Do you experience the Rollercoaster effect?

Recently I’ve been talking to a couple of my clients about the Rollercoaster effect of running your own business.

One minute everything is going great, its working well, you’re busy, getting new clients and you are on a high at the top of the Rollercoaster.

The next minute you are plummeting down and suddenly things aren't going too well.

Maybe a client hasn't rebooked, maybe you are having a quiet week or maybe things just aren't going to plan? You are feeling down, deflated and a bit depressed at the bottom of the Rollercoaster.

It happens to me and every other business owner I speak to and it can be the smallest thing that moves you to the top and doing a happy dance or crashing to the bottom wondering if its all worth while!

This image I like says it all….

When you are at the bottom of that Rollercoaster, do you think…

• Why am I doing this?

• Is it worth it?

• It’s just too hard?

• I should jack it all in and get a job?

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Last week I watched a Marie Forleo video called - ‘How to know whether to quit or commit’ http://bit.ly/2uuN3EL

In the video Marie uses 3 questions to help answer this quandary and I realised that Marie’s 3 questions related very much to how you feel when you are at the bottom of the Rollercoster.

So here are my take on Marie’s 3 questions. Try these next time you are at the bottom of the Rollercoster, to work out if everything is actually ok.
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1. Are you measuring?

Often when we are at the bottom of the rollercoaster we FEEL like everything is going badly - but is it???

If you feel you haven't got enough clients or you aren’t making enough profit or simply your Facebook Ads campaign isn't working?

Well, these are all things you can measure i.e. they have a number

Once you are tracking the numbers, you can see, over time if it is working.

It might not feel like those numbers are going in the right direction today but look over a week, a month or even a year and if they are going in the right direction, then you are on track!

2. Why? Yep its that big old question again!!

Why are you doing this?
Are you sure you know?

I want you to dig deeper into the ‘Why’, to probe and then probe some more. Eventually it will emerge and you will get to the real reason why!

Be truthful to yourself and then you will know why you are here doing this thing, whatever it is!

If it’s still worth it, you know you can do it, persevere and carry on.

3. Opportunity Costs

​Now you might not have heard of this one and its also something most people don’t consider.

It means - what opportunities am I giving up to do this? We can’t be in 2 places at one time, so when you spend your time doing one thing you give up the opportunity to do something else.

For example - if I work Saturday, I earn money but I give up the opportunity to be with my family.

Thinking about how you are feeling at the bottom of the rollercoaster and the question - Do I give up my business?

Ask yourself is my business worth what I am giving up. Sometimes we have to wonder.

But then ask yourself ‘What opportunities would I have to give up if I worked for somebody else?’

Working for yourself might not seem so bad - it definitely doesn’t for me.

What would happen if you gave up your business, what would the costs be if you took another course of action. Don’t only look at money but also time, clients, family & friends and your wellbeing.

Write down all the Opportunity Costs and see if it’s still worth it.

The Result
Once you've done the 3 questions, did it answer those feelings you had at the bottom of the rollercoaster? Is everything actually OKAY?