330: Balancing Creativity with Business Growth

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Thrive Podcast, where we believe creators deserve more, more money, more freedom, and even more love for what they do. I'm Brie Pair, your coach for content creators, and I know the struggle. The long hours, the endless ideas, the feeling that success is just out of reach, but here's the truth.

[00:00:24] You've got what it takes. And this podcast, it's your shortcut to getting there from strategies that actually work to behind the scenes insights. We're unlocking your potential one episode at a time. So if you're ready to turn your creative hustle into a thriving business, let's get started.

[00:00:45] Hi friends. Welcome back to another episode. This conversation that I'm going to have with you today is all about balancing creativity with business growth. And I personally often feel like I'm torn two different ways in my business, especially towards the end of 2024. I was really feeling this and really struggling and knew that I had to figure something else out.

[00:01:14] I constantly felt like my business had Two large buckets that were both vying for my attention and that when I was focusing on one, I was neglecting the other and vice versa. And it was really starting to drain me and I wasn't able to just lean in and focus on one of the buckets without feeling guilty about not doing one of the other things or not feeling like I should be, Oh, I really need to be doing this.

[00:01:45] Do you ever feel that way? Like there's just so many things vying for your attention that when you're like, no, I really do. This is important work. This is important for me to create this reel and connect with my audience. That's how I'm going to make money. But then there's these other things that are like, yeah, well, you've neglected me and I need your attention as well in order for us to grow and make money.

[00:02:09] And then it gets really stressful and overwhelming. So I had this like, moment. That I'm like, I've got to figure out what is happening in my brain and why I am putting this like guilt on myself or this like frustration and this extra pressure when multiple things can be important, but me not being able to just focus in and enjoy the work.

[00:02:38] Was what was becoming a problem. Everything I was doing, I have felt like I need to do it as fast as possible because I need to go and do this other thing. And so I wasn't enjoying the process. I was rushing it. And I knew that that was leading to it just not landing as well with my audience. And It's of course very subtle because it's not like I was putting out bad content, but it's like I talk with you guys, you know, your audience can tell there's, there's just subliminal messaging that happens and they can just kind of tell.

[00:03:14] And so I, I just kind of hit a point where I'm like, I'm, I'm tired of this. I'm tired of feeling like I am having to rush every single part. Of my business, every single task that I am doing, like I have to do that task as fast as possible and not enjoy it. And that's not why I built this business. That's not why I am growing this business.

[00:03:41] I'm growing this because I want to do the things that I love. I'm growing this because I want freedom, both financially and with my time. And that includes being able to do things that bring me joy and not feeling like I would in a corporate setting where I was just waiting for time to pass or trying to get things off my plate.

[00:04:09] That's not why I started this business. So if you have felt that way, or if you're feeling that way currently, then we're going to just dive into it today. One of the things that helped me shift here, and let me tell you first, like, the two different things that I kind of identified, I'm like, okay, why am I feeling almost like I'm being torn in two different directions?

[00:04:33] So I had, I kind of figured out, okay, I have almost like two buckets for my work. I have my creative work, and then I have what I call like my CEO work. So to me, that creative work is like creating content for the podcast, writing blog posts, writing email, connecting with my audience, coming up with creative solutions for Anybody inside of Shift or BoldFluence coming up with new strategies and things that are going to help my audience.

[00:05:09] That is like my fun, creative work. And then the CEO work was like, sometimes it was like the implementation, sometimes it was like those menial day to day tasks that I have to do, building systems, responding to emails, different things that if I wasn't putting so much pressure in like a time aspect, shouldn't completely drain me.

[00:05:33] So that's how I kind of figured out. I'm like, okay, I really have two different buckets that are like vying for my attention. Neither of them is bad, but for some reason when I'm doing one of the buckets, the other bucket is making me feel guilty. Very strange. So what I am trying to shift into is looking at This my business like a cup of water and what I'm wanting to do is I'm going to fill up that glass with Creative work and the excess water is going to overflow into my CEO work Making them more seamless Because I was really separating the two, which doesn't make sense because they're all intertwined and all interconnected and for some reason I was like, this is bad versus this is good type of situation in my head.

