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Making Order Out of Kaos: A Guide for Small Business Owners Thinking Creatively
Oh the struggles, the constant pivoting, the overwhelming feeling of being pulled in too many directions; how many hats can we wear at one time?
I came up with the moniker MOoK as I knew I needed to figure out how to get my fragmented bead business back up and running. And although putting order to kaos had always been a strength for me I was now failing myself in this very same area.
The many challenges faced by small businesses especially when trying to regain control of a once thriving business after recovering from almost unrecoverable life changes; but for me giving up, and giving into what almost doomed me would be more life defeating than trying to Make Order Out of Kaos and yes, it's quite a mess especially since when there are so many fragmented pieces, that previously proved to be quite effective for business, one wonders do I just start over or try to pick up the fragmented pieces?
Just like any other small business owner in this position I focused on trying to rebuild certain functionality first; the website (so outdated, yet one of the last things I will tackle), social media platforms and pages (thousands of followers, do I just dump them? While at the same time accidentally inventing a product that is much needed but so very different from my core business, how do I make that fit? I clearly can't give up on the idea.
For a period of time feeling almost totally defeated yet at the same time knowing that I had to rebuild what I had let break down. I guess the saying is true, when you really love something you just can't let go.
Previously, this type of challenge made me fiercely determined as I always loved putting order to things that seemed like an impossibility. So pulling this 'mess' that I created, yes, one of my first steps is to just acknowledge the who, what, why I allowed whatever to happen to get me to this state and own it; whether or not; you know the rest.
For some reason this process made me reflect on an experience I had when I worked in a corporate environment, wasn't my cuppa tea, but I did learn quite a bit.
I ended up in this, what many employees thought of as a nondescript department due to a reorganization. I was given a desk in the corner flanked by filing cabinets filled with out-dated documents which, first, should have always be kept current and second being given the urgent task to make them current, a job no one else wanted, clearly, based on how outdated the certifications were at the time.
Well, little did they know that this was the perfect job for me. As I stated, the department was nondescript, but vital in ensuring regulatory compliance even down to getting product packaging approved before production.
Apparently, at a meeting attended by the 'higher ups' this project which I had completed was addressed because product was going to be pulled if current certifications were not presented upon request during inspections.
All of a sudden I started getting food gifts, yes, we made them but still it was a nice gesture, visits to my desk in the corner from people that typically wouldn't even visit 'that part of town' but visit they did. And then one day in the cafeteria a senior VP, and Director of one of the divisions saw me looking for a seat and insisted that I sit at their table, which I did of course.
So when that memory popped into my head out of nowhere and I started to reflect on just how much of an impact that had on a major company and I thought I am certainly not less than, and certainly deserve to put the same effort forth to get my businesses, creative ideas and doing what I love re-certified so to speak; even though it would take quite a bit of MOoK=Making Order Out of Kaos!
And yes, it does take resilience to take something like this on, especially to this extent, either personally, or professionally; but it will get accomplished!
Outlining how to accomplish this for creative minds and businesses will be quite special since most creative business owners don't even want to think of themselves as such; they just want to create and once the business end gets out of hand they then try to figure things out while at the time wondering why it's getting in the way of their creativity.
Even with the creative mind you have to know your strength, the one thing that motivates you creatively will most likely be what will help you organize your mind to handle the business tasks at hand; although, on separate levels, set in place the guidelines to keep the creative end of your business creative and the business end in check so things don't get out of control-again.
The Kaos in finding the balance will either help keep you focused enough to eventually manage both ends of your business successfully, or you will have to make the decision to outsource the business details.
And don't forget about Ai. Artificial intelligence. I believe as many do, it will be that assistant that will help in keeping the business side in order, and give you more time to work on your craft.
Yes, the Kaos will be annoying at first, but once you get the hang of using artificial intelligence to your advantage you will see that it's all worth the extra time you put into learning the new technology.
To That End
Use Your Creative Process as a Metaphor:
I actually left this statement pretty much as is generated from Ai and is quite true. In jewelry-making, or whatever creative outlet that you start, starts with disparate elements and you transform them into something beautiful and valuable. This actually mirrors the way small business owners must combine different skills, resources, and ideas to complete the whole picture.
Although you many not currently envision your creativity this way, as it probably just comes naturally, having that creative mindset actually helps you see connections, solve problems while you're creating and then continue to be innovative; and you will use the exact same skills to MOoK, make order out of your Kaotic business mindset.
A Few Practical Strategies:
Brainstorming sessions: You may have to have a brainstorming session with yourself, which you probably do anyway when thinking about your next creative masterpiece; just use that process to generate new ideas for new products, services, or marketing campaigns. I created this facebook group for this very reason, to collaborate, ask questions and receive valuable feedback https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBeadStylist
Embracing experimentation: What if the process only works for my creative endeavors and fails to translate to the business side? Well, there is a lesson in that failure, which is basically, you need to try another approach; and remember failure is not really a bad thing we need failure to continue to reach for successes.
Time management for creatives: This aspect is most challenging for creatives because even though I'm not on your level of creativity I know that once I get into a certain rhythm of working on businesses I want no interruptions-I'm in a zone; but still I must find that time to handle the more mundane daily tasks.
Honestly, the more familiar I become with this Ai stuff the more I see how important it is for me to keep setting aside the time to master, or at least get really, really good at this amazing technology; so much so that Ai will work for me just like a physical personal assistant would. I must admit it is exciting!
My Personal Journey:
Please read the article Color Kaos on the main page as you will get a glimpse into some of the Kaotic challenges I've faced with my business; and although I could go on and on, I really look forward to people joining my Facebook group The Bead Stylist which I started to harness many a discussion, interest, questions and answers in one place. We have enough Kaos in our lives without having to search high and low for answers to our necessary questions. Tell your story. Share your struggles you've faced as a small business owner and how creativity has helped you overcome them.
I just want to keep it simple when notifying, updating, and sharing information; but there will be links to other social media platforms if you want to follow instead of Facebook.
Of course it will take some time for the content to build up, but please keep checking back and having a share.
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