Finally Figured Out Where I Am: I’m In “The Dip”!!
By: Terri Zwierzynski | Leave a comment
Just read Andy Wibbel’s book review of The Dip by Seth Godin. What a HUGE a-Ha!! This explains a lot of what I’ve been experiencing the last few weeks or so…more on that later.
Among my circle of solo entrepreneur buddies, I’ve watched in puzzlement over the last five years as too many of their once-successful solo businesses fizzle. It’s been bothering me for a long time — why these intelligent,
enthusiastic, hard-working folks, who deserve to "have it all", sort of slip into this state where their businesses stop moving forward, new opportunities stall, and income stagnates or declines. While their owners slip into depression, despair, even personal bankruptcy (or, even worse <tongue firmly in cheek> get a JOB.)
The Dip addresses just this phenomenon. In Andy’s words, The Dip is "what happens after the big success". And if you can get through the difficulty of the initial downside, the upside is an even bigger success. I won’t attempt to recap the rest (read Andy’s review), but I wonder if there’s not just one Dip — if you are to remain successful, you’ll experience a series of Dips. If you can ride out the first one, your next success will be higher — and followed by yet another Dip, followed by greater success.
Back to the personal a-ha. After months (years?) of building Solo-E.com through a series of faulty business models, late last year I finally hit on a business model that is working! I’m pulling in revenue, traffic is growing steadily, and best of all, clients are thrilled with the results. All while I’ve been taking Andrea Lee’s advice and actually doing less work, delegating more, perfecting less. But even though I feel I’m ready to take it to the next level, I’m experiencing a little burnout. Even to the point where just yesterday, I started asking myself whether I was even having fun, did I really want to keep doing this.
So Andy’s post is extremely timely for me. It puts a whole different perspective on what I’ve been feeling, and gives me hope — hope that this is just a phase, that I can work through it (and will be even more successful if I stick it out), that I’m by far the only solo entrepreneur who’s had this experience. Even better, hope that I’m already doing exactly what Seth Godin preaches, in Andy’s words:
Seth’s big point he hammers home page after page is Stop doing the stuff you’re just okay at. Focus on your greatness. People pay a premium for a superstar. People will pay for excellence.
The old adage Winners never quit and quitters never win is wrong. Winners quit doing the wrong things at the right time.
Words to do business by!
Last 5 posts by Terri Zwierzynski
- 31 Time Management Tips - December 18th, 2008
- Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus - December 14th, 2008
- And now just for fun... - November 27th, 2008
- The Grateful Life of a Solo Entrepreneur - November 17th, 2008
- Can a Lifestyle be a Niche? - November 4th, 2008
May 31st, 2007 at 11:57 am
Terri,
As a business owner; and your VA - I knew from the age of 5 I wanted to be a secretary. And even though I ‘love’ what I do; there are days that aren’t fun.
But looking at the big picture and thinking about doing something else…I realize that there is nothing else I would rather do - than what I am doing right now.
That’s when I realize, it is just the ‘day’ or pehaps ‘week’ that is rough, but not the actual ‘lifestyle’.
I love what I am reading so far in Seth’s book! Good thing about the Dip is that there is a big hill on the other side that is ’so fun to slide down’!
And…I too feel that Solo-E is in one of it’s best stages yet!
Luv ya Terri.