You get to set the rules in your business
A peptalk + invitation to set your own rules
The most empowering thing about running your own business is that you get to set the rules. You get to decide how and when you work. You get to decide what you create. You get to decide what you charge.
But most of us are not used to getting to set the rules—at school, in traditional workplaces and in many other spaces, we have to follow the rules, not make them.
Even if you’re completely new to business, or have always followed someone else’s rules, you have what it takes to set your own, I promise you. This post is a peptalk to get you going.
You get to set the rules in your business.
You get to decide when, how and where to work. Whether you want to work early in the morning, or late at night. Whether you want to take a day off, or work 3 hours a day. Whether you want to work on your sofa, in your studio, or in a favourite coffee place.
You get to decide what you create and sell. Which products you want to stock—the ones that light you up, not necessarily only the ones that are most popular.
You get to set the rules about availability and working hours. You get to set boundaries around the hours you have available for clients, when you ship your products and what your turnaround time is.
You get to decide how much work you take on—and set the prices that make that possible. Making the money that supports you doesn’t necessarily mean working more: it’s often a case of no longer undercharging (which, as I write in this post on money in slow business, is what many of us do).
You get to make the rules around every single part of your business.
It starts with you: not with what you think your clients and customers might want, or with what the world might expect of you.
Which rules are you setting in your business? And which ones would you like to add? Leave a comment to join the conversation.
If you’d like support in creating your own rules and truly running a business that serves you, I’d love to be by your side. I currently have one spot for 1:1 mentoring starting in late September. Book a free chemistry call to chat through my website, and check out what mentoring with me looks like.
💌 Behind the scenes in my business this month: finding more space, refreshing my mentoring offer + planning for a regular day off
the greenhouse | the greenhouse that J designed and built from scratch is now all done. I’ve been spending many joyful moments in it, sowing and growing—and harvesting cucumbers, sugar snaps, and basil.
a book | I requested River East River West for my birthday and loved it. It’s such a beautiful tale of growing up, of finding your place in the world told from different perspective (affiliate link).
watching | J and I watched the detective series Bodkin a few weeks ago, and enjoyed its suspense, and in the first week back at work went for some old-fashioned feelgoodness by watching the film Champions.
Have a lovely end to the month! Do let me know which rules you’re ready to rewrite, I’d love to know. Speak to you soon x
I am very happy that I am increasingly daring to say “no” to assignments that do not suit me (anymore). Instead of feeling uncomfortable when I am offered such an assignment, I recommend people who may have the time and space for it. And that makes me happier these days than saying “yes” and wondering not long after: how does this fit in with my intention to spend more time in my studio and just experiment?
Thank you for this, Astrid. You always seem to say exactly what I need to hear at the right time. So many excellent reasons why running your own business is more exciting than working for an institution. I just got to believe I can make it work. 💕