We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Betsy Grant. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Betsy below.
Betsy, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I learned my curious, hard work ethic from my Dad. While growing up he demonstrated how hard work creates action to get the results you want. His trial-and-error mentality persisted without giving up. I never heard him say, “I can’t do this.” His failures were the motivation to figure it out.
I remember sitting with him on a tree stump with our feet buried in sawdust and the smells of fresh-cut wood surrounding us. Staying physically fit and not relying on others to provide heat for his family was the drive to be out in the woods. He has never been one to take a shortcut or the convenient way to achieve his goals. Like when my first car kept stalling at every stop, he persisted in figuring out the problem. He wasn’t a mechanic but he got his hands on a maintenance book from a local improvement store. He celebrated every fix, making him even more determined to get the car running great.
Watching hard work and figuring things out translated into how I approach my work as an adult. In my first job out of college, I discovered advanced Excel skills are crucial for Accountants. My Excel skills were beginner, at best. My lack of skills embarrassed me, and I knew I had to learn more. The library was my first stop on my lunch break, finding the first Excel book I could get my hands on. Practicing formulas in my free time helped me to match my skills with my colleagues. Just as my Dad demonstrated, I celebrated every win even more determined to learn more and more about the program.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Small business owners are involved with all areas of their business, from Marketing to Accounting and everything in between. That’s where I come in.
For over 20 years I have been building my skills in the business and technology space by enhancing processes and maximizing efficiency. As a Web Developer helping business owners with their online business I offer a fresh and broad perspective to help you save valuable time. I am excited to help you create and manage your website and improve your workflows to make your processes more consistent and efficient.
• Building a new website, improving your current site, or solving your technology roadblocks.
• Streamlining your workflows for a simplified tech stack.
• My mission is to help small business owners save time and work more efficiently.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
• Lifelong Learning – Be curious! Read, take a course or two, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Find others who can guide you and learn from their experiences. • Self-Awareness – Regularly reflect on your journey and how far you have come. Celebrate your wins. Run your business on your own terms and timeline. You compete with yourself. Be aware of your patterns, strengths, and weaknesses. Use resources to continue to develop yourself so you continue to grow as a person and an owner.
• Resilience – Building resilience takes time and practice. When you face a setback use it as a learning opportunity. Running a business can feel lonely at times, there are so many wonderful entrepreneurs who have followed the same path or are not far behind. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice or help.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When feeling overwhelmed it is important to recognize the feeling and take action. It is normal to feel overwhelmed, but being constantly overwhelmed and ignoring it will not make the feeling disappear.
In the first frantic months of launching my business, overwhelm made its appearance. It was a constant feeling of not having enough time in the day, drowning in a to-do list that kept growing by the day. Every corner of the internet seemed to be shouting “must-have” strategies — a fancy website, crafting your email list, to growing a social media list. But, instead of feeling empowered with all of the to-do’s I felt like a hamster on a wheel, frantically spinning but not getting anywhere.
This is where I sat with my feelings. It was not a one-time sitting, but something I had to do over a span of several days. While I believe all of the strategies are important for any business, it does take time to grow. And, it cannot come at the expense of yourself.
Here are some strategies I used to help with the overwhelm…
Take a step back and go back to your goals. Are all of your strategies making an impact or helping you to get closer to your goals? Determine what activity is causing the overwhelm. This may be a little more difficult to recognize which specific activity is the cause. A helpful tool I use is to track your time to identify activities that are stealing more of it than needed.
Here’s how you can conduct an assessment. Keep track of all of the tasks you complete for a day, doing this activity for a few days. Every email, every social media post, every website tweak – document it all. By assessing this information, you can identify what activities are consuming the most time, what might not be necessary, and which tasks are your priorities. Once you’ve documented your tasks, it’s easier to create a plan and decide whether to keep working on them, delegate them, or eliminate them altogether.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://betsylgrant.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betsylgrant/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsylgrant/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/betsylgrant/