[00:06:29] And so I'm trying to teach my brain, okay, no, like, spend the time being creative. Let yourself have more time doing this. Don't rush the process. And by doing that, it is going to fuel my creative energy and it is going to Overflow into everything else that I have to do. The other thing that I'm trying to do is to step back to improve my systems and automations, because we can just go, go, go, go, go constantly, right.

[00:07:03] And go as fast as we can and run, run, run, run, run, and try to get all the things done. And sometimes there are little systems and automations that we need to just tweak or step back and look at. From an outside perspective without being in that go, go, go mode that are actually going to make a huge difference in our workflow, in our energy, in the content we're creating across the board.

[00:07:28] So how do we apply this to you? That's where I'm at and that's what I am really honing in on this year. So I want you to look at like, okay, you have your creative work. You're filming content, you're writing, maybe it's blog posts, emails, you're ideating and coming up with plans for your content, designing graphics, anything that is fun and creative and connects you with your audience.

[00:07:56] That's your creative work, right? And then you have your CEO work. So maybe yes, that is things like accounting and taxes, but it's also things like systems organization. Maybe it's, you know, a little bit of admin things, or maybe it's just things that don't necessarily feel creative, right? It's more so, um, I don't know, admin tasks, I guess, right?

[00:08:23] Like just, there's not a lot of creativity that goes to them. They're a little bit more repetitive. So what we want to do first is make a little mindset adjustment. How can we look at things that are maybe less creative or less fun and look at them after we have made sure to fill our creative. Cup. So for example, if you hate doing accounting or looking at data, what I'm looking at and just kind of stepping back and realizing for myself, I'm like, you know, if I looked at these tasks that I'm doing right now, that maybe I don't love, but five years ago.

[00:09:09] If I would have been able to tell myself, hey, you're going to be doing this type of thing, I would have been ecstatic. I would have been my dream to have that responsibility on my plate. Right? If you don't like doing research for keywords, another way to look at it would be Hey, my audience is telling me what they want.

[00:09:35] Now I get to go look at keywords to make sure it's going to reach them. So what are little mindset shifts that you can make when it comes to those things that you're like, this is just not fun. Because what I always go back to is like, man, if you had told me two, five, 10 years ago that I would be doing those tasks.

[00:09:57] No, they might not be the most fun. But. You're reaching how many people? You're making how much money? You're having how much impact and growing this business? Oh my goodness. I would have cried with relief if you, if I could go back five years from now and show myself where I am today. In February 2025, I literally would have cried with relief and just been so excited.

[00:10:27] So, sometimes it is just a little bit of a mindset adjustment. Overwhelmed with your content biz? Tired of doing everything yourself and still not seeing consistent income? Friend, it's time to shift shift is my high touch coaching program for bloggers and content creators ready to grow strategically, make more money, and finally find freedom in their business with weekly expert reviews, personalized feedback, and a community of driven creators.

[00:10:57] Shift gives you the support and tools you need to thrive. And it's a whole lot of fun inside, ready to take your business to the next level. Now, we're going to get into the balancing and everything, but what I want to say first before we talk about that is sometimes some things do need to be outsourced.

[00:11:25] So As I am saying all of this, I do want you to know that everything I'm talking about here and everything I'm going to go through with you right now are things that I am doing with every single person that joins SHIFT. It's every single person has something that they need advice and strategy on when it comes to this type of balance, making sure they have systems in place to support their creativity and to support their growth.

[00:11:58] So just know that like. Not every single person has this together automatically all the time. In fact, I would be willing to bet that 90 percent plus of creators out there always have something with this that needs to be tweaked or adjusted or could be made better or a mindset thing that they need to work on.

