Getting to what matters--do I have to do A before B?

Things are getting interesting here in my world.

 

For the past eleven years, I’ve pretty much played exclusively within the auspices of my company, AssistU. It’s been, and remains, such a joy to me, and I look forward to all of what we (my staff and I) still have to accomplish there.

 

But this year, I’ve become certain that it’s time for me to step out into my own light. I don’t know the best way to frame it—every way I do it seems to lead me to sound like I’m leaving AssistU behind—and nothing could be further from the truth. It’s just that I know that what I have to offer is needed by more people than just those in the AU community.

 

That's when Dawn said, "It's time for stacybrice.com." Ummm... ok. She's right. I know she's right. That's just not how I'd originally seen things, dontchaknow.

 

My initial offerings are clear—coaching, and retreats that help women figure out, and then get on with, what’s next for them (there are so very many women in transition—mothers facing empty nests, people downsized from their workplaces, boomers having to retire but not ready to “quit,” just to name a few).

 

What became immediately unclear was how to capture myself--as a site, and more, as a logo. Intuitively, I know the logo has to come first, because, for me, it will then inform everything about the site. So I've gone off for a first round of logo designs, and had a devil of a time explaining myself. And that’s funny to me because I know myself very well, and it would seem it should be easy to express to designers who I am in a way that they could then give me something terrific. But the first round hasn’t been so, and that’s a tad disheartening.

 

Also, as part of knowing myself, I know that the more options I look at, the more dulled my ability will be to choose well. It’s kind of like tasting that 25^th wine, or smelling that 30^th perfume. It’s just all a bit too much.

 

I’m reminded of when I worked in a big-name (no longer in business) retail department store in the china, crystal, and silver department. We were all cross-trained to also handle the bridal registry, in case the bridal consultant wasn’t available. She taught us to never let a bride look at more than three patterns of anything (china, crystal, or silver) because adding more choices just muddied everything.

That’s where I am. It’s muddied. What I want is to see the perfect logo and have the experience of exclaiming, “That’s IT!”

 

I’m impatient about it. I want to move forward. I want to announce my new coaching programs, and the next “What’s Next” retreat. I’m excited, but feel like I can’t get there (to the announcing) until this logo thing is resolved.

 

Maybe I’m running a racket on myself. Saying I can’t do B till I do A. Maybe I can do it differently, and then, when the logo thing is resolved, add it all on to the new stacybrice.com site (don't bother looking, btw, there's nothing there yet!).

 

This is when it would be just lovely to have someone sweep in, create something without asking me any questions, and just take the decision-making out of my hands. Perhaps good enough is good enough??

Comments

[Paula Verbit]

Stacy, I hear you! I just went through the process myself of finding an artist who could give me a logo that would work for me. If you are past the third set of china, I would step back and give it a rest. When you do that, your subconscious will take over and the right answer/artist/logo will appear. It's hard to dry your hair when you are still walking in the rain. I would write a list of the all adjectives that describe you best and a list of all your talents. Then put the lists away and go for a walk or out into nature. Your logo will find you. Wishing you joy, Paula Verbit, Believe and Achieve Coaching (BTW -- My website is under construction, but you can see my logo on my "placeholder" at www.believeandachievecoaching.com).

[Dawn Goldberg]

Good enough *is* good enough. Your business should be evolving anyway (as you are), and what works today might not work tomorrow. So go with something that works - good enough - and get your stuff out to the world.

At a marketing seminar, the presenter said the following: "The number one mistake most small business leaders make is that they invest too much time in making their thing better than in marketing their thing."