In this episode...

Laura Hargrave: Welcome everyone here at Boss It. We would love to hear from you. Join us in our Boss It community by heading over to our website, bossitclub.com, and join our mailing list. As we grow, we will be launching our community of fellow Boss It BFFs, and we want you to be a part of it.

Okay, Sophia Noreen, let's dig into this. I can't wait to tell them all about how we got here.

Sophia Noreen: Welcome to the Boss It Podcast. My name is Sophia Noreen and I took an Etsy startup and launched it in big-box retailers within 12 months. As a creative with an entrepreneurial drive, I left my full-time career in healthcare to find better harmony between career, family, and self-care. We believe you can have it all. Yes, you can launch and run a successful scalable business while maintaining harmony in all aspects of your life. We believe we can learn from each other and draw on many experiences to create the best life possible. During each episode, we will share proven life hacks that will keep you on top and striving every day.

There should be no hesitation. Make a plan. Take action. We are here for you

Sophia Noreen: Hello, everyone. Welcome to another fantastic episode of The Boss It Podcast. My name is Sophia Noreen, and I am going to be your host for today. And today, because we are now heading deeper into 2022, I thought it would be a great time to talk about changes and embracing new challenges. And there's a few reasons why I thought this topic was timely for me, personally, because I've taken a new role in my part-time clinic job. And I've decided to take an interim position as the Executive Director for our clinic. And what that means is, I need to manage my time just a little bit better because that is a full-time job. Managing a team of over 40 people, and also having multiple projects running concurrently.

So that means that I am going to need to be more accountable of my time. And of course, be able to delegate and let people do what they need to do without me interfering. So of course, Also Sophia is running in the background, which is our product-based business. And it has great big things happening for this year. And we're not letting that take any type of sideline or backseat to me doing this new interim position as an Executive Director because we do have a team supporting that business. And so, for me right now, I have a lot of changes happening and perhaps new challenges coming to the surface. So that's why I thought let's talk about this with you guys because I'm sure you can relate. I'm sure you have many things happening in your life that could be presenting new challenges, and change is constant. So we constantly have changed. And when we speak about business, anything in business can be acquainted with change or new challenges.

I feel like as someone who is looking into running their own business, starting their own business, or working in a business at the very moment will always have those challenges surface. Either as challenges, as you execute your business or perhaps you see opportunities that will present themselves as an opportunity to challenge the business, change the business, look for new business growth. And so, as a business owner, being able to manage change and new challenges is an essential skill. It's also very transferable to not only your professional career life, your business life but also to your personal life. Because let's face it, we are facing challenges every single day with our families. Especially if you're a mom or a dad or you're caring for young kids or even young fur babies like your dog or your cat, they're always presenting challenges. And there's change all the time. So I'm going to give you three strategies today on how to set yourself up for success when it comes to embracing challenges, new opportunities, and change. 

So the first tip I have for you is setting the stage for yourself, for your family and for your team when it comes to change. Now, I feel like because change is happening all the time, you should set an expectation with yourself that change is constant. And I'm sure you've heard this before, but let's say it again. Change is constant. So if you embrace that reality and you express it outwardly and you say to your family and your friends and your team, either directly or indirectly, that change is constant, then it makes it a bit easier for them to understand this when things happen that are obvious change agents in your life. For example, when you have a new job or you want to start a new business, or you want to move your house. During the pandemic, on a side note, it feels like everybody wants to move because I think everyone is bored in their house. So everybody wants to just get up and move. So that's another example of a big life change. Something dramatic is happening and you are changing something large. But change is happening all the time in the microcosm of your life. For example, you're going to the grocery store and you may have to change your milk type because the milk you have is not available. Very simple example. Or you may have to change the gas station that you're used to filling up at because your gas station might be closed. 

These are very simple examples. But if you can reframe your mind and say change is constant. I have to have some level of flexibility on how I approach certain things. And have almost another plan in place. For example, you know that if this brand of milk is out, another brand of milk will do just fine. Or if your kids are having trouble adapting to something new and you've built up that rapport with them that change is constant, and also gives you an opportunity to discover new things. Or the change will give you the opportunity to figure out another workaround. And you never know that workaround might be even better. And I'll give you an example. So when it comes to the business, I only had that one credit card. And I was using it all the time. And then I realized that I need a different credit card because this one credit card wouldn't be taken by all vendors. So I got a second credit card. Now, the benefit of having two now is that the credit score is going up for the business. So naturally, if I need to ask for a loan from a bank or if there is some other reason I need to get another credit card, it would be easier for me to actually achieve that credit card or that loan.

So again, sometimes when there are challenges, very simple challenges in business or life, you are actually being presented with opportunities to discover new things or find different workarounds. And so, by you reframing it to yourself and embracing the change and the challenges and allowing your family to witness your flexibility, and if you're working with the team in your business or in your career, in your professional life, those team members will also see how naturally you're able to accept that change. And when it comes to them having to accept the change, it will be easier for them to take your lead because they see you do it so naturally. So that's a very first tip. You really need to embrace the fact that change is happening all the time. Change and the challenges that are being presented to you are providing you with the opportunity to discover something new and something different. And trust me, it gets easier and easier because you can keep reframing that this is happening for a reason. Let's see what it's all about.

