Ch-ch-ch-changes and why you should ALWAYS go with your gut

You know that feeling in your gut I always tell you to listen to no matter how unpopular the response? The whomp that wakes you up at night, leaving you sweaty and out of breath?

As entrepreneurs, opinions abound on how we should run our businesses. They come from family, industry leaders, clients and – most importantly – ourselves.

Yet it’s not popular for us to listen to our thoughts. We’re quite adept at ignoring our needs in favor of everyone else’s. Too good.

If there’s one thing you’ve learned from me over the years, I hope it’s that you must always, always, ALWAYS be who you are.

“But,” the naysayers cry, “if we want to be successful, shouldn’t we listen to our clients first?”

Hell no.

We’ll never make everyone happy.

Ever. No matter how hard you and I bust our asses, people will not be satisfied. Concerned friends will crop up. The dreaded “competition” will rear its head.

They’ll whisper: “What the hell is she doing?”

(For the record, it’s good to keep ’em guessing. Mystique and all that.)

Sometimes even the most successful people get overwhelmed by what they think they should be doing, rather than listening to their gut. So many people rely on us as entrepreneurs – employees, suppliers, assistants, clients, kids and spouses – to name a few.

This is why the coaching field is wildly popular. A nice kick in the ass to keep us on track works wonders. It’s what I’ve been doing for years with writers.

During my time with them and through building my business, I also learned how to use social media to bring in badass clients. I wrote my own copy, mastered social media, done the invoicing, contracts, scheduling, follow ups, and on and on. I built this place from the ground up.

mantra12iphoneFunny, it didn’t dawn on me until a few weeks ago that I am an entrepreneur too.

So when the idea hit me – holy fuck, I can show entrepreneurs how to build their own successful businesses – I tossed it into the pile of later to-dos.

I kept my focus where it had been for as long as RebeccaTDickson.com existed: on writers. I played with coaching entrepreneurs, hosting hour-long sessions on the down-low. Because if anyone knew I was doing this, I could lose everything I worked so hard to build.

But you know…

That damn pang in the gut does not go away. It demands to be given audience no matter how hard we ignore, deflect, even run.

My new entrepreneur clients got results F A S T. The kind they wanted, needed, craved. And that sat with me during my writing client calls. It ate dinner with me. It even kept me awake at night.

How could I possibly leave writer coaching when I was so successful?

Unsurprisingly, the answer was as simple as the shit I’ve been preaching to you forever:

Sometimes doing what’s right isn’t what’s popular.

More often than not, doing what’s good for you will not please everyone. So the hell with it.

Sound the trumpets. Here’s a big, fat, hairy announcement:

From now until the next gut-achingly induced change, I show business owners and coaches how the hell to build a life for themselves. I help them find clarity, clients and cash. A schedule they can live with. The kind of mindset that helps you attract the right clients and the money. And perpetual fucking giddiness, the kind of happy that only comes from doing what you love on your own terms.

I’m showing them the tools and the path. And I’m doing it without apologizing.

What this means

Rebecca T. Dickson is a business coach who ALSO helps entrepreneurs pen the books with which they want to build their platforms. In short, I’ll show you how to build your biz from the ground up, how to make money and I’ll edit the shit out of anything you need polished before it goes public.

I’m done with everything else.

Is it scary kicking paying customers to the curb? Fuck yeah.

Is it terrifying to have spent tens of thousands of dollars on a website redesign and new packages and courses, all of which I am now abandoning? Yep.

What will people think? Whatever they want.

This is about me. What lights me up, makes me leap out of bed in the morning and dance because I’m so excited about doing work I love.

Because when we do what we love, we are passionate. And passion means our clients benefit in ways you can’t imagine. We naturally over-deliver. The people we serve get twice the value.

Soooooooo, while I’m going to miss the hella awesome clients I’ve had for years, I’m not sad about switching gears for two reasons.

First, I only want to do what I am passionate about. It’s how I best serve people. And second, if I did my job right, they should be able to fly on their own.

So I’m not sorry to leave them…

Because they don’t need me anymore.

• • •

If you want to see the next version of RebeccaTDickson.com and all the business badassery, be sure to get on this list. In the coming weeks, this site will be overhauled. New offerings, new images, new ways to work with me. I can’t wait to help you! xo

10 replies
  1. Desiree
    Desiree says:

    It’s like you’re in my brain. I started my business on a completely different path three years ago. My passion keeps pulling me into a different direction. The more I fought it the more I struggled with growing my business. Now, I wish I had just listened to my heart to begin with. Three years into a business and I’m ready to follow that UMPH in my gut and go in the direction *I* want to go in, not what other people “think” I should be doing. You are a fucking rock star, Becky!

    Reply
  2. Summer Howard
    Summer Howard says:

    So amazingly inspiring! This reminds me of the ledge I thought I was jumping off of when I divorced my ex. it was scary as hell and completely necessary to take my life to the next level. I can feel the pins and needles excitement, Becky! So happy for you!

    Reply
  3. Luisa
    Luisa says:

    Stumbled on this page and absolutely love the energy that jumps off your words. Can’t wait to peruse at leisure the awesomeness around here.

    Reply
  4. Anthony
    Anthony says:

    Recent research showed that decision making based on logic was slightly less successful than decision making based on gut feel or intuition – call it what you will. So when there seems to be no logical answer (and even if there is one) trusting your gut is not necessarily second best.

    Reply

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