Hustle-Free Business? Here’s What I Say No To (and Why)
I’m breaking down all the things I don’t do in my business and why I’m so glad I’ve learned to say no to them. From ditching hustle culture (no working weekends here!) to ditching outdated definitions of “professionalism,” I’m sharing the boundaries, systems, and choices that have made my business simpler, more flexible, and honestly, way more fun.
Whether it’s turning off notifications, outsourcing what drains me, or working from my sofa with dry shampoo in my hair. These no’s have made space for bigger, better yeses. I’d love to know: what’s something you’ve stopped doing in your business?
Transcript below!
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00:00 Hey, welcome. My name is Ellie. I am the founder and CEO of Calibrated Concepts. So, whether you're watching here on YouTube or listening over on my podcast, I want you to know that I am here to talk all things small business, how to create more simplicity and ease in your business with just a little
00:20 bit of tech. So, today we are walking through a whole bunch Don't do. And why saying no to them has made my business and my life better.
00:29 this one is for anyone who's ever apologized for not constantly being online. The first thing is we say no to the hustle.
00:41 Not the dance, but more like working weekends, working all five days a week, uh, being forced to do life admin only on the weekends, being always on.
00:55 So, feeling like you need to reply instantly, having notifications on. We say no to that here. when I first started my business, I was warning calibrated concepts.
01:08 On the side, I was doing it in the evenings, weekends, mornings, before work, sometimes my lunch break. And that was a phase to get me to where I am now, and that was fine.
01:18 But overall, I am now in a place where I work three and a half-ish days a week. Umm, I don't work evenings unless I've decided to take some of the day off to do something I want to, because of their flexibility I've built in for myself.
01:34 Umm, I do a lot of my chores on Fridays, uh, because it means that me and my husband have more quality time to spend together on a weekend.
01:45 I have notifications turned off for almost everything on my phone, and this makes me feel grounded and controlled. It allows my business to serve my life, and this has been something that is completely night and day from how it was when I first started my business nearly eight years ago, but it has a
02:04 lot of my business to feel spacious, welcoming. Like, I can feel when I- I'm working with my clients, I'm working from my best self most of the time, and that is so good.
02:16 And speaking of my clients, a lot of them have taken on these things. clients have better organized systems, inboxes, boundaries, clients, like, contracts, which some of these things we're gonna talk about.
02:28 And they have taken on using Do Not Disturb mode and turning off notifications and not feeling guilty about the days they don't work and setting up the solid boundaries for themselves.
02:40 And so this ripple effect is happening where me and the people around me and my work are creating calmer, more consistent, more tech forward businesses.
02:49 differences. All right. We have our speaker two, we say no to doing everything the hard way. And by the hard way, I mean doing everything manually.
02:59 By the hard way, I mean doing everything ourselves, DIYing, everything. Instead of finding a partner or outsourcing when you can.
03:10 Not having clear contracts, policies, expectations. Expectations with your clients. Not having that communication. And those, uhm, those, well, expectations be crystal, crystal clear and super solid for you and your work.
03:27 It is such a win-win on both sides when people know exactly what they're getting out of you. And you know exactly what you're expecting of them.
03:35 in eight years, I have outsourced so much in my business from my branding to icons to consulting, mentoring, coaching. So, so many things over the years.
03:47 And the most recent one, uhm, this week I'm really excited because I have, uh, power hour with a marketing expert.
03:54 And I just feel like there's something kind of off and I don't have my finger On the pulse and I don't want to spend forever trying to go, okay, what's my next strategy, what's working, what?
04:04 I just think knowing somebody who's got their finger on the pulse and knows my business really well is going to be able to give me the answers so much more quickly and paying her and her team is going to be so, so worth the money.
04:16 Umm, I have two staff members. I have two assistants on this team. They're virtual assistants. They're not staff. I guess they're contractors and what I love about that is I don't do things alone anymore.
