“NO.”
I’ve heard people say that the word “NO” is a full sentence. Meaning, you don’t have to explain the reason behind the “NO.”
Daughter: “Mom, can I use your fabric scissors to cut out these paper snowflakes for school?”
Me: “NO.”
Husband: “Want to watch this ‘Batman’ movie for the 1 billionth time?”
Me: “NO.”
Client: “Will you be able to squeeze me into your schedule? For this contemporary costume?”
Me: “Yea…NO!”
Perhaps when it comes to our businesses, “NO” seems to be the hardest sentence to say. Speaking from my personal journey, I HAD to say yes to every single job that came my way in order to build my business. I was doing it all. I had my hand in ballet costumes, Irish Dance dresses (BRUTAL on my machine!), Rhythmic Gymnastic leotards…and on top of that, I offered to go to all of my clients. “Don’t worry! I’ll come to you!” So every weekend and many times after school, I put my 3 elementary-age girls in the car and we drove all over the tri-state area for my jobs. I was locked in. Laser-focused on building a legitimate business that I could do full time. (I had a 9-5 job the first 8 years of having my sewing business, and I would sew at night.)
So I never said “NO.” And then I had one of those seasons where I had taken on so much work, I was sleeping no more than 4 hours a night. I was exhausted. The quality of my work suffered for sure, because I was just trying to meet deadline after deadline. I was drowning.
And then, I started saying, “NO.” And my world changed. When I started turning down work, making clients drive to me, and setting boundaries with my time, my business grew stronger. My clients started respecting me more, because I was respecting MYSELF more. My quality of work improved. And I was giving myself more time to experiment with new techniques and learn new skills. I was getting bigger opportunities because I was giving myself the room in my schedule to take them on.
We are our own worst enemies. It is NOT our client’s fault that we are overwhelmed. It is our fault. But this is the process that every business owner goes through! We need to find our own limits. It’s part of the journey.
So just try it! Try using the word “NO.” Just once. Let me know what happens.
