5 Ways I'm Bringing My Business and My Life to the Next Level

By Amy Thill

In the last year and a half, I’ve experienced a lot of change. I went from feeling like I had hit rock bottom to feeling like I was on top of the world.  For the first time in my life, I am happy, I have clarity and I have no doubt about what I want my life to look like. And, I know I will create it. Clarity came from some really bad experiences but it also came from some life changes that I knew I needed to make to turn my dream life into reality. Here are the 5 things that have helped me improve my business and my life in the last 18 months:

1.    Extreme Self-Care

Self-care is something that most people, especially women, struggle with. We care for everyone else and then, if there is any time or energy left, we care for ourselves. That was the old me. Now, I come first. My health and well-being is my number one priority. I exercise, eat well, nurture myself and take time for myself every day. I’m not being selfish. I’m acknowledging my value, my needs and my worth. I deserve it.

2.    Working with a Coach

Clarity is key. I know what I want, what I need and who I am. My Coach helped me get clear on my priorities and get laser focused. That allowed me to create a new website that reflects my values, skills and personality. I now attract the people I want to work with. Coaching has helped me stay focused and accountable for things I commit to.

3.    Knowing My Ideal Client

One of the first things I worked on with my coach was my ideal client profile. I dug deep to identify who that person is – her business, her values and her needs. This clarity has made it easy to know when someone is a good fit for me and my business.

4.    Co-Working

I have worked from my home for over 13 years. I feel a great sense of freedom but at times, an even greater sense of isolation. I recently joined The Commons – An Uncommon Workplace in my home town. I have a membership for 1 day per week where I can get out of my office, get a change of scenery and interact with real live humans. Not only has it been great to get out of my home office, it has been a great source of referrals. And the best part - it has expanded my creativity. I am surrounded by other small business owners who I can collaborate with. I attend monthly happy hours and weekly TED talks. I used to struggle with finding time to work on my business. Now I commit to one day per week at The Commons and it is all about my business, my professional development and my marketing.

5.    Networking on a Deeper Level

When I started my business, I started networking. I knew I needed to get out of my office and meet people to get the word out about my new business. I went to every event I could find. It felt like I was really just throwing business cards out and hoping that they would be caught by the right people. A dear friend referred to it as “spray and pray”. It’s not at all effective. My new approach is very deliberate. I am extremely selective about what events I attend and what groups I join. I align my networking with my values, my ideal client profile and professional development needs. I go where my ideal clients go and connect with like-minded people. I focus on collaboration and developing advocates who know my business and can easily refer me. And I do the same for them.

Amy Thill, Virtual Assistant and Productivity Consultant and founder of VAST Business Solutions, encourages and inspires professional women to live and enjoy their amazing lives. Through consulting and hands on work, she collaborates with each client individually to determine what is working and what is not working in their business and their personal lives. She helps find resources and solutions to simplify, support and provide accountability to get things handled efficiently, effect