Let's go onto tip number two which is all about predicting that change could be happening. So for example, getting a new job and that there will be a certain level of uncertainty. So how can you balance that with a level of certainty? I've spoken about this in past episodes, but let's review it really quick. There are two needs, certainty, and uncertainty, that you will balance every single day. And you will be able to do more things that are uncertain, for example, taking risks in your business, if you have a certain level of certainty. So for example, I'm pretty certain that my internet will work today. If you have a level, and everybody has a different tolerance level for certainty and uncertainty. Uncertainty can also be looked at as variety. So an example is during this pandemic, especially in Canada where I live, it's been quite a challenge for many people because of the certainty, the lack of variety, during the pandemic because there was not a lot of things opened. We had many shutdowns, and so all entertainment was shut down for a while. The malls were even shut down for a while. And of course, you wouldn't be able to see people. You would only be seeing the people in your home. 

So there was a lot of certainty because in a way you were certain about what was happening every single day. A lack of variety, and so people would go to the internet and look at TikTok to build up that variety or uncertainty. Of course, there's a level of uncertainty with the pandemic. But the variety during your daily life wasn't enough. So you can say uncertainty and variety are interchangeable. But certainty is essentially one element on its own. For this conversation, I'll use uncertainty and certainty because I want to highlight the fact that when you're going through challenges or changes, there's a certain level of uncertainty. To me, starting this new job, there's a level of uncertainty for myself, for my team, and for my family. And so the team could be the clinic team. It could also be Also Sophia's team. This uncertainty level is very high right now because they're like, we don't know how much time she can provide to the business. We know the family's thinking, well, we know she's going to have less time with us compared to what she had done before because I was part-time before. And of course, the team at the clinic is like, well, how is she going to lead us? There's a level of uncertainty. And I always say, it's best to manage that with the level of certainty. So how certain are you of things? And I like to balance that level of uncertainty with certainty so it creates less anxiousness amongst all parties, including myself.

So for example, I am very meticulous with my calendar as many of you know. And if I block off a certain time to complete a task, I'm helping me build up that level of certainty. And if I had not done that, I may be a little bit more anxious throughout my day because I would say, oh my gosh, when am I going to finish all of these things? But because I have gone through my calendar and I've said during this time block, these things are going to get completed. During this time block, is when I'm hanging out with my family and my kids. During this time block is when I'll chat with my girlfriends on the phone. And so, because I have protected that time and I have those boundaries in place, it's helping me elevate my level of certainty.

And although I'm uncertain about certain things in the job, I'm saying certain a lot in that one sentence, but I think you've gotten the point. Because I have a higher level of certainty with my calendar, it allows me to take a little bit of uncertainty when it comes to the job, the new job. So that is one example. And I'll share a second example when it comes to Also Sophia. This year, we are uncertain of how many products will be damaged during shipping. We have a break rate, which means that there's a certain level of products that are mishandled and they break because our products are signs and they're big. And if they're thrown by a delivery person because they ignore the fragile sticker on the box, the sign will break. But this year, we said, you know what, we need to make this packaging a little bit more durable because we know no one is listening to our fragile stickers anymore. And so we put more foam in our packaging. And we are certain that the foam should help. But we're uncertain about the break rate. And we also are uncertain about the volume of sales we're going to have this year because our company keeps growing. And we're also uncertain if our customer service team can handle it because we don't know how much to staff it by if we are not sure of how many break rate calls are we going to get, and we're not sure of how many people will be coming to the website and asking for help. 

So there's a lot of uncertainty because we're scaling and growing the company. And we're having QC measures, which means quality control measures, improve which could reduce the amount of customer service. So a lot of uncertainty there but we are certain with all of our standard operating practices. So what that means is even if the break rate goes up or down, it doesn't matter. The team knows exactly what to do. And they are certain of who to speak to get things done. And so there are many things that are uncertain in business. But if you can balance it with different things like standard operating practices, your level of certainty goes up. And that helps you in times of greater uncertainty, which is change. Well, that just helps you come full circle to the whole theme of this podcast which is, how do you manage change and embrace the challenges? So just to recap on certainty and uncertainty, try to balance out the amount of uncertainty with certainty throughout all different channels of your life. And that should help you when it comes to change and new challenges. Okay, let's go on to the third tip, which is all about predictability and planning a solid roadmap. When you are going through elements of change and embracing these new challenges, you as the visionary and the owner of your own life and of your own business, have to have that vision of where you want to go. You are definitely the architect of your own life. And the architect's responsibility is to build that vision of what you want to actually achieve. And so when a new challenge approaches you, you need to say, what am I going to get out of this challenge? And how can I architecture that new vision that's going to embrace this challenge?

