This is scary to admit but I’m going to tell you the truth.

This past summer, I was in a bit of a slump, business-wise, and from talking to my clients, it appeared to be a bug going around.

For me, a lot of it had to do with The Contract Shop website overhaul. I felt myself holding back on SO many projects because I didn't want to do them twice once we moved over here to Shopify.

If you’re in the wedding industry, you may have noticed your bookings are down, your clients are even more price-wary than usual and Instagram is only giving you 50% of your previous engagement rates...

Ain’t nobody got time for that!

Instead of us all suffering in silence, I want to have a chat about the reality of burn out, slumps, and the not-so-pretty side of being a business owner. 

If you’re feeling kind of slump-y, there’s probably some tell-tale signs... so let’s see if you have them. Symptoms of a slump include taking procrastinating trips to Target’s dollar section (which they’ve conveniently placed at their entrance), signing up for exercise classes (then cancelling that ish when you realize you have to go) and slurping up melting popsicles as “dinner.”

When the hard stuff hits, whether it’s a “friend” copying your every move + platform, or just a general sense of overwhelm quelling your will to put yourself out there, here’s five things you can do to bust out of that slump:

How to find motivation when you're in a business slump

1. Treat yo' self.

Not the traditional self-care, massage-y stuff—that’s way too sophisticated for someone like me who doesn’t even have the patience to color in the lines. As my nephew says, “Uncle ‘Stina, why is your page all pink?” Because choosing complementary colors is too hard at the end of the day, Benny.

The kind of self-care I’m talking about is stuff-your-face-with-Greek-yogurt-popsicles and binge watch that online course you signed up for forever ago. You’re getting something done for your biz and giving yourself a little space to recover from whatever horrifying drama your brain has cooked up that probably will never actually happen.

Are you interested in starting an online shop that sells digital downloads? Click here to join me for a free live masterclass, where I walk you through my sales and lead strategy.

2. Give yourself permission to indulge in a guilty pleasure, free of time constraints.

I don’t mean like, “Tee-hee, I’m not wearing any socks with my sneakers today!” I mean wandering aimlessly in Anthropologie for so long that the cashier starts to wonder whether you’re shoplifting something. If you have a VA, have her field your emails and calls today (a great lesson in delegating) or put up an auto-responder that says your dog is sick. No one questions a sick dog! It’s not worth it to question this and risk hearing about dog barf, anal glands or any of the many other joys of pet ownership.

3. Do something that's productive in a different area of your life.

Return those twelve shirts to H&M that you just *knew* were a bad idea but wanted to work so badly (mid-riffs are perfect for showcasing your pooch, if that’s the look you’re going for). Get your car’s oil changed. Organize your junk drawer. Okay fine, drawers... plural. The point of this exercise is to make you feel like you’re getting somewhere and doing productive tasks, even if all you accomplish is clearing out your DVR of old Bachelor episodes.

4. If it has to do with legal stuff, put a bird on it!

Outsourcing your legal ish is a no-brainer-- you probably didn’t go to law school (smart move!) but I did. So instead of sitting through hours of lectures from your family about how your ‘A’ really should have been an ‘A+’ and that they’re sooOOoo disappointed in you, I’ve gone ahead and done that for you.

Plus, you are already outsourcing like crazy to experts, even if you haven’t hired anyone yet. WATCH ME PROVE IT!

Here’s what you’re already probably outsourcing without even knowing it:

• Canva for graphic design
• Tailwind for Pinterest
• Chipotle for meals
• Uber for driving
• Quickbooks for accounting
• And now, you have The Contract Shop for contracts and website terms + conditions

Just to recap:

Things you should sweat: Whether it’s okay to eat fries and type at the same time lest you risk a greasy keyboard, your wifi connection while you’re “on vacation,” a website that’s down and/or featuring XXX content, sick dog stories and mothers-of-brides.

Things you shouldn’t sweat (aka, let us do the heavy lifting for you): Your client process, whether your biz is legit or if your contract will protect you.

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