growth happens through alignment—with yourself, your business, your customers, and your stakeholders. For nothing to lose and everything to gain, it’s your chance to gain clarity and focus on what truly matters.
