Hey Friend,
This year has been a whirlwind.
A couple of weeks ago, I had my final meeting at BNI.
If you’ve never heard of BNI before, it’s a global organisation where business owners come together to build referral relationships with one another.
I was fortunate enough to land in one of the biggest and most successful chapters in Australia.
The first time I visited as a guest, I was blown away by the calibre of the people in the room and how it ran. It was fun and high energy. A great way to spend a Friday morning.
And the perfect activity to fill the void in my life created by my social media sabbatical.
I became a member on the 1st of October, 2024.
So why did I prematurely stand down?
Well, I was offered an opportunity that was too good to turn down.
A mentor of mine who runs a financial education business, was looking for more coaches/high ticket closers to join their sales team.
Essentially, I’d be applying my skillset in a space where there was already high-demand.
I saw this as an opportunity to sharpen my sales skills, immerse myself in a successful environment, earn great commissions, and provide some more cashflow to our household (which had been our biggest challenge).
The plan was to do this role part time so I could continue building my business.
But doing this part time meant I’d have to create space in my life.
Something had to give.
The first domino that fell was Toastmasters. After four years, I felt like it was time. I’d gotten a lot out of Toastmasters, and given a lot back.
BNI was my other major commitment.
I knew I wouldn’t have the time and capacity to continue BNI and this new opportunity. And I’m not someone who half-ass’ their commitments. So I had to choose.
What made this even harder, was that I was in a leadership position in the chapter. Which meant there were extra responsibilities I had to consider.
I wrestled with this decision for a couple of weeks.
I never like letting people down.
But I’ve learned in life, that if you don’t make the hard decisions, you end up letting yourself down. And that’s far worse.
So I made the tough decision to step down from BNI and hand over my role as Treasurer.
The good thing was, I had five weeks before my final meeting. So I had time to find someone to take over from my role and give them a great handover experience.
But with a couple weeks to go,
The Universe had a spanner to throw in the works…
I got home late Friday night. After having my first experience at the soccer watching Adelaide United lose 3-nil in a semi-final against Auckland.
I was laying on the couch unwinding.
Then opened up a WhatsApp voice message from the guy who was training me for this new opportunity. He’d been speaking with the business owner, and they decided they only wanted to have full-time coaches/closers on the team.
Which meant, the decision I’d wrestled with and reconfigured my life for, had been taken away from me before it even got started.
I felt a tad disappointed.
But funnily enough, not surprised. I understood their decision. And a part of me actually felt relieved.
Because now I wouldn’t have to reconfigure my life and schedule.
And besides, during the training phase of this new opportunity – I was applying what I learned back into my own business.
Which significantly improved my sales process. And as a result, I closed five sales in a row learning what I applied. The fastest ROI I’ve ever experienced.
Which meant, cashflow was no longer much of a concern.
But what was I going to do with BNI?
I’d already set the wheels in motion to step down from my role as Treasurer and leave. But there was still ample time to reverse this decision.
The easy thing to do, would have been to tell them what had transpired, and stay.
However, I already felt at peace with my decision. And as hard as it would be to say goodbye to my BNI colleagues, it still felt like the move I needed to make.
This unforeseen change in my circumstances was perhaps a blessing in disguise.
But, it was still tough.
Because BNI had been a massive part of my identity for the past two years. And I’ve experienced so much growth and made incredible connections.
But I also knew that stepping back from my commitment to BNI would give me space to reflect and recalibrate.
Because when you’re in the thick of things, you don’t have perspective.
You’re busy doing the do.
So, sometimes you need to take a step back from your commitments to realise whether it’s something that still serves you or no longer does.
I don’t yet have that clarity.
It’s only been a couple of weeks. But I’m curious to see how the dust settles.
But what I’m really grateful for is our turn of fortunes.
This year was make or break for us.
After a couple of really tough years cashflow wise, Kaci and I sat down earlier in the year and made an agreement.
If things don’t change by the time our next lease renewal comes up, then drastic measures will need to be taken.
Meaning – I go back to full time work, Kaci goes back to work, or we move somewhere else.
I didn’t like any of these options. So I was determined to make things work.
Since then, things in our personal finances and business have changed dramatically.
We’re now debt-free millionaires.
And it’s only taken almost seven years… but now I feel so confident and competent in myself and the work I do. I know I’m exceptional at my craft. And I no longer seek external validation to make me feel worthy enough to do this work.
I’ve hardly been posting on social media this year. I rarely share success stories and social proof like I used to to drive new business. Yet the leads and referrals keep rolling in.
And with some tweaks to my sales processes, thanks to the training I was doing for this new opportunity – I’ve now found another missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle.
It feels great to be getting handsomely paid for doing what I love. Using my skills to serve others and provide for my family.
That’s been my theme this year: Presence, Processes, Profit & Provision.
I’m no longer seeking the next shiny object or high-profile mentor to work with to fill an imaginary void within myself.
I’ve done the work.
I’m backing myself.
And I’m applying all that I’ve learned over these past seven years in business.
