Slow progress is still progress

Many of us solo business owners – it might even be fair to say most of us – are impatient.

When we first start out in business, we might know logically that it can take time to reach the point where we’re bringing in the income we need. But still we get despondent and frustrated that it’s not happening quicker.

We know in our head that we can’t go from nobody knowing we exist to being offered amazing speaking opportunities at the drop of a hat. But it still feels disheartening when you keep pitching for podcasts and getting ignored.

We know that most people need to hear about how we can help them many times before they’re ready to trust us and take the plunge, but still we feel rubbish when we send that first sales email and it’s met with crickets.

Showing up anyway, even when we’re not seeing the results yet, is hard and takes resilience and tenacity (which is why being a solo business owner is not for the fainthearted.)

When things are taking longer than we want – whether that’s big important things like signing new clients, or small important things like writing a blog – the most important thing is to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

To remember that slow progress is still progress, and to keep on keeping on.

In practical terms, that means always knowing your next step, and having a rough idea of when you’re going to take it.

If a blog is taking longer than you thought, and you’re not able to get it done in the time you allocated, make a decision about when you’re going to come back to it.

If signing clients is taking longer than you thought, make sure you have clarity around the things you can be doing to bring the outcome you want, closer. For you, that might mean proactively following up with people, creating some new sales content, asking for testimonials to showcase how fabulous you are, asking for referrals. And then pick one of those things and decide when you’re going to do it.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

And we can all take that one step, can’t we?

Slow progress is still progress.

Which can be hard to remember when it looks like there’s NO progress, right?

If that’s how you’re feeling right now, remember that when a seed is planted it takes a while before we see green shoots. That doesn’t mean nothing’s happening – we just can’t see it. Even if nobody is replying to your emails, or your reach is way down on LinkedIn, you never know who’s watching. All that needs to happen is for them to see the right message from you at the right time.

But if you stop taking action, that won’t happen.

Just as a quick aside: That doesn’t mean you should keep doing the same thing over and over again if the approach you’ve been trying for a while doesn’t seem to be working. As I write this I’m pondering what I’m going to change to help me guest on other people’s podcasts. The approach i’ve been taking for the last 3 or 4 years is no longer working. I’ve given it a good go over the last 6 months, but need to change something if I want to see results.

So I’m not saying just keep trudging on indefinitely! There comes a point when you need to evaluate and adjust if necessary.

But trying things, evaluating them and then adjusting is all part of the process, isn’t it? So in my mind, it’s still progress. (Even if it’s not bringing us results, it’s bringing us closer to figuring out what will.)

Are you being realistic?

Lastly, it’s useful to remember that sometimes progress can feel slow because we have unrealistic expectations about how long things will take.

In my quiz that helps people uncover the real reason they’re not getting things done, I ask a question designed to find out how good people are at estimating how long it will take to do something. Based on the results I’ve seen so far, I can confidently state that the vast majority of people are terrible at it!

If that’s you, remember it’s NOT that you’re not being productive, it’s just that things are routinely taking longer than you think. And so of course progress is going to feel slower than you’d like!

You’re not doing anything wrong, but having an awareness that that’s what’s happening can make a big difference psychologically!

So remember that as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other – as long as you know your next step and are committed to taking it – you WILL get to where you want to go.

Stick with it, celebrate the small steps, and enjoy the journey!