Every week, somewhere in Sydney, a small group of businesswomen come together to share their business and personal secrets at what they call their Monday Morning Motivational Meeting.
Over coffee, they ask themselves three questions about the week ahead: What they’re going to get done (and whether it’s realistic); How they’re going to make money; And what kind of help they need to make it happen.
It’s the latter question that’s too often forgotten and yet one that’s essential for not only ensuring a productive week but also keeping your sanity and wellbeing in check in the process. It’s the asking for help piece that makes what you’re doing sustainable, and keeps you closer to not only surviving but thriving in ateempting to achieve your ambitions.
Sam Trattles diligently attends these meetings every Monday. Just over a year ago she left Telstra where she divvied out a major budget as the general manager of sponsorships — negotiating significant deals with everything from the National Rugby League to the Australian Olympic Committee and Sydney Symphony – to working alone. Since then, she’s been experiencing the ups and downs that come with running your own business and found that, until recently at least, it was the downs that were dominating.
Speaking with Trattles this week, it’s clear her supporters – including those within this group and others – have helped keep her mental health in check. She reminded me that while we often look to people we admire to mentor us, seeing some get caught up in the idea that a great mentor will make everything better, we can also work within our existing networks and amongst our peers to foster regular catch-ups and meetings that will help.
These little catch-ups can provide a greater lifeline than we realise. It might be as a regular coffee or structured meeting with a set agenda, but it’s fundamentally a reality check for what’s going on at work and within your own life. Are you coping? Are you making money? What skills and expertise can we share? What help do you really need?
What matters is the regularity of such get-togethers. Doing it once is good, but not enough. You never know what you might be dealing with next week and who could be around to help.
Trattles didn’t plan to start a business when she left Telstra more than a year a go. She simply wanted a long break. The leave she took progressively got longer before she realised she was never going back.
She came up with the idea for her business problem solving consultancy, Other Side of the Table, after working with a coach and travelling the country, and quickly set to work on bringing the vision to life. But she concedes that making the transition from the corporate world to small business has been tough. Coming up with a great business idea that played to her strengths and experience was one thing. Building it, sustaining it, adjusting to working alone and keeping the money coming in was another.
“I now tell my friends in corporate that if you want to leave, call me first,” Trattles tells me. “I remind them that you’ll need somebody to help with your mental health.”
A little over 100 days ago, Trattles sat down with another business owner and together they agreed that if they weren’t making regular good money by the 2nd September, they’d head back to the corporate world. She kept attending the weekly Monday meetings and opening up regarding how she was going and the help she needed. On that date two weeks ago, Trattles took the day off work and celebrated. Her business had turned a corner and she believes she’s established something she’ll continue working at for life.
No woman, whether she’s working for a large employer, in a small business or for herself, should have to wonder how she’s going to get through the next week of work alone. While we often look to mentors for support, it may actually be wiser to sit down with a friend, a colleague or a group of like-minded individuals and ask yourself some honest, hard truths about what you’re trying to achieve. Reminding each other all the way that even those who appear to look like ‘superwoman’ have methods and strategies in place for tapping into the help and support of other.
Last week, R U OK? Day reminded us to check in with our colleagues and peers on how they’re coping. Asking such a question once a year is clearly not enough. Creating a regular, structured catch-up with a group of peers might provide a more sustainable and long-lasting solution.