I was Ready but Too Late
Do you know what a hairstylist, a facialist, and a tattoo artist all have in common with your business?
This isn’t a riddle or brain teaser, it’s a fact that I discovered whenever I was looking for someone to support me or my business: By the time that I was “ready” to book an appointment or work with them, it was too late.
Let me explain… and I’m sure you might see some similarities in your day to day.
When I moved back to Seattle after living in New York and California for 17 years, it felt good to be back home again, be near family and old friends, and as I settled in, I realized I needed to find my new “regulars”.
A new hair stylist, a new facialist and a new tattoo artist to maintain my face tattoo (😂 aka my eyebrows!)
As someone “new” in town, it was a challenge to find these people.
I asked my friends and old contacts…
I searched Google reviews and Yelp
I scoured local hashtags on the ‘Gram for even more possible options…
With each new referral and options, I dug deep into researching, reading reviews, checking out pictures of their work, checking their service offerings, locations and pricing…
And then I waited.
I put the top hairstylist, facialist, and tattoo artist on a mental list tucked away without taking any action because I wasn’t ready to book an appointment… yet.
In the back of my mind, I wondered if they were the right fit for me.
If they would do a good job.
Or if someone better would pop on my radar.
So I waited some more… (Any of this feel familiar?? 😉)
And while I waited for the perfect people to fall into my lap, every time I passed a mirror, I thought, “I REALLLLLLLY need a haircut/facial/my eyebrows touched up.”
This went on for a few months where I wasn’t happy with how I looked and I wanted to do something about it, but I couldn’t pull the trigger and book an appointment because…
🤔 What if they did a bad job on my hair?
🤔 What if my facial wasn’t any good?
🤔 What if my eyebrows didn’t turn out how I wanted?
I was so stuck in the what-if’s that I was paralyzed in inaction.
Finally, I booked a trip to Asia and I knew I did NOT want to go feeling self-conscious about hair, skin and eyebrows.
I was ready.
I HAD TO book appointments. At this point, I couldn’t wait any longer so I pulled the booking pages… and I was totally disappointed.
The hairstylist that I wanted to do my hair and color, but wasn’t ready to book months earlier… was moving to another state and was completely booked through the last weeks in Seattle.
The facialist I wanted to work with, was booked out months in advance and their next availability wasn’t until the day AFTER I left for my trip.
The tattoo artist I wanted to do my eyebrows had significantly increased their price by $500.
I felt stuck and back at square 1 and a little bit annoyed because I KNEW i wanted to hire them, but I didn’t take action and missed by chance.
I needed to start my research all over again and this time, I didn’t have time to wait.
When I found another hairstylist with a portfolio, pricing and availability that was a match – I booked them.
When I found another facialist with services, pricing and availability that was a match – I booked them.
And I went ahead and booked a session with the tattoo artist I originally wanted and resigned myself to paying more for the certainty that they were the best fit.
I got my haircut and colored, I got my face and eyebrows done…
My haircut was good (WAY better than what I’d started with).
My facial was good (WAY better than what I started with).
My eyebrows were GREAT (and my tattoo artist is someone that I still see today).
And I learned an important lesson that has also applied to my business in so many situations: I let uncertainty paralyze me and I paid the price for it. 💢
I didn’t get to work with people that I felt sure about or I had to pay more than I originally planned to.
How many times have you encountered this scenario in your business?
When you reach out, ask for referrals, research AND KNOW that you want to work with someone, but you don’t feel ready, only to find that when you are ready…
💢 Prices have gone up.
💢 Services and packages were no longer offered.
💢 There’s no availability.
This has happened to me a few times in my personal life AND in my business when a coach, a consultant, a strategist or VA was no longer available when I was ready.
I’m not saying be impulsive or reckless, but when you find an option that you like and seems like a good fit for what you need, at the very least, book the first session to start the conversation.
Because I’m willing to bet that some of you are more ready than you think to hire a VA or build your team, invest in a coach, consultant, or other service provider to take your business to the next level.
And it’s the fear that it won’t work that is really holding you back.
Let me tell you, it was SCARIER to book resources when I didn’t have the time for the extensive research and felt desperate to lock in an appointment.
Feeling fear that something might not work out can hold you to make you options made me miss out on options and opportunities that you know you want and need.
The same way I missed out on the hairstylist, facialist, VA, brand strategist, coaches and other resources because while I was working through my fears, they weren’t waiting for me and I missed out.
Now I operate knowing that I can change who I work with, my hair will grow out, and if I want access to the best options, the best opportunities and the best availability, I have to make a move.
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