So, yesterday I got some bad news for my microbusiness. It appears that the major thing I was hanging my hat on – a federal grant writing opportunity – may not come in anytime soon. Yikes! That was the bulk of my early consulting work. But on the flipside… .
Well, I didn’t make the decision to go out on my own lightly or without a lot of excessive handwringing and aforethought. Not only did I have a plan B, but I had a C, D and E as well. And while I move on to elements of both plans B and C, I know that Plan E (related to relying on my small cash cushion for awhile), is also perfectly undisturbed and available for use.
Still, I’m not going to lie. Having Plan A, the surest of them all, crack was a little bit of a blow. Ultimately, it may be a blessing in disguise because I did have a risk of becoming one dimensional relying on only one large source of income. While I had always intended to diversify after a wildly successful launch, if I diversify now while I’m still hungry for work, I have a much better shot at developing more clients and a greater diversity of work.
So, I’m rolling with it.
And just look at me! Once again, I’m demonstrating the insight I gained on the West Indian shores of Antigua. Life is much better if you plan and respond, not panic and react. That’s exactly what I intend on doing.
After I got my bad news yesterday, I can’t lie. My hand hovered over the panic button for an hour. I nearly reached out to an old client and offered to take a full-time job with him. I also flirted with telling my firm I wanted to come back. Thankfully, I did neither. Instead, I spent about two hours doing business development then I went for a walk and read some of my book. Finally, I made a healthy and fun dinner. This whole micro-business thing was designed for me to have more family time and more personal time. Yesterday, in the face of adversity, I lived the dream.
Today? I’m feeling much better. I managed to get my first signed contract today (YAY!!!) and I put out additional feelers related to work. I’m trying to live the advice I gave my husband by spending a few hours each day in business development while I also focus on all of the reasons why I made this change. I have a couple of additional feelers I want to get out there while I should also get some clarity on the timing of the federal grant opportunity. Finally, tonight I’m doing a toast with my former colleagues which will include another business development opportunity and then my husband and I are going out for a craft beer and food truck food. How yuppie-dom is that?
It will, I reassure myself, be okay. And to be honest, life is better than it has ever been, even with a little fear of a work slowdown. When I had these slowdowns before, I felt the hand of Big Brother hovering above me. It was likely my own imagination – my firm was really great about supporting people to hit their targets – but it was my own fear of letting others down. Now, it’s not only all on me but I’m the only one I’d be letting down. And I KNOW I’m doing the work to be successful.
There’s a true peace going on right now in my world. I’m literally just two weeks in today on my new adventure. I have already gotten my first contract. But more than that, I can see how life is different and better. Unfettered from a regular schedule and working for myself is very freeing. And candidly, I’m likely working just as much but not as stressed about it. Being a self-directed person, I am confident that I can make this micro-business a success. More importantly, I need to keep the focus on my why. I did this for my life, my husband, my family, and my own personal sense of purpose. All of that is still firmly a part of my real Plan A.
So, I’ll take this minor bump in the road in stride. I’ve thankfully got carryover work so I’m still a little busy. Today will be filled with client calls – both billable and business development – and some good family time afterwards. It’s the best, truly, that I could hope for. And I plan on celebrating that.
The Yuppie Homesteader 