The new economy of scale these days is leaning towards entrepreneurial and freelancing as it is a great way to embrace the requirement of working from home. Accountability groups can help.
After a few years of building your self-employed career, you know how easy it can be to get bogged down with all the hats we have to wear. Knowing that there is still so much that you don’t know. There are many days where the real motivator is simply your bank account and paying your bills. This type of focus will quickly add up to feeling like a hamster in the wheel, running constantly and getting nowhere.
You want to run a business that is committed to doing better because you understand the pitfalls of sitting in a stagnant pool of “that is the way things are done” mindset. The challenge is greatest when you find you are sitting alone in your office, talking to yourself and expecting to get new and insightful answers from the silent walls around you.
This is when expanding your bubble to include others who are in the same boat as you are where an accountability group can be the answer.
The Path to Growth Starts with Focus
Benefits of an accountability group can include:
- Be respected and understood. When you are part of an accountability group of self-employed professionals, they actually understand your entrepreneurial drive and the challenges associated with it. Let’s be honest, when you start talking about your day, your loved one’s eyes will gloss over.s. Those that work in 9-5 jobs don’t really understand what life is like when you wear all the hats.
- Learn from others’ mistakes and build off of their successes/processes. Discussing how others do work and handle their business is a great reason to join. Skip some pitfalls, or at least be warned of potential hazards when you pursue a risky business strategy.
- Win or lose, a cheer squad that inspires you to start again. You started your venture on your own for a reason. You chose to be your own boss and avoid the “do what I say” rhetoric. Or you were let go and thought you would make a go of this freelance life. You want to own your wins as well as learn from your losses without the worry of another’s expectations. Accountability groups are a safe space to talk out frustrations and come away feeling lighter and reinvigorated to get back on the field.
- A sounding board. Gone are the days of the water cooler meetups, so accountability groups provide that chance to chat up peers. Sharing ideas with like-minded people. Also having an online community where you can reach out and have multiple answers is a bonus.
- Potential collaboration opportunities. Not every creative business is the same. Each has its own skill sets and niches they cater to. So when you find a prospect who has needs that exceed what you offer, you have a list of contacts eager to put into the game when you need them.
- Build lasting relationships. Spending time in conversation with others creates opportunities to really get to know others and you find everyone invests themselves in each other’s successes.
- Stop letting the details fall through the cracks. Knowing that there is someone who is keeping score, will help you to drop the ball less. It can really help to move forward when you know there is someone else out there who cares that you do what you commit to.
- Getting inspiration from fellow creatives. No one creates the same, and getting to learn from others how they work can help inspire you to look at your work in a new light.
So do a few of these benefits resonate with you? Sound so good that you want to join now? Check out all that the Creatives Roundtable can provide you and look forward to meeting up at the virtual watercooler. Registration is ongoing from November 15 to December 15, 2020.
It’s much easier taking the journey with others – accountability groups connect you with those who understand exactly what you’re going through. Sign up today.
Written by: Crystal Reynolds