Why I Started Frenzy to Freedom

Get out of the Frenzy and into the Freedom

Getting support for business operations and leadership growth isn’t for the weak. It takes a strong individual to stop doing all the things and listen to the advice of another. Often it takes a challenging life or business issue to push you into that understanding. These are the two biggest factors to the development of my business, Frenzy to Freedom.

Support from Advisors

My first career outside of college was within the tourism industry. It was my passion. Sharing beautiful places through stories and information that not only taught about those places but made people think twice about where they were from and what stories make up that place. We were quite good at it.

Unfortunately, we did not give much thought to business budgeting. Things were just…working!

Luckily, our company met one of the top business coaching firms who taught us that it was okay to “not know what we didn’t know”. We met them right before corporations stopped traveling in 2008.

Did I mention that our business was fully dependent upon corporate travel?

We implemented a cashflow budget and made some BIG changes that let us ride through the recession. We RAISED prices on our most popular offerings right before our season began. This was the result of a calculated effort of testing and measuring. History and understanding of our market gave us that insight.

Leaning on others like our business coaches made us stronger. We learned to outsource certain tasks to professionals with experience beyond our own in finance and marketing. We could have learned it all, but we didn’t have to. They made us stronger and wiser.

Breaking Point

Frenzy might look like too much work on the to-do list or too many ideas and lack of direction on which to focus.

Freedom might be the opportunity to read that next book, start that new business or take more time to be outside or with family.

The second biggest factor in my growth and development of Frenzy to Freedom was burnout. I wanted to get a lot done and at times let my health suffer for it. At one point I had a migraine that lasted four months. I tried doctor after doctor and rotated through some pretty strong meds until I hit my breaking point. The body has a weird way of telling you when enough is enough. Turns out, acupuncture, massage, exercise, better eating habits all took care of the problem. Stress.

I didn’t want to stop working hard. So, I took an approach to work smart. I read books and tested other people’s best practices for time management, planning, and leadership. I found the techniques that worked for me. I created systems and hired people to take my place in one role so I could focus on the next. And I found the principles of running a business that create more profit, better employee engagement, and easier workdays for everyone.

I saw how these tactics worked for me and for other business owners and managers around me.

When I went out on my own, I spent 5 months exploring our amazing country and visiting friends, family and former clients along the way. I had neglected a lot of the friends and family while working hard and took some time to make up for it. If you want to see the “feely” side of me check out www.megzawander.com.

Through it all, I learned that life often gets to a Frenzy. And if left unchecked we never feel the Freedom of success and benefits of our hard work.

A couple of tips to get from the Frenzy to the Freedom:

Try something new. If something isn’t working the way you want it to, try the next idea. What works for someone else may not be your solution.
Continue to learn and grow your knowledge base within your industry, leadership techniques, and soul.
Know what is most important in your business and personal life. Do those things first.
Find people with strengths that differ from your own and lean on them. We have the ability to do all the things. That doesn’t mean we should.
Test & measure something. We get burnt out because we put more importance to putting out fires than we do to keeping them from burning in the first place. Start with one thing. Your time, your lead conversions, how many books you’ve read. Not sure what to test & measure? Go back to number 3!

I loved being the person who could make big strategic decisions with solid data and insight. Now, I get to help other business owners and managers do that every day. And for that I am truly grateful.

Resources

Find a mastermind group or business coach that fits your needs. Bend, my amazing entrepreneurial town has a plethora of resources like mastermind groups, networking groups, business coaches, community colleges, Small Business Development Centers, etc. Your town likely has something similar or just as I do with my clients, find the right coach and Skype or Zoom for your meetings.
Goal setting exercise
Books – Some of my favorites are Measure What Matters by John Doerr, The 10X Rules by Grant Cardone, Clock Work by Mike Michalowicz, Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
Podcasts – I have found some of my favorite authors through interviews on shows like Story Brand, Addicted 2Success, The Smart Passive Income Podcast.
Audible – for listening to those favorite authors while I’m walking the dog, taking a flight, or going for a run.

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