How personal growth course creators cap their impact on the world

The desire to make a meaningful impact runs deep for moms who have created businesses. But despite their passion and dedication, it can be increasingly frustrating to feel like they're unable to reach their full potential.

One of the things I love to see more than anything in the world is a mom who decides not to go back to a 9-5 after having kids but instead creates a meaningful online course helping others while also creating a fulfilling career where she earns some really great money to provide a better life for her family.

Frustratingly, what I find happens so often for those successful few who can create a business that has reached the coveted $80 - $120k in yearly revenue is they get to that point, then just stall out. And it's often made worse by family members saying ridiculous things like, “How is that little hobby of yours going?” which increasingly makes their blood boil. Dealing with the overwhelm and burnout they feel just trying to maintain this success level, they consider giving up.

The guilt of how much time and energy they spend on the business, emphasized by the lack of support, causes them to go down a negative thought spiral: “I need help. I can’t do this on my own. I need to hire. Wait, I don’t know how to hire. How will I have time to do that if I don’t have time now? Where would I even find people? I can’t handle the stress of paying people. How do I make sure employees don’t hate me? No one will do things as well as I do. OMG, I don’t have time for this!! I can’t do this!” just to end back at square one. After a while, they begin asking themselves what the point is.

If this is you, I want you to know the distress you’re experiencing is not your fault. The dream of starting this business was such a fixation to you, which it probablyneeded to be to get off the ground. But moving forward, you haven’t realized that you must take a few steps back and be an actual business owner, not a struggling entrepreneur. Before you move too quickly, there are three things you must evaluate before you take that big step forward, and that’s what I want to break down for you in this post today.

1. Are you still treating the business like it’s a hobby?

A massive issue I see in moms like you who have started your own business is that every voice you hear tells you your business will only ever be a hobby. And this voice on repeat is why you need a new, louder voice reminding you of its legitimacy. More importantly, you need someone who reminds you that you do have what it takes to grow an even larger business that makes a broader impact. Now, I know that means you might have to employ other people, and I know that scares the crap out of you. But that’s how you should know you’re going to treat it with the right amount of care that will allow you to create and sustain a lifestyle that gives you and your family the freedom you’re craving.

To break out of this spiral, you first need to become blatantly honest with yourself about how you’re thinking about and treating your business. Have the well-meaning voices from friends, family, coaches, or even your own worries caused you not to take the success you’re experiencing seriously? Or have you made excuses as to why you shouldn’t seek support in your business because that would make it more real? Digging deeper into how your thought processes have been affected by those around you will help you understand where you are and where you need to go.

Hannah is a great example. She internalized dismissive remarks made by her friends and family, unintentionally diminishing her own opinion of the business she created. She experienced many panic attacks and self-hating thoughts. During our very first call, she realized she shouldn’t be frustrated with her family seeing her business as a hobby because, in reality, she was not entirely taking it seriously either. Once she acknowledged her own judgements of herself, Hannah was able to see how often she was operating off of assumptions of her family, and what was required of her. Untrue stories in her brain about what it would take to support her family and make them proud was crushing her with self-induced pressure. It wasn’t her abilities that were preventing her from experiencing time and financial freedom, it was the pressure. Only when she came to this realization was she able to do the work, moment by moment, to reassure herself that the pressure was not real and she has what it takes to grow her already successful business.

Moms often feel imposter syndrome when trying to pursue something new because we’re often taught to undervalue our skills. But without the assuredness that the pursuit is worthwhile, you’re accidentally proving the nay-sayers right.

2. It prevents entrepreneurs from implementing processes and systems that will give time and energy back.

Many course creators find themselves buried under a mountain of admin tasks, leaving them drained and unable to focus on what truly matters. Without efficient processes and systems in place, it's easy to get lost in the weeds and lose sight of our vision.

Processes and systems aren't cages. They are opportunities to create a necessary structure that allows you time and energetic freedom to focus on where your unique talents best support your business. They also provide methods of duplication and repetition so you can scale your business to impact more people.

When I first met my client, Alicia, she wanted help figuring out where to start with hiring for her consulting business. She knew she couldn't do everything in her business on her own but couldn't even articulate what type of support she needed. I also saw a need for her to learn about the various tools and software that could help her get the support she was looking for. But after we implemented some essential software and set up a system to delegate, Alicia was relieved to see just how easy it was to manage a team member. She even expanded her offerings to serve her clients better because she wasn't bogged down with make-wasting admin tasks. So, because she took the time to get clear on what systems to put in place, she felt confident she would create a great work environment and expand her impact with her clients.

3. It convinces them to go it alone, preventing them from scaling their business's impact because they are going it alone.

As solopreneurs, we often feel overwhelmed by the idea of scaling our businesses. We may fear becoming bad bosses or losing sight of our values in pursuit of growth. These fears can hold us back from reaching our full potential and making the impact we dream of.

Rather than attempting the impossible to become an expert in every aspect of your business, risking burnout and resentment in the process, you must start planning to build a team. I know your mission is bigger than you; therefore, your business must be bigger than you.

When I first started coaching, I sabotaged getting clients and growing because I was terrified of being a hypocrite and an insensitive boss. I knew I couldn't have a broad impact without support, but I couldn't stand the idea of treating people how I was treated as an employee. However, after spending two years researching how to create a great workplace environment and learning the psychological reasoning for those best practices, I realized I no longer doubted my ability to lead or remain humble and curious as an employer. Because I have a holistic and step-by-step framework for leading a team that relieved me from imposter syndrome, I knew I could scale and lead a team in a way that aligns with my mission, vision, and values.

It's wrong for course creators, who have so much potential to positively impact the world, to have a cap on their business!

If you feel frustrated and like burnout is creeping up on you fast, it's time to focus on the most impactful changes you can make to reach your mission: your mindset, process, and systems, and building a team. As the Aligned Scaler, I can help. My Permission to Lead Activator and Permission to Lead course will help you break away from getting stuck, overwhelmed, and risking burnout while building your confidence in your ability to lead and scale your business's impact on the world.

It's possible to revolutionize course creation businesses and empower more lives together!

If this resonates, share with a friend how you will change your leadership mindset. What frameworks and systems do you already know, when implemented, would give you your time back? How will you start to wrap your head around the idea of hiring?

Categories: : business development, leadership, personal stories, scaling