All That Sparkles Isn’t Successful
You’ve heard the saying… All that Glitters isn’t Gold… Well, this is my business spin on it:
ALL THAT SPARKLES ISN’T SUCCESSFUL.
YEP… all of these “sparkly” businesses that you see all over social media and in your region aren’t always doing so well underneath…
This is akin to the next door neighbor with the porsche that is indebted to high hill and on the verge of bankruptcy. (Read the book Millionaire Next Door for some eye-opening realities on millionaires in the US.)
EVERYONE has challenges in their business. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.
*That* business that seems to have it all.
The super fab photos on Instagram…
The glossy new website design…
The big staff of employees…
The travel to worldwide conferences…
The super fab 2000 square foot loft studio workspace…
The press, publicity, awards…
All these things can make an outsider think that *that* business is doing AMAZING. And – they could be doing really well – or they could be doing really SUCKY. No one knows. Behind closed doors, everyone has their challenges. Every business owner has struggles of their own.
It takes HARD work to be successful.
When I work with wedding business clients through their financial plan and/or pricing strategy, many are surprised to learn that it is REALLY hard to make a healthy living in this industry. There is a LOT of smoke and mirrors in the wedding industry that leads newer entrepreneurs to believe that people who work in this field make a LOT of money. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Don’t get me wrong… some people do make a nice healthy income working in this industry. VERY few are taking home 6 figure incomes.
FOCUS INWARD.
When you see other people’s shiny objects, stop and focus inward. It’s easy to see all those sparkly things and assume that the business owner is doing awesome. They may be. They may not be. ALL YOU CAN DO IS CONTROL YOUR BUSINESS. Focus on what you can do to do well in your business. (Send a little good thought out for that business owner, but move on.) Focus inward.
Do you get distracted by sparkly businesses? Share your thoughts in a comment below.
Great post, I can always count on you to keep it 100! (Keep it Real)
Thanks Latrice!
Thanks Michelle. I struggle with this a lot actually. it’s always good to hear another perspective!
Such a great and relevant post, Michelle. There have been a lot of rumblings lately of business owners feeling defeated and constantly comparing themselves to others. It can be very distracting, but focusing inward (as you point out) and using your energy on what you can control is truly the only way to take your business (and personal life, for that matter) in the direction you choose.
YES! Like Hazel mentioned above… people are only going to post the good pictures… NOT the crazy disaster photos… or photos of their bank statements. 🙂
Amen! Love this post 🙂 Makes me feel better about sometimes lacking luster 🙂
I just wrote about this same thing on my blog this week! I do wedding cakes, and I’ve seen so many decorators post things that are super happy and upbeat when I know for a fact they’re about to go bankrupt. It’s too easy for someone to buy a website, logo and start posting on social media to make their business look huge when it’s scrambling for clients. People need to set their own goals and not compare themselves to the fake success that people project online. http://www.acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/05/cake-envy-or-whos-doing-interesting.html
Great minds think alike Kara! 🙂
This post couldn’t have come at a better time for myself and most other businesses.
It is so easy to get caught up with all the hype on social media – it can become debilitating and harmful to your own business when you are so worried (and will admit – a bit jealous) of what other people are doing. Once I begin to feel this way, I turn social media off and refocus my energies on doing something productive for myself and my business – in addition to being grateful for what I have because you really never know what is happening below the surface. People will only post the fab things that are happening where on the other side of the spectrum, those who are constantly complaining are downers and are perceived to be negative. People will position their businesses on how they want to be perceived – and unfortunately might not be the reality.
Thanks for this post Michelle! A good reminder before the season kicks into full affect.
btw – I hope to meet you in person one day! I think you are remarkably talented and smart!
Ahhhhh… I hope to meet you soon too Hazel! I think you’re an incredible business lady! Thanks for the sweet (and very insightful) comment.
Love this post, Michelle!!
Thank you so much for this post! It came right on time for me because 2013 has been the worst year on record for me in this industry. I am really weighing the options of whether it’s worth it to continue to invest when each year my sales get lower and lower.
When I add to it the glossy instagram photos, conferences and every other thing that comes with social media; it begins to make me feel invisible, lost and defeated. Of course, I know that I’m not but emotions and logic are not always one in the same.
I am grateful for blog because you always post something that aligns with reality (at least for me) and you present it in a positive manner. Thanks Michelle for being a voice of reason in a crowded, smoke filled arena 🙂
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for posting this. Just like the other ladies, I am so overwhelmed with trying to keep up with the Joneses. Since I’m not making millions and/or haven’t (yet!) been featured on Style Me Pretty, I constantly wonder if I’m a failure.
Thanks for the reminder that this is part of the process!
This is what I see in the wedding photography industry. You say you have 50 plus weddings booked but you charge only half your minimum fee to get that booking.
Yes I fully concur with your article. It is always interesting to me how people will comment using the exact metrics that you described to quantify that a business MUST be successful. The truth is that you can rent anything and things are often not what they appear. As an accountant and management consultant, I know first-hand that many financially sound businesses often have the outward appearance of being quite frugal!