[00:12:24] So I just felt like that was really important. Like, me sharing this as my own story and this is something that I am currently working on. It's not something that is a unique to you listening situation. And I think there's something powerful about that. That it's, it's good to know that like, sometimes it's just really nice to know that like, oh yeah, I'm not the only one that is dealing with that.

[00:12:51] I'm not the only one trying to figure this piece out. Just felt like I needed to say that. Okay, so going back to, I do think that some things do need to be outsourced. Okay, so if there are admin things that you If you don't love doing or any piece of your business that you don't love doing, that's what I want you to make a list of two of things to outsource, especially if it is something that is not requiring a ton of your own personal strategy or creativity is like a repetitive task.

[00:13:24] You need to spend time in your zone of genius and outsource the rest. You can really just start with 10 hours a month of outsourcing. It doesn't have to be this like, Oh, I have to go hire somebody for 20 hours a week plus in order to be able to get help. No, start with 10 hours a month. So, okay. Now that we have looked at mindset and trying to let creativity flow into our CEO tasks.

[00:13:52] How do we find this balance between the two? The first thing that I want you to do is I want you to list out everything you have to do on a given week and get really granular with it. I want you to find where every minute of your time is going. And I also want you to be ruthless with what is distracting you and unnecessary.

[00:14:15] If it is not worth it right now, I want you to cut it. Oftentimes we just keep going, going, going from task to task to task and aren't stopping to look at like, hold on. Is this actually worth it in my business? Is this giving me a good return on investment? Do I need to be spending time do this, doing this?

[00:14:43] Also, how much time does this actually take me? Sometimes as I'm doing this with girls that join shift and they are writing this information down, they're like, Oh, it only takes me like 10 to 15 minutes to do that task. And then I asked them to time themselves for a week doing all the tasks. And there's often some discrepancies and some, like, bigger things where they're like, Oh, you know what?

[00:15:08] That actually took me far less time than I thought it was. Or, Uh, that one took me way longer than I thought. This happens to me too. I was creating some carousels last week and I'm like, Why is this one taking me an hour? This, this should not be happening this way. So you have to just be really granular with looking at where every minute of time is going and then really evaluating, is this something I need to be spending time on?

[00:15:40] Now that you have that list, I want you to create a schedule. What do you focus on on any given day? Do you have time blocks? Look at, do you have more creativity in the morning or afternoon? If so, are you spending time being creative during that time? Or are you trying to force it in another time of the day?

[00:16:04] Do you need to just create five to ten Buckets. This is something that I love to suggest because there's often, you know, if you can create like, okay, on Mondays, I'm always going to do this on Tuesdays. I'm always going to do this. Typically when I tell people do that, sometimes it resonates with people and they're like, yes, that makes sense.

[00:16:26] I love it. It works for my brain. It's awesome. Other times. Um, it's a little bit more challenging because, you know, for me personally, it's like, okay, I'm going to attempt to do that type of task on Mondays every single time. Sometimes my brain just sits there and literally cannot do that task. So I need to be able to pivot to something else.

[00:16:50] So in order to address that, what you could do is, okay, let's, let's keep it simple, right? Let's say five days a week, five different types of tasks. Okay. And then what you can do is have that list. And then when Monday comes, you pick one of those things to focus on for that day. You're like, I'm feeling really good and really solid about this.

[00:17:11] So I'm going to focus on that Tuesday. You pick another thing from the bucket until you get through. All five days and all five tasks. The thing there is like, don't duplicate a day, right? If you want to split it up even more, I was just coaching Liz inside of shift and she wanted to be able to focus from eight to 10 every single day on writing blog posts.

[00:17:35] And then later in the afternoon, she would pick from one of those buckets, which is great. So you can utilize this however you need to. If you need to create more buckets, maybe you have 10 buckets and each day you choose from two. The. Thing that you want to just do is give yourself flexibility, but ensuring that everything gets done and not grabbing from the same item every single time.

