Hi Reader,
I’ve had two conversations recently that started in slightly different places but led me to the same question.
One was with a client. The other was with a business owner thinking through what she might do next.
In both cases, there were plenty of possibilities. New things they could try. New directions they could explore. More they could add.
But they also already had quite a bit.
So before we started talking about what else they could do, I wanted to know more about what was already there.
What had they already created? What were they already doing? What had worked? What had been started but never fully used? What might simply be worth revisiting?
Because sometimes the next thing your business needs isn’t something new.
It’s another look at something old.
The Weekly Edge
Looking at what you already have sounds simple. But I think it’s harder than it looks.
When you’re busy working in your business, you’re focused on what needs your attention right now. Clients. Emails. Projects. Follow-up. Marketing. Whatever happens to be yelling the loudest that day.
Working on the business requires you to pull back far enough to see how all those pieces fit together.
And part of that is looking at what you’ve already built.
I’ve been doing some of that myself lately.
A while back, I spoke at an event where I asked attendees to write their current business challenges on Post-it notes. I came home with a pile of real questions and frustrations directly from business owners.
Those Post-its could easily have stayed in that pile while I sat down later wondering what to write about. Instead, I recently gathered them into one document so I can actually use what people already told me.
I’ve also been finding old presentations and training materials I’d practically forgotten I created. There are ideas in there I can update, reuse, expand, or look at differently now.
None of that requires starting over.
And yet starting over can be strangely appealing.
There’s always another app, tool, training, platform, or strategy to try. New can give us a little burst of energy when what we’re already doing feels routine.
Looking at what already exists requires something different. We have to evaluate it.
Is it working? Is it still relevant? Did I give it enough time? Could it work better with a few changes? Did I create something valuable and then barely use it?
Those questions aren’t as exciting as chasing the shiny new thing. Sometimes they aren’t particularly comfortable either.
I just got back from 10 days visiting family in Canada. And yes, I brought work with me “just in case,” because apparently that’s who I am.
But getting away from the normal day-to-day also gave me some distance. Since getting home, I’ve found myself asking not just, “What do I need to do next?”
But also, “What do I already have?”
That question can be a pretty good place to start.
One Small Move
Before you create, buy, sign up for, or add something new this week, spend 15 minutes taking inventory.
Pick one area of your business: your content, client experience, marketing, systems, offers, training materials, or even that folder full of things you were definitely going to come back to someday.
Then ask:
What do I already have here that I could reuse, improve, finish, or put back to work?
You don’t need to overhaul anything.
Just find one thing worth another look.
What I’m Paying Attention To
I started reading Leveling Up by Ryan Leak before vacation and picked it back up when I got home. I'm still in Chapter 1, and he's already given me something to think about.
He’s talking about how we define success and how easily that definition can come from somewhere outside of us. Every industry has its own measures of success, and we can get very good at pursuing the ones we’ve been handed without stopping to ask whether they’re actually ours.
He also talks about getting specific about what your own “touchdown” looks like. If you haven’t clearly defined the win, how will you recognize it when you get there? And when do you stop long enough to celebrate it?
That feels especially relevant to me this week.
Because if you haven’t decided what progress and success look like for your business, it’s awfully easy to keep looking for the next thing you’re supposed to add, achieve, buy, build, or become.
So before asking what’s next, it may be worth asking:
Did I already get somewhere I wanted to go?
Give yourself a little space to look at what’s already there before deciding what comes next.
Moving forward often starts with looking back.
If you do your 15-minute inventory this week, hit reply and tell me what you find. I’d love to hear what was sitting there waiting for you.
Have a great week,
Lucy
P.S. If you uncover something you completely forgot you created, you’re in good company. Apparently past Lucy was busier than present Lucy remembers. 😂
