Do you want more as an entrepreneur? Chances are you do and guess what? That's okay!
You can be grateful for what you have and also want more.
The key is to understand what your 'more' is so that you can pursue it in your life and career. My guest Molly Asplin shares how she transitioned from corporate to entrepreneurship and still pursues 'more' every day while staying grateful for all she has currently.
Noticing That You Want More In Your Career
"Is this really it? Is this really what I'm supposed to be doing? But I didn't tell anyone because I thought, yes it is. This is my degree and this is what I'm supposed to do. What else could I do?" - Molly Asplin
Molly shared that she worked in the corporate world because that's all she'd seen growing up but that after a few years she realized that something was off. While she didn't say anything to anyone at first, she knew deep down that she wanted more but she wasn't sure what 'more' was.
As she continued to follow a passion of hers (fitness training) it opened her eyes to a world that she had never considered before...entrepreneurship.
What started as a side-hustle has turned into her full time career and she couldn't be happier with that decision. It's allowed her time and location freedom which is what she identified as her 'more'. After witnessing people working at coffee shops she got curious about what they did as a career and simply started to explore ideas and options.
However, as Molly and I talked we both discussed how when you follow a passion and a true strength of yours into entrepreneurship it's easy to get caught in the trap that you can't charge for that service.
"It's really easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if it's not hard, it's not valuable enough to charge for it." - Amanda McKinney
When we find something that our natural strengths align with, that's a create sign that we are living and working in our zone of genius but it can hinder us from thinking we can charge for it but that is where we can help people. What comes naturally to you doesn't come naturally for others and that's where you can help and support others.
"I have this natural strength of talking to people about health, fitness and mindset goals and it's easy and fun for me and people are willing to pay for it. But it was weird for me in the beginning because I had done it for free for a very long time." - Molly Asplin
**This was also a podcast episode (episode #198. Use the player below if you'd prefer to listen to this message.
The Difference Between Contentment & Complacency In Entrepreneurship
"There's a big difference between contentment, which I think is desirable and needed; and complacency." - Molly Asplin
Contentment is about being happy and satisfied with what you have and where you are in life. It doesn't mean you stop trying to improve or achieve goals, but rather you appreciate and enjoy the present moment.
On the other hand, complacency is when you become too comfortable and lazy, not wanting to make any changes or put in effort to grow. It's like being stuck in a rut and not caring about personal development.
Contentment is a positive state that allows for growth, while complacency holds you back and keeps you stagnant.
When we are complacent in our life or career it can feel like we are on a hamster wheel doing the same thing day in and day out. Or we feel like we aren't being challenged in the way that we'd like to be challenged in life.
If you're feeling this way, it could be time to shake things up a bit in life or your career to get that spark back into your life. This isn't to say you need constant change in life because that's likely not what will help you feel content but depending on the season of your life, a change could be what can help.
"I think a lot of people don't let themselves say it but that's when I started to feel very numb and not excited about my days. And it wasn't that I wasn't grateful but it boils down to is you can be grateful for what you have and want more. " - Molly Asplin
What Do You Want 'More' Of As An Entrepreneur
"You have to figure out what your 'more' is and lean into it." - Molly Asplin
More time freedom
More money
More quality time with family/friends
More clients
More location freedom
Give yourself a few minutes to ask yourself what your "more" is because what you want more of will help you understand what to pursue as an entrepreneur.
*If this idea of change gives you a bit of nerves, make sure to read this blog post on navigating change in entrepreneurship.
"I want to do meaningful work that brings me joy on my own time and location freedom was also really appealing to me." - Molly Asplin
If you aren't sure what your "more" is, here are some questions to help you explore:
What are you curious about currently?
What are you unhappy/disgruntled with about your current career?
Once you identify the 'pain' you're currently experiencing, then ask "what do I really want?" to understand your why.
