Defining success as a creative business owner - and no, it's not always about the money
Defining my own success
As a creative business owner myself for well over a decade my definition of success has changed and evolved hugely since starting out. Initially it was a way to explore my creative side whilst working a desk job (after years of working outside I was finding it hard), as well as navigating life with a young child for the first time. I was trying to find myself again outside the roles I had previously inhabited.
My reasons for taking up the business were initially nothing to do with financial gain, they were purely a means to discovering who I was after I left a career I loved and became a mother. As time went on I realised that the business was growing and evolving in a way that enabled me to leave my paid job and make it a full time occupation.
Inevitably this led there to be a seismic shift in the way I approached my business. It now had to make me a minimum amount of income each month in order to support my family. I could no longer drift taking on only the jobs that excited or fulfilled me creatively, occasionally I just had to do the work that paid the bills. And you know what, that was ok, because I had built a business that allowed me to do the school runs, take time off if my daughter was ill or on school holidays. To be there when I was needed – no more filling in holiday or leave request forms, or not getting paid because I had run out of leave (any parent can relate I’m sure)! It was now not all about fulfilling my own needs, but that of my family’s too. As my work evolved and expanded, so too what I could do for those I loved and cared about did too.
As my business grew, I relished the growing community I built around me, that supported me as I changed direction (and then changed direction again)! I began to be able to give back to that community as the years passed, mentoring and coaching people new to the business world, or those reaching a new stage of growth. And it felt good. Really good. My business was satisfying my mental and physical well-being, my photography began to creatively fulfil my wildest dreams, it helped me overcome my fear of trying something new (and people’s reactions to it), and yes it paid off financially too.
What does success mean to you?
So today I’m asking you what does success mean to you right now? If you’re just starting out, what is it you want your business to do for you beyond the bottom line? Defining the things that matter to you will help you set and measure your goals, as well as set the whole tone for your business and how you create your own voice amongst the noise. Your definition of success might be wildly different to someone else even within the same niche as you, so please don’t compare yourself, instead celebrate your differences, the diversity of choices that have led each of us to our own business and look to the future and how your business can get you there.
Or perhaps you’ve reached a block in the road of your business journey and can’t see a way forward that feels aligned with how you felt about it when you began?
