Coffee Chat Take 11: After The Reset, What Still Feels Out Of Place?

SPEAKER_00: Before we get into today's topic, I want you to pour yourself a cup of coffee or grab your favorite drink, and let's talk about something that doesn't get discussed nearly enough after you've done the hard work of improving your business operations. Over the past several months, we've spent a lot of time talking about system, structure, workflows, boundaries, and creating more breathing room in your business. And those things really matter. In fact, they're often the first place that I start when I'm working with new clients because when everything lives in your head, and when you're constantly reacting, and when you're carrying all the responsibilities, some of which that should probably be supported by some systems and some automations, it's really hard for you to clearly think about anything else.

But here's something that I really noticed. Sometimes business owners improve their systems, organize their operations, and create better processes, and yet something still feels off. Nothing is technically broken. In fact, the business might actually be performing very well.

Yet they find themselves lying awake at night wondering why they feel disconnected from something that they have worked so hard to build. And that's what I want to talk about today. Because fixing your systems and creating alignment, they're not the same thing. You can have offer that sell, clients that pay, and systems that work, and you can still feel weighed down by the business that you've built.

I've seen this happen with clients. I've had conversations with other business owners about it. I've even experienced this myself. See, years ago, I used to offer consulting engagements that lasted six months, some even a year.

So on paper, they were exactly what most business owners want: predictable revenue, long-term client relationships, and steady work. The clients got the results they wanted, the systems worked when I was done, and the business was healthy. But over time, I found myself counting how many months remained on a contract. And it's not because all the clients were difficult, because I really enjoyed working with some of them.

And it's not because the work that I was doing wasn't valuable. I genuinely enjoyed it then and still enjoy solving problems and helping clients implement better systems. But what I eventually realized was I could often help clients make significant progress much faster than six months. Like we're talking one to three months.

But that timeline existed then because it made the investment easier to manage and more affordable for the client. So my business model wasn't necessarily broken. It simply stopped fitting how I want it to work. And I think that's really a natural part of the growth process.

The person who started your business is not the same person who's running it today. I mean, think about it. You've gained experience, you've developed new skills, you've learned hard lessons, and your priorities have likely shifted along the way, and they will continue to do so. And the way that you define success, while the fundamental core reason may stay the same, it does change a little bit over the years.

But many business owners continue operating from decisions that they made years ago because they rarely stop to re-evaluate them and see if they still fit. So they keep serving the same audience, offering the same services, saying yes to the same opportunities, even if they aren't a good fit. And it's not always because the choices aren't the best fit, but it's mostly because they're familiar. And sometimes we outgrow parts of our business altogether and long before we're willing to admit it.

Because once you realize that something no longer fits, you've got a decision to make. Do you keep doing it because it's working, or do you create space for something that is more aligned with where you're at and where you're going? See, one of the questions that I ask clients is this if you were building your business from scratch today, would you build it the same way you did years ago? Think about that for a moment.

Would you offer the same services? Would you work with the same clients? Would you structure your schedule the same way? Would you use your time the same way?

If the answer is no to one or all of these questions, then there may be an alignment issue happening that's worth paying attention to. See, the challenge is that alignment issues don't always show up as obvious problems. Sometimes they show up as resistance. You procrastinate doing the work that you used to enjoy, you avoid talking about an offer that you've been selling for years, you leave client meetings feeling drained instead of energized.

And you find yourself thinking about changes that you like to make, but you never actually make them. Guess what? Those are clues. I think one reason that many of us miss these clues is because we're taught to keep doing things as long as they're working.

So we don't really stop and think if it's really profitable, whether or not it's efficient. We may ask our clients if they're happy, and most of the time they'll say yes, if we're really doing our job. But those are important questions. And they're not the only questions you need to ask.

Sometimes the better question is does this still fit? Just because something is working doesn't mean it's still a good fit. And that's the reflection that I want you to sit with this week. I don't want you to focus on what's broken or what system you need to implement next.

Instead, I want you to think about what is still feeling out of place. It could be an offer, it could be a schedule that no longer honors your capacity. It could be a goal that you set years ago and you haven't revisited since. Maybe it's a responsibility that you've outgrown, but you continue carrying it because you've always done it.

Whatever it is, I want you to give yourself permission to just notice it. And keep in mind you don't have to change everything overnight. You don't need to blow your business up and start over again. This isn't about making dramatic changes, it's really about pausing and paying attention because awareness usually comes before making meaningful changes.

And if you've recently spent time improving your systems or creating structure, building better habits, that is wonderful. And I commend you for doing that. But I don't want you to stop there. Once the noise kind of settles down, you finally have the opportunity to ask deeper questions about your alignment, your leadership, and the kind of business that you actually want to build right now, today.

That's why this month's theme is alignment after the reset. We're going to explore what happens after you've improved the operational side of your business because creating capacity is not just about systems, it's also about making sure the business you're building still supports the life that you want to live. So I want you to spend a few minutes with this question. What still feels out of place in your business?

If it's something like that immediately comes to mind or it's come to mind several times over the past few weeks or months, I don't want you to keep ignoring it. I want you to pay attention to it. It may be pointing you toward your next season of growth. So I want to thank you for joining me for this month's Coffee Chat Take.

And until next time, keep calm and streamline.