Accountability Is Key to the Creative Entrepreneur’s Success

Are you a creative entrepreneur who is good at planning but then fails to follow through on implementing the plan? I find that this happens to me and to many of my clients. We spend hours working on the plans, the details, the strategy, the big picture, the dream… the fun part of business! We can see success just in front of us like a carrot on a stick.

Then life happens, you get stuck or don’t know how to do something, someone gets sick, the car dies, and on and on. As a creative entrepreneur, one of your biggest challenges will be keeping the momentum going and not getting distracted by life’s craziness or the next bright, shiny idea. It’s hard working alone, especially when combined with the challenges of being a busy working wife and mother. Staying on track has become my top priority in my business but keeping the momentum can be a challenge!

What will it take to keep the momentum going and keep you on task – focused on building a profitable business? One thing—accountability. I find that creative women entrepreneurs need someone in their life and business to hold them accountable, to be their cheerleader and their champion when they get frustrated or stuck.

Do you currently have someone like that in your life? It might be a business partner, a spouse, a girlfriend, or a business coach like me. I want to encourage you to find someone who is willing to hold you accountable while being supportive and understanding. Make sure to pick someone you feel safe with so that can share your frustrations and your dreams. Finding a local mentor in your community is another great option for creating accountability.

One of the biggest challenges of being an entrepreneur, especially if you work from home, is the isolation. At times you will feel lonely, disconnected, and perhaps even insane. It’s important to surround yourself with other entrepreneurs. This is another benefit of networking and connecting with business owners who are going through the same experiences and challenges you are.

One of my most favorite forms of accountability is a mastermind group. A mastermind group can be a small group of colleagues who meet monthly or by phone to hold each other accountable and support each other through challenges. Masterminds are great for brainstorming solutions to problems and for sharing resources.

One-one coaching or group coaching are also great formats for creating accountability. I know that I need accountability in many areas of my life and often have more than one coach I work with personally. Being an accountability partner is one of the parts I love best about being a coach! Watching my clients successfully reach their goals month after month is so rewarding.

I have created a variety of systems that work for me and for my clients. The purpose of my membership group for creative entrepreneurs, The Path to Profit, is to help you stay on track by offering the ongoing support you need to be successful. What I have discovered in my 14 years as a successful entrepreneur is that where women gather, magic happens. We don’t have to do this alone but we do have to ask for help.

Here’s what one of my clients said recently about creating her one page business plan, which is one of the first steps my clients take: “I worked on it for an hour and a half last night and felt better just doing the work and not having it hanging over my head.  Kept telling myself what you said about it needing to be messy (to a certain extent–lol) and that helped tremendously.  Been working on it for the past 2 hours and I’m now having a lot of fun with it.  When I get out of my head and just go with my intuition and creativity it flows much easier and I have a great time with it.  It’s relaxing and fulfilling.  Never thought I’d describe making a business plan in those words! And, I really love what it is looking like.  I’m so proud of myself!!”

What or who keeps you accountable in your business? Share your best tips in the comments below!