Full disclosure, this has been tougher than I anticipated.
Did I expect it to be difficult? Yes, I did.
Did I figure it’d be THIS difficult, not a chance.
But has it been worth it? ABSOLUTELY!
The most difficult part has been putting myself in front of a live studio. Writing blogs for the website is a good example of this. I’ve never been a person who has been particularly good at sharing my personal story. I have had to do just that throughout this journey. At times, it makes me feel vulnerable, small, and very alone. You’d think that sharing would make me feel less alone, but it has the opposite effect. Rather, I feel alone sharing some of my most personal endeavors.
That brings me to authenticity. Being authentic is not difficult. Staying authentic, is. It’s exhausting trying to share valuable content while staying authentic. It would be so much easier to pretend to think or feel certain things that are popular or mainstream. But in order to create something new, real and substantial, you have to become comfortable with sharing opinions that are not always popular. In order to stay relevant, you must push your own envelope. You must be willing to share a piece of information that you find important and not be fearful of people “liking” it.
The meandering has been another tricky part. With every idea, every thought, every situation, I’ve had to learn to flex. Allow the winding road to create its own path. Along the way, many obstacles have presented themselves and I’ve had to learn not to panic, but rather to bend and allow for a new, and hopefully better resolve.
There has been a tremendous amount of learning as well. It literally feels like my head is exploding with new information each night when I go to bed. I’m hoping the amount of new information entering my brain will decrease as the time wears on, but perhaps that’s the very thing that keeps a business on its toes. It intimidates me, but that doesn’t stop me from making the attempt to conquer it.
After I signed papers for the clinic space lease, over four months ago, I started having nightly anxiety attacks. I couldn’t sleep. I was running on adrenaline, putting every ounce of energy into building the practice, while still trying to maintain family balance and manage household stability. Once the doors officially opened, it all felt real and worthwhile. Some things got easier and some got harder. But seeing the look of relief on patients' faces reminds me every day why I opened Chiro For Moms.
The feeling I get from helping my patients makes the anxiety, the fear and the moments of loneliness worth it. It’s why I will continue to push through the hard times to learn more and create the best treating space and clinical experience for all of you.
We love to learn from our fellow Minnesota mom and business owner Jenna Kutcher and her business start up tips and resources.
