You might be making things MUCH harder on yourself than they need to be.

If you’re a blogger, or podcaster or course maker or consultant or indie entrepreneur of any flavor — there’s probably something you’re dealing with right now.

Something that feels really tough.

But I’ve got to warn you: for the past 4 years I’ve watch people make things much harder than they need to be in business.

(Turns out there’s a few pieces that make most hard things a lot easier. We get into that in the podcast down at the bottom.)

Now, it can be really helpful to reset your gauges, so today I want to share 3 things that are TRULY hard about building a successful business these days.

Check out the video:

Note: this post is coming out of a more in depth conversation in the podcast below which is super helpful. I highly recommend listening to that if you resonate with this post and video.

1. Publishing Consistently is hard

it's hard to publish consistently again and again and again and again.

When Corbett Barr started ThinkTraffic about 7 years ago (making him, like, a grandpa in internet age), he committed to a publishing schedule.

He published every single week, same time, same place.

It’s called a “publishing schedule.” And he stuck with it… and now we stick with it still here at Fizzle.

(In case you didn’t know, ThinkTraffic became Fizzle about 3 years ago.)

ThinkTraffic became a very successful blog. Fizzle is STILL a very successful blog and training service for entrepreneurs.

And Corbett and I attribute much of that success simply to setting and keeping a publishing schedule.

It’s easy to come up with ideas.

It’s easy to think about podcasting or blogging.

It’s easy to create a “content strategy.”

But it’s HARD to publish consistently week after week… and it MATTERS.

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“It’s HARD to publish consistently week after week… and it MATTERS. ”
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2. Making valuable content is hard

In an upcoming course — <cough> get on the list to be notified when it comes out!</cough> — Corbett teaches about the two golden rules of blogging.

This is the second.

It’s not enough to publish consistently (even though that’s crazy important!).

You also have to work to hone and craft and target your content better and better to your audience.

Making more useful things, more valuable stuff, more delightful gifts for them… better and better and better over time.

It’s easy to blindly publish whatever you want. It’s easy to come up with an uninspired strategy for what to post.

But it’s HARD to make content your audience continues to find valuable, helpful and useful…

It’s hard to care more about your audience than others and see things other publishers miss.

It’s DIFFICULT and it MATTERS.

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“It’s HARD to make content your audience continues to find useful… but it MATTERS”
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3. Being open to critical feedback is hard

This one’s hard for ALL of us… especially when we’re starting out.

It’s really hard to be open to critical feedback about our business. We’d rather close ourselves off to the world and protect ourselves… because it’s damn scary.

It takes a certain amount of delusion to become an entrepreneur. You’ve got to be delusional enough to believe in yourself.

All the other voices in the world (and some in your own head) tell you that’s dumb. You won’t make it. The chances are slim to none that you’ll be successful.

But some of us are bull-headed and delusional enough to plug our ears and try it anyways.

Have I told you recently how much I love you crazy people? I do. I love your craziness, your delusion.

BUT we can’t stay too long in that delusion — we can’t go too long without opening our ears to feedback.

Because feedback from your audience, from your potential customers, is ESSENTIAL because they will tell you when you’re really on to something.

It’s EASY to close ourselves off and protect ourselves from feedback. But it’s not the right path if you want your business to work.

It’s HARD to open yourself to criticism and receive the truth… and it MATTERS.

(PS. the part in the podcast about this is awesome; we get real fired up.)

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“It’s HARD to open yourself to honest criticism about your business… and it MATTERS.”
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The RIGHT hard things

There are tons of possible things for you to take seriously.

I want you to focus on the RIGHT things. Some of them are hard but worth it.

In this post I talked you through three hard things that matter because it’s important you learn to make these distinctions.

I hope they’re helpful.

Collectively, we at Fizzle have a lot of experience on these things and can help you find a wiser mindset. Listen to the podcast episode below to get more insights like these.

If you’re sick of learning onesie-twosie around the web and not making progress, check out the roadmap we made to guide you.

More of what matters (the podcast)

On The Fizzle Show, every week we publish conversations about the art and science of supporting yourself doing something you care about.

On this episode you’ll find several more things that we think MATTER in small business… things too many new entrepreneurs don’t focus on.

Thanks for reading, watching and listening! Enjoy.

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“3 Hard Things That TRULY Matter to Your Business”
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Learn how to set goals that actually stick!

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The Top 10 Mistakes in Online Business

Every week we talk with entrepreneurs. We talk about what’s working and what isn’t. We talk about successes and failures. We spend time with complete newbies, seasoned veterans, and everything in between.

One topic that comes up over and over again with both groups is mistakes made in starting businesses. Newbies love to learn about mistakes so they can avoid them. Veterans love to talk about what they wish they had known when starting out.

These conversations have been fascinating, so we compiled a list of the 10 mistakes we hear most often into a nifty lil' guide. Get the 10 Most Common Mistakes in Starting an Online Business here »