A Time to Add to My Skill Set and a Time to Implement it
As an entrepreneur, I may go months without thinking I need to learn anything new; at least nothing which requires significant effort. Then one day, I wake up and realize I could increase my scope and my offerings if I knew more about this or that; my next big thing, as it were.
Over the years, I’ve added (and sometimes dumped mid-stream) a wide variety of books, courses, and webinars to my collection. Some sit in a folder on Dropbox waiting for me to get around to them. Others were followed, absorbed, and catalogued in my brain. I always have one or two in progress as well, like the pile of books I’m reading.
After having a couple of conversations with potential ghostwriting clients, I realized having experience self-publishing a book would increase the value of what I currently offer. To be honest, it’s information I’ll need to acquire eventually anyway, if only to make an intelligent decision about my memoir and subsequent works.
As usual, suggestions on how to acquire such knowledge came from my mentor, Linda Clay. It was she who came up with an idea for a book I could self-publish without having to do a lot more writing. In fact, it’s more a matter of organizing existing material than creating something from scratch.
Learning by Doing
Another project now joins the others on my Trello board, and will soon get completion dates for
the various phases, some of which will become apparent as the project evolves. In the process, I’ll also be learning to ask for help rather than endlessly spinning my wheels trying to figure something out for myself out of sheer stubbornness. As I learn to commit to myself, I’m also learning my time is valuable, and need not be wasted on an overblown sense of self-sufficiency when I have so many wonderful resources in my ever-growing network (thanks, in great part to Landon Porter of #GAN).
At the moment, I’m looking at two avenues: 1. A PDF E-book to be used as an Opt-in on m website. 2. An actual compilation of previous writings which I’ll put into Kindle format and offer on Amazon. I believe starting with a less complicated task first will get me through some of the basics before I dive in, feet first and learn about all the pieces I don’t yet know exist, and all the steps I’ll need to complete before rolling out my first published work.
Every entrepreneur eventually learns there’s more to running their business than meets the eye. Whether it’s behind-the-scenes tasks which keep the doors open, clients filling the pipeline, projects organized, and the business side of things running smoothly, or things which position you as someone knowledgeable and experienced in the full-spectrum of services you want to offer the reality is none of us know everything, and one person can’t possibly be an expert in everything they need.
In the process of learning new things, you also learn which parts you’ll eventually contract out because doing them yourself is worse than subjecting yourself to dental implants. I’ve found there are some things you’ll find you are really good at, and others, you’re happy to pay someone else to do. But you don’t figure them out until you put in the time to try yourself first.
Cutting My Losses When Learning Becomes an Uphill Struggle
I learned early on that sales copy isn’t my forte. Sure, I can craft a story, but I actually get annoyed if I have to turn a perfectly good story into a sales pitch, however subtle. I have a few people I can and will refer such work to should it come my way, though it rarely does since that’s not the message I send.
By the same token, I’ve connected with people who hate doing what I excel at. The beauty is, even with people in the same industry, we know there’s enough for all of us because we seldom do exactly the same things.
I’m a firm believer in building a business around what you love to do, and though it can be dreadfully slow getting started, much less hitting your stride, you ultimately build a business which allows you to do what you love most, if not all of the time. There’s nothing that will make me happier than to have a full calendar of tasks I love while supporting other people who love to do the things I hate; people who have set out to learn some of the same skills I have, but stuck with it because unlike me, they found an affinity for them.
Looking Forward to Giving Back
I also look forward to supporting people who have helped me in my own journey to figuring 
out where I want and need to go, what I need to learn, and where I excel. They will be the first on my list when I recognize what I not only want, but need to outsource so I have the time and energy to do what I love for clients who inspire and uplift me.
I think that’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned lately. I do get to work with clients I love and respect. I can attract clients whose work I admire and want to support. It’s a matter of setting my goals, honing in on who I want to serve and how I want to serve them, and taking the necessary steps to ensure I have the skill set which will allow them to do what they do best too.
My ideal is helping other people grow their businesses and simplify their lives while they do the same for someone else. I see it as a chain reaction. When one of us takes a task off the plate of someone who needs more time and freedom to help a segment of the population, they’re able to help more people. In so doing, they help someone else have more time to help the people they serve. And so on.
People helping each other thrive is my idea of a perfect world. How about you?
Are You Looking for Help With Your Own Journey?
Are you making yourself crazy trying to be everything to everyone? Do you dream of doing more of what you love and less of what you tolerate or hate? Are you ready to turn a couple of your “hates” over to someone who loves them? Maybe it’s content creation, or perhaps it’s getting your books in order and creating a budget. If this sounds familiar and you’re ready to streamline your life and give your business space to grow and thrive, CONTACT ME and let’s talk!
About the Author
Sheri Conaway is a writer, blogger, ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri 
believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income. If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.
Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming release of ” Rebuilding After Suicide”.