[00:18:02] Because what you will find is that there are probably tasks that you keep pushing off, keep pushing off, keep pushing off. Liz was like, why haven't I written a blog post? I keep saying how important that is to me and how I want to focus on that. And yet. I haven't done it in a year. Why am I pushing this off?

[00:18:22] We have other people that are like, I really want to grow my email list, but when it comes down to it, that is something that gets pushed off and pushed off and pushed off and it's doesn't become a priority and so it doesn't get done. So that is why a schedule and having time blocks, having a focus is really going to help you not only with business growth, but also balancing that creativity.

[00:18:48] and growth together. Because if we only focus on creativity, creativity, creativity, creativity, we could be focusing on tasks that are, yes, growing, but we have other things that are just like crumbling, stagnant, falling apart, and not actually helping us with long term growth. Vice versa, if we only spend time on admin tasks, but then we are forcing creativity into these small pockets of time.

[00:19:19] And trying to rush through them, it's not going to land as well with our audience. That's why, you know, they say balance is a myth, but I really do believe when it comes to business and when it comes to figuring out where you're spending your time with creativity and with your business growth and those CEO tasks, there is a balance to be found.

[00:19:41] That also doesn't mean that it has to be a 50 50 split. Balance just means it adds up to a hundred. So if you're spending 70 percent of your time on creativity and 30 percent of your time on business growth, but it works for your business and you're not neglecting anything, awesome. I'm totally cool with that.

[00:20:01] That's also why I always say that this is such a unique and individual process for every single person. That's why I built shift in the way that it is because I wanted to be able to give you guys tailored one on one coaching because every single person is unique. Every business is different. You can grow your business the way that works best for you.

[00:20:29] And that's what we dive into. So it is the same thing that I'm going through here that I go through with everybody in shift and that I want you to do. So as you're doing this, look at what you keep pushing off and adding. Look at it through a lens of does it need to be there, is it important, and if it is important, this just proves even more that eh, Bree is right, I really do need to get some more structure into my week.

[00:21:03] Or is it something that you can outsource? If it doesn't need to be on your personal plate to help with all of this, I made a new guide where you can really audit where your time is going and if it's correlating to money in your business. So let's say your goal is to get to 10 K months, but you're spending 80 percent of your time on tasks that are only going to get you to 5 K.

[00:21:30] You can see there's an imbalance. And sometimes that's really hard to just like figure out on your own. So I made a free guide that is going to help you write all of that down and figure out the math with it of like, okay, let me. actually really analyze things. So that way I can get to those consistent.

[00:21:52] Maybe it's 10k, maybe it's 2k, maybe it's 20k months, wherever you need to be in order to get there. You really have to know where is my money coming from? What percentage breakdown does that look like? That is something when. You join shift that is in the intake form. I want to know, um, all of your income streams and the percentage breakdown that gets to a hundred percent, because then I can help you figure out where's the imbalance or where are things that we can tweak.

[00:22:22] So no matter where you're wanting to get, you have to be able to look at those things and then look at how much time am I spending on each of those tasks? Because if you're spending 40 percent of your time. On a task that is only making you, you know, 10 percent of your total income. That doesn't make sense, right?

[00:22:44] So then we need to make some adjustments. So the guide is called the content creators profit audit. Its goal is to help you find and fix what's holding you back from 10 K months. So you can get that at thrive together dot blog slash 10 K. It's free. I want everybody to get their hands on it because I want you to make.

[00:23:03] 10 K plus months. I would also love to just hear where you are feeling pulled. If you're feeling like creative work is taking over or CEO work, or if you're feeling pulled in different directions in your business, I'd also love to know what is your goal for hitting every single month? What, how, what does that number look like for you?

[00:23:25] So head over to our Facebook group, the thrive. blogging and content creator community and let us know where you're at with finding this balance with creativity and business. That's it for today. I'll see you guys back here soon for a new episode.

[00:23:50] If this episode helped you help us grow, leave a review, share it with a friend and tag us on social media. We can't wait to cheer you on.