If you want to go even deeper in this exercise you can define success on your terms with my free guide in just 20 minutes. Enter your info into the form and get it immediately:
Traction Takes Time In Entrepreneurship
While it's important to make changes in your business that allow you to fulfill your desire for more, there's also a time for sticking something out to give it time to work.
Many accidental entrepreneurs can give up too easily when you don't see traction in your business right away but the key is to give something time to work. This could look like:
Focusing on a specific offering or project for 90 days
Adjusting your marketing copy as you learn from clients over the course of a year
Committing to trying different approaches in business for at least a year
"There's something really important and needed about sticking with something long enough to see it through and see if it works. People start side hustles all the time...but you're going to have to roll up your sleeves and kind of get gritty and give it a year or even two years to really know." - Molly Asplin
I highly recommend reading (or re-reading as I do once a year) the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown. The overall concept is focusing on one thing for a period of time so you can make more progress. This doesn't mean you can't take on all the projects you have in your mind but instead it means you focus on one at a time so that you can actually accomplish them, quicker.
"Pick a lane and go because that's where the big growth happens." - Molly Asplin
Take Away Message / Action
It's 100% possible to be grateful for everything you have and also strive for more but you have to know what your 'more' is. Explore what you're 'more' is so that you can unapologetically pursue it and live it. I'll leave you with Molly's words that were perfectly said:
"Create your own box. Really living life on your terms. It's possible and there are so many opportunities and ways to do it different. You have to have the courage to go for it and start something. Start small and scale it as you go...Your path gets to be your path and it's nobody else's." - Molly Asplin
Until next time give yourself permissions to be grateful and want 'more' and grace along the way. I'll talk to you soon.
About Molly:
After 7 years of working in corporate finance with a background in Accounting, Molly found herself waking up every morning thinking “there has to be something more”. While she appreciated her coworkers and her company, she wanted to directly impact the lives of others. She felt complacent and surface-level happy, like life was on autopilot and she was going through the motions. She felt bored, yet overwhelmed, with busy days but mundane outcomes.
She knew there was something more that she wanted to give to the world. She found herself wanting more time flexibility in her daily schedule beyond the corporate conference calls, spreadsheets, and keeping up with emails. She wanted to create meaning through her work that made her feel passionate and live in alignment with her priorities.
Looking for a solution, she started working on herself — her nutrition, fitness, and daily personal development. She found that these daily habits created productivity, energy, and opened her eyes to a future career.
She surrounded herself with others who were growing, and in doing so, she sensed a large need to mentor other over-achieving females who wanted the same things she did — to feel healthier, happier, and live life with more meaning and purpose.
Today she leads a team of over 1,200 coaches, helping other women find more fulfillment in life. She is a firm believer in helping women create options for their families - financial flexibility, location flexibility, and time flexibility - so that they wake up every morning feeling peace, excitement, and purpose.
When she’s not helping high achieving women, she finds joy in fitness, reading, running outside, hiking, and spending time with her family at the lake. Molly lives with her husband Steve and their 2 young girls in Minneapolis, MN.
Molly's Resources:
Website: https://mollyasplin.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molly.asplin/
Other Resources Mentioned:
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks: https://bookshop.org/a/81920/9780061735363
Essentialism by Greg McKeown: https://bookshop.org/a/81920/9780804137386
The One Thing by Gary Keller: https://bookshop.org/a/81920/9781885167774
Define Success Free Resource: https://www.amandamckinney.com/success
All podcast episodes: https://pod.link/1473751874
Amanda's Coaching Options: https://www.amandamckinney.com/coaching
Amanda's Book: https://www.amandamckinney.com/book
"You have to figure out what your 'more' is and lean into it."
- Molly Asplin
Unapologetically Chase Your Definition Of Success
No matter what your 'more' is, it's important to have one thing truly defined and that's your definition of success.
If you'd like to explore this concept even more, my book Why Not You? An Accidental Entrepreneur's Guide To Success is waiting for you.
Defining success is just one chapter but in the book we will explore many other things that help you create your Y.O.U. Promise that becomes your guide to unapologetically chasing success for you.