Here’s something I like to remind my clients (and myself!): NEW problems are a sign of business success and growth.
You don’t get to avoid problems as you grow as an entrepreneur, but you do get to uplevel to higher-quality problems.
This doesn’t mean you need to expect problems, invite them in, or create problems that don’t exist (that’s a whole ‘nother topic and so much of what I support clients with), but your perspective when noticing new problems will affect how you approach and solve them. That mindset really is everything.
For example, let’s say you run a business that sells t-shirts. For the longest time getting anyone with a heartbeat to buy your shirts felt impossible.
Then, you hire a coach, you get clear on your messaging, you work through some blocks, get out of your own way, create some bangin’ marketing, nail your sales process, and open up the floodgates of t-shirt sales.
You’re selling shirts left and right, and this is awesome. You’re officially upleveling. Business is good! It’s raining money
Then, someone asks for an exchange, an order gets lost in the mail, and someone else says your shirt sizing is off. Maybe you even get a hater online.
These are business problems. They’re real. They have to be handled and solved (ok, maybe you ignore the hater).
But, they’re NEW, amazing problems to have.
Previously your problems had been, I can’t get anyone to notice or buy my shirts. I’m not generating income and have no momentum. Now your problems are all about dealing with the sales of those same shirts.
These challenges signify the growth of your business.
This isn’t a post to say be grateful for what you have (though, do that, too), this is about how your mindset changes how you see these new problems and respond. Because it’s easy to think in this situation, “Well, shit. I guess my shirts DO suck. What was I thinking, thinking I could be a business owner? This is too much to handle.”
Or, “I thought everything would change when I started making money. There must be something wrong with me. I’m not cut out for this business thing. I’m not good enough.”
You might feel frustrated and decide these problems aren’t “worth it” and sabotage your success by not dealing with them instead of seeing these as high-quality, next-level, GOOD problems.
Embracing new problems as markers of growth and new opportunities to uplevel allows them to become a positive and normal part of business. And, y’all, they ARE normal. I don’t know a single business owner kicking ass, impacting lives, and making bank that doesn’t have to navigate and handle new and good problems.
This mindset allows you to neutralize problems and solve them like the boss you are.
Of course, the irony is, when you see new problems through this lens, you also solve them much faster and aren’t affected by them in the same way...which will make you feel like business is problem-free ;).
Wishing you your version of success,