TRUTH TIME: What to prioritize as a sick (a.k.a human) entrepreneur

[and how to build out accordingly]

Welp… I’m sick. Dang it!

Gosh I hate being sick. It throws off my whole game. My whole plan for the week. My steps! (lol)

And for some reason? I get sad. Like, really sad when I get sick.

At some point if I’ve been sick / feverish / throwing up for too many days I will get to—what my two sisters and I have termed—the WEEPY PORTION of our sickness.

And we will cry (no… WAIL and SOB) like little children.

I’m sure it’s decidedly fun to be around us during that time.

Good news, I’m not there yet with this sickness, (it’s only day two) but it got me thinking about the choices we have to make when we’re sick as entrepreneurs.

When you work a 9-5 or even a contract job, there’s usually built in sick time. You call in. You don’t work. And that’s pretty much it.

When you work for yourself and you have clients who depend on you, it’s not so simple.

For example, I rescheduled all my client calls for today because, well, I hurt everywhere and I’m sniffling (ick) and I sound like a two pack a day Marlboro light smoker.

Plus I don’t want to start weeping on a call……

(can you imagine? that would be so bad)

But I did go in and spend about forty-five minutes connecting with all of my clients via Basecamp this morning and I will later this afternoon too.

What’s Basecamp you ask?

Well.

Basecamp is the online software I use with my clients to have dedicated communication with just them, it’s where I review their copy and marketing materials, it’s where I help them work through stuck moments and hard times… it’s basically where I show up to coach them between calls.

I love all the connection time we get there.

One of my clients who I rescheduled with today said in a message, “You don’t have to message me on here if you’re not feeling well.”

It was truly so sweet. I have the best clients.

But here’s the thing:

Unless I am WILDLY sick, I am going to show up for my clients in some way, shape or form.

Even if I don’t have the mental bandwidth to do a reading or give a verbal coaching session (*see symptoms above*), I do have the ability to think and type and connect.

I made an agreement with my clients that I would show up on Basecamp twice a day Monday - Friday to support them and so that is what I’m doing.

I say this not because I am some kind of super woman. (I assure you, I am not.)

But because it’s incredibly important not to break trust with the people who have hired you.

I know many aspiring business owners who started working for themselves for the freedom this work provides.

And entrepreneurship does provide freedom!

Case in point: I went to Europe for three weeks in December. (so fun)

HOWEVER.

The freedom that owning your business provides does not mean freedom from keeping your word to your clients or your community.

[Another case in point: I am sneezing and coughing and writing this blog post because it’s important to me that I show up every week. Plus I always like writing to y’all…]

ANyway, do you see what I’m getting at here?

When you’re building your business, your number one priority is to SHOW UP consistently.

To build trust.

To keep your word.

To provide your wisdom and encouragement and value for your community.

That is your j-o-b, baby cakes.

Now.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t build up collateral for when you’re sick.

(Wherever you show up for your community, that’s where you build collateral. That can be blog posts, IG posts, TikTok videos, YouTube videos… create a just-in-case folder.)

I didn’t have to write today’s blog post; I chose to. I wanted to make an important point.

I’ve written so many blog posts over the years that I could have shared one from a few years back.

I could have referenced and linked to a few blog posts that felt pertinent.

I could have batched all my blog posts for the month (the first week of the month) and my OBM (online business manager) could have posted them already. (I recommend this.)

If I was really sick, I could have asked my OBM to go look through my old blog posts and find one to share for the week.

Yes, I’d still need to approve the post once she was done, but it would be an option.

Okay, yes. Of course. If you’re really, deeply sick then of course you prioritize yourself and your clients will understand.

(But be sure to TELL THEM what’s going on. Don’t leave them hanging sweets.)

If you’re just annoyingly sick, like I am right now, you may still have to run your business at 30% instead of at 100%.

And that’s okay.

(To be sure, I definitely went back to bed for a number of hours after I connected with my clients. #freedom)

So let’s recap from today:

1. We all get sick. We’re human. It sucks.
2. If you own a business, it sucks less if you’re prepared for it (i.e. build up collateral for posting by building a just-in-case folder).
3. Building trust and keeping that trust is incredibly important as a business owner.
4. You’ve got to show up consistently to build trust.
5. If you have trouble showing up consistently, make it easier on yourself by batching your content once a month and scheduling it ahead of time.
6. If something serious is going on with you, tell your clients and community so they know what’s going on.

That’s all for this week lovey.

See you next Wednesday for more goodness,
Rebecca*

PS: If you’ve never worked with a coach one-on-one, if you’ve never known what it was like to be able to message a coach who truly wants to know about you and about your business, if you’ve never understood what it feels like to be supported at every level… let’s talk. I’d love to see if we’re a fit for that level of coaching. Let's chat.