How to Know When It's Time To Pivot (P.S. I did!)

Math has never been my strong suit, but the #ParetoPrinciple is a constant “temperature check” I use to grow my business. Well, it used to be.
 

In short: It shows me where to focus. But also shows me when to pivot. #knowyournumbers
 The Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few, or the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

 While I love creating, developing, innovating and overall making shi(f)t happen, it was the core focus I initially set forth when I created Aspire Business. I love it so much that I got caught up doing it in my own business, here, with aspire business. I’d literally spend days taking abstract ideas and creating tangible strategy.

 Create. Sell. Repeat.

 One thing after another, sales pages you’ve never even seen buried deep in my site, like the strategic planning (free) resource or strategic planning intensive for example -- which is actually a current service!

 I was happily operating in my zone of genius, creating to my heart's content, but deep down I knew I was only scratching the surface of the impact I can make. I was doing the most (and loving it)....but to be real, I wasn’t really running a business. I was running an expensive hobby, because it was easy.

 It was easier to do all the things in the name of “booked & busy”. From content creation, program development, website design (read: redesigning my website) etc — I was working, loving it, but still unfulfilled. It was harder to take the time out to narrow my focus, and work with fewer clients at a time, but have a larger impact.

“It was easier to do all the things in the name of “booked & busy” than to narrow my focus, and have a larger impact.

One day, one meeting changed everything.

 The day before Thanksgiving 2018, a client inquiry showed me it was finally time to stop wasting time and make my pivot once and for all. I left our meeting energized and excited in a way I hadn’t been in Aspire Business in a long time, honestly, for the better part of a year.

 When I looked back over my numbers, they revealed the same thing: the 20% yielding the greatest return (80%) wasn’t quite aligned with the current direction Aspire Business.

 That night, I spent 6hrs creating what had been sitting on my heart for over a year. Quite a few clients deep at this point, but still a new (to you) brand -- I introduce: The Asha Code.
 

My decision to pivot was the result of three key factors:
 

KNOWING MY NUMBERS
 Aka the Pareto Principle. From a monetary (and personal) standpoint, 80% of my money and interest was coming from a smaller niche of Aspire Business. It made no sense logically or fiscally to keep dividing my focus for the sake of maintaining the current direction of my business. This was beyond the need fr a rebrand. The audience, services etc. overlap — between the two aren’t identical. Rather than cause confusion, I knew I needed a clean slate.
 

KNOWING MY IMPACT
 While I have a complete heart for mindset, my strategy and development expertise are what people are always after. Mindset is embedded in all that I do, and it’s the center from which I work — it enhances my impact, but it doesn’t define it. My pivot allows me to lead with my impact first.
 Focusing on my impact and expertise allows me to work from a place of flow. Referrals and clients are already showing up at my point of impact, and pivoting gives me the space to legitimize and formalize the process.
 

KNOWING MY END GOAL
 The way I desire to work with clients and carry out my impact took a major turn. I talk about here in Voice & Vibes 03, but in short, somewhere along the way there was “mission creep”. Technically speaking, that means - a gradual shift in objectives, often resulting in an unplanned long-term commitment.

 In Ashley speak, I was doing some shit I didn’t really want to do because it made sense based on what was going on around me — and I wasn’t even aware of the drift. When I sat and assessed where I was vs. the other factors, I knew I only had one choice — and that was to pivot.
 With that being said….
 

Aspire Business will still be here to support the mindset + business development of creatives and entrepreneurs. I will still be around to help break limiting beliefs, and gain clarity in your business. Some programs will remain, however some will transform and take up shop in their new home.
 

When you are ready, I’ll be waiting for you over at The Asha Code; where I (and my dope team) are ready to transform your ideas into tangible brands with power and presence.