Embrace Your Inner RPG Nerd If You Feel Stuck In Your Business

Transcript

Welcome to a compassionate side hustle strategy hosted by me, Rochelle Sanchez. I'm a business designer and mindset coach and I help side hustling, solopreneurs like you quiet your inner drama and build compassionate systems that allow you to show up consistently and authentically in your business.

No matter what culture you were raised in, your current setbacks, economic status, or internal struggles, you deserve to do what you love for a living.

So let's go together! and find that next best step for you on your business journey.

It seems that there are two types of ways we solopreneurs struggle with visibility and “putting ourselves out there.”

1. First, there’s the kind where you’re stuck before you even get started. You’re not even doing anything yet and you just feel stuck.
   • You haven’t taken any physical action, although this thing you’re about to go for has probably been living in your head for a while. It exists in your imagination, but you need to bring it into physical reality.
2. And then there’s the kind where you feel stuck because you’ve already put yourself out there in so many ways and it’s just not working.
   • You feel like you’re showing up. You know you are because you’re probably exhausted and your spirits are pretty low because it feels like failure after failure in your efforts to grow your business.

Both of them are a total bummer when you’re really caught in the middle of it all.

But the good thing is that if you know which one you’re struggling with, you can take the next best step that works for you.

And since you’re an entrepreneur, you probably want to call the shots and make the decisions. That’s a big piece of why we build our own businesses after all, because we don’t get along well just waiting to follow someone else’s orders.

Well, the great news is that you get to decide what that next best step is!

The best (and probably the most nerdy) way I can explain this is to pretend you’re creating a character for a role playing game.

That means the character is YOU, and you have them on your screen. So if it’s a video game you can imagine yourself as a the character on screen, with boxes to the sides for accessories.

If it’s a board game then maybe it’s a character sheet in front of you and you’re filling out all their character traits and struggles and super powers.

So you have this character you’re designing, and you need to take a look at them and their path in this land of entrepreneurship.

You get to think about their backstory. What their truth is. What they live for. What matters to them, what their goals are and what kind of approach they usually take.

And luckily you have all the answers because this character is heavily based on YOU.

I’m going to walk you through all the things that make this character feel stuck, and your job as the player is to help them out of their stuckness. It will be helpful to take these questions and answer them just like you would if you were playing a game and ironing out a real plot line for your character.

So…

This character is feeling stuck.

What are they stuck in? Decision making? Lack of time? Not sure about where they’re going because they’re the kind of person who needs a plan, first?

That part should be fairly obvious because it’s what you’re going through right now.

Then we can move on to the deeper motivations of the character.

But what does this character care about?

What do they need the world to know about them?

What about their work? What do they feel called to do?

They’re stuck right now. How much social energy do they have?

If the next step is a financial one, how much money are they willing to put down on their next move? How much is too much?

It might feel easier to start painting this picture of a fictional character who’s driven and strong and noble. But remember that it’s you. I’m not saying you’re not driven or strong or that you lack honor in any way, but living in the real world is slightly more complicated and difficult than living in a fictional world that has a pre-determined beginning and end.

But as you can see from these questions, I’m a big fan of setting your own intentions and boundaries. And I’m especially passionate about going through this work for yourself and answering with complete honesty before you start asking the internet for answers.

Because the truth is that the internet is curated. It’s paid for. It might be “free,” like how people love to say “Google is free,” or “Youtube is free,” but search and visibility run on algorithms.

And possibly an even more important part of this is that the internet is filled with real people like you and me. It’s not filtered. So not only are you going to find what the search engine wants you to find, but you’re going to find information written by people who are potentially inexperienced, hurting, processing trauma, or even intending to harm you.

It’s a dangerous place out there for you and your RPG character is what I’m saying. But luckily, you’re going through the important steps of setting your boundaries and getting clear on what YOU are seeking, as the main character in your own life.

Random characters with wild backstories may cross your path and influence your story arc in different ways, but you are ultimate in charge of yourself. And having your arsenal of values and intentions will help you stay focused on what really matters to you as a solopreneur building your business in a way that will actually impact the communities you care about.

This process — all the questions and specificity in your answers — is an example of how you can be your own guide as you build and scale your business.

These are personal decisions that only you can make, so it’s necessary to get as specific as possible about what you need help with, versus just describing the general discomfort of being a business owner.

The specificity is key. There’s no need to use generic phrases like, “Well, I want to hire this out and get the biggest bang for my buck.”

or “I really need to put myself out there.”

or “I need to learn how to make more income streams.”

Even these declarations can be more specific, and the more specific, the better. Because you’ll be more likely to find the right answer for your particular situation.

If it’s a budget issue, you’ll be able to set a number and a few deadlines. You can write up exactly what you need, and how much you’re willing to pay to get it. Then go post it on Upwork by a certain date, and see who pops up and offers to help you.

Let’s say you’re an introvert but you’re struggling with putting yourself out there. You can set a time limit on your networking and outreach plans for the week. I’ve actually been struggling a lot with my anxiety this week so I literally set goals like “Write for 30 minutes,” and “Second session of writing for 30 minutes,” on my task list for the day. You can do the same thing with your networking efforts, and set a timer while you sit at your desk and devote 30 minutes to just commenting and leaving meaningful, supportive feedback on other people’s posts.

If you feel like you still need to learn some things, and you’re in danger of going down the rabbit hole of neverending learning, then first: you’re going to choose a topic. And then you’re going to write down WHY you need to learn it, and exactly what “it” is. Again, you set a deadline. This time the deadline is for when you’ll say “Enough learning, time to experiment.” And you’ll actually stop yourself from spending too much time learning and start sharing your experience instead of keeping it all bottled up until it’s perfect or profitable.

Those are just some examples of how specificity can help you clarify your way out of being stuck.

It’s helpful to do this kind of questioning and specifiying because the next mission for your character (you!) and the actions they/you take must fit within those boundaries you just set for yourself.

One final note:

You don’t have to invest in anything to make these decisions for your business. This costs you time, yes, and I know it’s always self gratifying to get curious about something and then Google or Youtube it and sit and watch and feel good about learning something new today.

But when you take time to create your own answers, things come together a lot more quickly. Plus it’s an excuse to get creative and take action with confidence that you’re doing the right thing for yourself. That feeling is hard to find nowadays.

This RPG character building process can help you get unstuck, because you are setting your own path.

And it has an added layer of safety because you basically put a cozy, manageable filter on big, wide, world of possibilities that was overwhelming you a moment ago.

You just made things simpler for yourself, and that’s a great place to be in.

I encourage you to give it a try! For the next move in your business, what kind of character are you going to play? And how will you keep them moving, instead of stuck?

I’d love to hear from you. Let me know on my website for this episode, or feel free to connect with me on Twitter and let me know what you came up with.

Rooting for you and that super interesting character you’re designing. Take care, and I’ll see you next time!

Compassionate Side Hustle Strategy is sponsored by Gentle Momentum.

What if you had someone to help you navigate both the inner drama AND the back end operational stuff that comes with running your business?

What if you never felt overextended, rushed, bullied, or pressured into doing things for your business that just aren't your thing?

Gentle Momentum is a hybrid coach-in-your-pocket mentorship and accountability system designed to help ambitious, mission-driven solopreneurs just like you, stay on track and focused.

It's exactly what it sounds like: a program designed to help you generate momentum in your business!

To learn more, visit Rochelle Sanchez dot com and click on the "Work with me" button.