7 Signs It's Time to Pivot Your Business

Let's face it: building a business is hard. There's a lot that goes into planning, creating and launching -- all before you make a single dime. So how do you know if your challenges as a service-based entrepreneur are just the "hard stuff" of building a business, or if there's a deeper issue at hand?

Here are 7 ways to tell that you're in struggle and that it might actually be time to make a shift.

#1. You don't like any of your clients

Once upon a time, you would've done back flips to get these people to work with you. After all, they were willing to pay your will-anyone-actually-pay-this rate (which you now realize is way too low). But now? You're just not that into them.

What's worse is you don't care as much about those relationships anymore. You find yourself avoiding their calls and dreading each unread message from them that shows up in your inbox.

#2. It takes a lot of effort just to focus on doing work

We all have the occasional "f*ck everything" moments (or days). But this seems to be the norm for you lately. You'd sooner organize your underwear drawer than sit down to work. And when you finally do, you can feel a small piece of your soul slowly withering away. 

#3. The money you make doesn't reflect the value you provide

And it's a crap ton of value. You know that. They know that. The bags under your eyes are a dead giveaway of the amount of time and effort you give to them every. Single. Day. 

Yet, each time an invoice goes out you shed a few tears, because you know what you're charging isn't nearly enough.

#4. After all this time, you still feel like you're "winging it"

What will your business look like by this time next year? What will you have accomplished?

These are questions you try your best to answer, but the truth is you have no freaking clue. You know where you'd like for your business to be next year. And there are plenty of things you hope you will have accomplished by then. But how you're actually going to pull it off is only a mystery at this point.

#5. You've been at it for a while and don't have much to show for it

Shining testimonials from your adoring clients? #HumbleBrag-worthy examples of the awesome work you do? Raving subscribers who gobble up your content like it's perfectly salted popcorn?

Nope.

#6. You don’t want to promote the work you’re doing

It was exhilarating at first ... You were naturally good at it and excited to talk about it with everyone. But the work you're actually doing for the clients you have is not what you had in mind when you first got started. You're a little bit embarrassed and a whole lot discontented with the way things have turned out.

#7. You FEEL like you're in the wrong business

Call it burn-out. Call it disillusionment. Call it you just being a lazy-ass who doesn't want to work. Whatever it is, you've had it. There's nothing remotely appealing about trying to make this business work anymore. You might even be questioning if you were right to start a business in the first place.

So what can you do about it?

You might find yourself in the struggle, but that doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong or that you should give up on the idea of having the kind of business (and life) you really want. It just means that the business you have is out of alignment with who you are and what you value.

So let's change that.

You created your business because you craved freedom, but the reality of things are quite the opposite. To turn things around, you'll need to:

1. Get specific about what that freedom looks like to you
2. Decide that now (not later) is the time to change things
3. Make deliberate adjustments to the way you work and earn in order to make that change happen.

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"Are you struggling in your business? Here are 7 signs you may need to make a shift (via @hellormharrison)"
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Over to you

Have you been struggling in your business? Which of these 7 signs resonate the most with you? Let me know in the comments.