It's almost like you're building a plane as it's taking off. You know it's eventually going to get to the flight, and that's the ultimate goal, but you're not quite sure of perhaps the model of the plane and what it will look like inside. But you know that the goal is to do that objective of flying the plane. So no matter what challenge comes your way, either in business or in life, you need to look at that and say, hey, that's an opportunity for me to build a new vision. And now, it's my responsibility to make that happen. And it can be as simple as planning your kid's birthday party or planning your own birthday party. You have a challenge of, okay, it's my birthday and I would like to make it look a certain way. It's my responsibility to make it happen. No one else is going to be able to create my vision because it's my vision of how I want my birthday party to look. 

I love the birthday party example because who doesn't want to throw themselves a birthday party? And some people find it very challenging to take that first step towards making their vision happen. Sometimes we don't have self-confidence. We don't feel that we're empowered. But in the end, you are the only one who has that vision. And I really do feel like for yourself or for your team or for your family, if you can express your vision and build a nice solid roadmap out of the things that you need to complete. So for example, if we talk about the birthday party example, if you want to have a birthday party in your home, there's a certain number of things that you would do to make that happen. If you're going to have a birthday party at a venue, there's a certain number of things that would need to happen. Now, you don't need to actually formalize a full roadmap for your birthday party, but the point is you have a series of tasks and steps you need to take for that birthday party to come into that form of reality. And it's your responsibility to make it happen. 

So when you're living in this level of uncertainty, a new challenge is presented, there's change happening by you making a solid vision and having that solid predictable roadmap, it will help elevate that certainty and decrease that uncertainty. It will also help push you into momentum and action to embrace the new challenge and opportunity. So I really do feel that the last step is extremely important, especially for people who have a hard time getting into action and momentum. I really do feel that you do need to sit down and think, how do I want this to look? Get pen to paper and make your list of things that you need to accomplish for your vision to actually come true, and how are you going to then embrace that new challenge and make it into that great opportunity.

Okay, let's go from the top. We spoke about how you should embrace change and how you can set the stage for your family, your friends, your team, and for yourself because if you are able to embrace the change, it will be a lot easier for others to also embrace the change and the new challenge. We also spoke about uncertainty and certainty, and how you can manage both by putting different processes in place for your business and for your life. And finally, we spoke about how your challenge can actually be an opportunity and how can you create a new vision around that new opportunity. And of course, having a roadmap or predictable steps will help elevate the level of certainty, which will then drive you into momentum and help you achieve that reality. 

Okay, guys, I hope this episode was helpful. Remember, I would love for you guys to take action on these tips because everybody has challenged every day whether you want to see it or not. In your business or personal life, there will be a challenge presenting itself. So how can you create that into an opportunity? And just to leave you with a fun challenge that I had today, I needed to get the laundry folded. Now, I know everybody has laundry to fold at their home. And instead of me doing it by myself and being like, oh gosh, I have to fold the laundry. I looked at that challenge as an opportunity for me and my husband to spend some time together and say, hey, why don't you join me upstairs so we can fold the laundry together? And I can show you where to put the girl's clothes. I have two young girls at home so of course, they're not putting away their own clothes all the time. But my husband can definitely learn where that clothing goes. So he's not always asking me those questions about where the socks are or where the undershirts are. So I looked at that challenge as an opportunity to spend a little bit of time with him and I'll show him where the clothing is for the girls. 

Again, a very simple example, but something that many of us can relate to. And I want you to try to use these tips, not just in your business life but in your everyday life, because I do feel that a lot of these things are transferable skills. And the more you are able to embrace these skills in your personal life, the easier it will be in your professional and business life.

Okay guys, and if you are loving these episodes, please do me a favor and go ahead and leave a review on Apple iTunes. When you leave a review, it helps us with our ranking. And because we're still a new show, every review really does count. So go ahead and please do leave a review. And of course, share the podcast with your friends. I know that a few of these episodes are extremely valuable, especially for new entrepreneurs or somebody who's thinking about starting their own side hustle or business, I know that these tips are helping you. So why not share the love. And also, let them have the opportunity to learn. Okay, that's all for now. And we will see you guys again next week. Same time, same place. And remember, make a plan and take action. And yes, you can have it all. Bye for now.

Sophia Noreen: Thank you, guys. And remember, make a plan and take action. And yes, you can have it all. We'll talk to you guys again next week. Bye for now. 

So my fellow Bosses, did you enjoy that episode? Now, it's time for you to make a solid plan and take action. But first, remember to subscribe and follow the Boss It Podcast so you receive a notification whenever we drop an episode. Remember to leave us a review on iTunes. Take a screenshot of your review and share it on Instagram as a post or a story, and tag us at Boss It Club. If Instagram is not your thing, no worries. Email your screenshot to [email protected]. As a massive thank you, we will be sending you our top 50 tips for starting and scaling a business. This list is exclusively for podcast reviewers so don't miss out. Now, remember Bosses, make a plan and take action in all aspects of your life. Yes, you can have it all.