Do you keep seeing one thing over and over again? If a topic of conversation comes up for you again and again with different people in other places, you might want to consider if it is simply a coincidence or a sign worth thinking about a bit more.
It could be a sign that you’re ready to pivot your focus. If that feels possible to you, take this as your sign to inspect why this phenomenon is happening.
It happened to me and it is why I created True Blue Marketing.
When I started my first business in 2014 I felt so ready to jump into the world of small business in my local area. I promoted this little information technology (IT) business at every turn. I went to loads of networking events, shared business cards with everyone who would accept one, and followed up with every new contact. I even did cold calls on foot to make new connections – a scary task for someone like me.
In short, I was trying so hard to make that business work that I spent hours upon hours doing tasks that filled my time but didn’t thrill me, and certainly didn’t get new clients for this early business.
What I did find is that when I introduced myself and my title and then shared a little about the clients my business served, I heard a lot of questions in reply. Most often the questions started with why I was co-owner of an IT business when I don’t do IT. (It is a funny story for another time.)
When I explained the story, they would then ask what I had done for work before starting this business and that’s when I would excitedly tell them about how I had been an early adopter of social media, email marketing, and integrated databases with websites for small nonprofits. I would get so animated when I jumped into the details of Google Analytics for their websites and how I loved getting into the nitty-gritty details of how to craft an email that truly engaged prospects. The list of topics I’d rattle off would go on and on. I’d always close with “but I don’t do that anymore”.
In 2015, I started to hear, “why not?”. I had found so much fun while digging through engagement numbers and crafting copy that spoke directly to the topics of engagement, so showing a story rather than simply telling it, connecting prospects with the stories they truly wanted to hear. After months of “why not?” I began to ask myself the same question: why wasn’t I doing that anymore?
It didn’t stop there. In fact, the question of “why not?” kept coming at me every time I tried to work on my business. Eventually, I knew I had to step into what following my passion could do for me as a separate business.
So I set off on the adventure of True Blue Marketing with my first client, cleaning up his database of contacts and creating an email marketing campaign to follow up with them that built leads right into his style of getting to know prospects. It opened a new era for his business. It started a new business for me.
So if you’ve been waiting for a sign that you need to pivot your business, I encourage you to take some time to see the sign for what it could mean to you. Is it time to pivot or start something new entirely?
You may be wondering about that first business of mine. It is still up and running successfully in my local area, nine years from our start date. We found the ideal clients who are the best fit and pivoted our marketing to them, now spending far less time searching for prospects and more time running the business.
