Cash Flow Problems

I have had huge cash flow problems.

A few years ago, I took out the lease on a whole office complex, then couldn't get enough tenants to cover the monthly outlay.

I was also trying to scale by changing my business model from one-on-one coaching (that I'd done successfully for 14 years) to a one-to-many approach by running courses and hiring coaches.

The courses were hard to fill and the clients were dropping off without me as their coach.

The banks were screaming for their mortgage payments and...well, everywhere I looked people wanted money I didn't have.

How did it get to this?

Well, although I often had a gnawing feeling in my gut, I kept my rose coloured glasses on, pushing through and hoping things would get better. I ignored calls from the banks and kept soldiering on.

I didn't change anything significantly or take any drastic actions. I just kept going hoping things would get better.

I truly believe you can withstand pain for a while and not change anything; not take the action necessary to get out of it. (That's why a person can put on significant amounts of weight but are only triggered into doing something about it at the tipping point.)

Well, the tipping point for me was when the banks declared they were going to take my properties. I was heading over the precipice and the pain got too much.

I took extreme action.

I called the banks and negotiated with them. I now had clarity and a deadline.

I made calls, and sold 100k worth of training programs in a day.

I decided to no longer delude myself that the subletting model was viable, and did not renew the lease of the office.

I was a woman on a mission. I wanted the pain gone.

Disinvesting, making the hard calls or changing strategies is also painful, but it's like lifting huge boulders into place to stop the landslide of rocks crushing you...so it's worth it.

So, is there any heavy lifting that you could do right now? Any boulders you can take away to remove the pressure?

Don't wait for the pain to get too much before you do something about it. Make the call.