04:30 Umm, I have people to bounce my ideas off. We have set team meetings every month. I outsource parts of every project I do and keep the stuff I love doing most or that really needs my unique.
04:44 Touch and expertise. So, that is, yeah, that's just so key to me. A good system is like taking care of, not just you right now because a lot of systems do take work to put into place, but it is setting yourself up, your family up, your team up, b better for the future.
05:05 It is trusting that in the process of feeling like, oh my gosh, how do I even get from point A to point B that you can go from, I worked nearly 24 hours a day when eight years ago to, I worked really flexibly these days and still make even more money than I did back then.
05:25 And the third thing we say no to over here at Calaverity Concepts is traditional expectations.
05:39 There's so many ways we could package this up, but in our society we are expected to be professional, and that might be what you wear, what you say, how you say it.
05:49 Um. What your hair looks like, like, my hair today. I have not washed it since Saturday. Today is Tuesday. There's a little dry shampoo in here.
06:00 I'm wearing my overalls because this is my business and I get to show up how I want. It could be what you say.
06:06 I swear a lot of my business. I decided a long time ago that I was probably going to swear, um, on client calls so people should know that I swear, in my copy.
06:16 So I swear a little bit on my website and a little bit on my social media and things like that because I don't want someone to be offended when they show up to a call and something slips out.
06:23 Um, I don't feel like I have to work in a professional or traditional setting. I work from here on my desk where you see me now, which as you can see, at the moment is essentially in my dining area, open living space.
06:36 There's my dining table. That's my kitchen. But I, Also, don't feel bad about that when I'm on a client call.
06:42 I might also work on my balcony sometimes, on my couch, umm, in a coffee shop, downstairs in the clubhouse of my apartment complex.
06:50 I work where I feel the right energy and the right space and the right flexibility. There's been so many moments in my business where showing up exactly who, as I am, uh, has made so much more trustworthiness, authenticity, and connection with the client.
07:15 It could be the swearing, or how much I talk about Gilmore Girls, or the time that I've worked from bed because- I wasn't feeling a hundred percent.
07:23 being real and being a human is what people want. Now, you- obviously we have to be professional, but it doesn't have to be a traditional type of professional.
07:33 By professional, what I mean when I tell people that I'm professional, it- that I offer extremely high levels of service, that I communicate at a really high level and that my clients have their hand held all the way through my process of working with me and that at the end the deliverable is exactly
07:51 what they were hoping for. That is my version of professionalism. so if you're thinking, oh my gosh, how- like, how do I say no to the hustle?
08:03 Like, I'm just getting- Thanks. I started. I am in hustle mode. This is the phase and season I am in.
08:07 How do I say no to DIYing and doing everything the hard way and doing everything manually? And how do I say no to traditional expectations?
08:17 Well, it takes time. You build it up. It's a muscle you work and sometimes it's a seasonal thing. Sometimes I have to work more than- three and a half days a week.
08:27 Sometimes I DIY something and sometimes I outsource it. And that's normal, but it's about building that muscle, taking the time to say yes to yourself more and know to the way people do things, right?
08:43 To say yes to what you know to be true and saying no to row marketing, saying yes to- connecting with people more than showing up professionally.
08:56 just know that the more you do this, the more you work this muscle, the more boundaries you set up, the more, um, con- to sense you create through systems and contracts and, uhm, knowing yourself The more freedom you're going to have, the more energy you're going to have, the more focus you're going
09:18 to have, the more kindness you can be, I guess. So, it just, it radiates out and it starts affecting everyone and your life and in your business in such a positive way.
09:31 Now that we've gone through all that, what are you saying no to? What are you saying no into your business?
09:37 I want to hear it. Tell me in the comments. If you liked this video, I would really appreciate it if you comment, like, subscribe, share.
09:45 It makes a huge difference for little channels like me and for my business and me being able to make a bigger impact, help more people to create this kind of consistency, space, flexibility, freedom, simplicity in their work.
10:02 These are my favorite things to do. And. and I really appreciate hanging out here. .
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