A business solves a problem. So then a successful business must solve a relevant problem well.

This then is our aim of running our businesses.

I am guessing that many of us want to create businesses that are successful. Definitions of success abound – but for the purposes of this article, success refers to our creating a good solution to a real problem.

Like many others, I have always wanted my work to solve a problem, but I was weighed down by an old idea of what business was.

Time Denning came to the rescue with his simple take on business – see below.

My Business Solved Various Problems

The trajectory of my business has changed a lot.

When I decided to turn my personal blog about our family’s simple living – a simple beautiful life blog – into a business, I hadn’t considered what problem I was trying to solve.

As I learned more and wrote more, the business evolved along with me.

• I began by promoting simplicity for families. The problem I wanted to solve was life overwhelm, as experienced by yours truly.
• Then I promoted starting a digital business as a means of self-discovery. The problem I wanted to solve was women with growing children who felt lost and directionless, as experienced by myself and numerous girlfriends.
• Things then moved into my sharing the simple tools I use to support a great quality of life. These were the tools I had started to use to improve my own quality of life.
• Following that, the focus shifted to habits – morning routines, meditation and self-focus. The solution I offered was personal care and calm instead of busy, scattered days and reactive behaviour.
• And most recently – stories – because I realised there is a common problem experienced by women who felt isolated, disconnected and not heard.

Many of us want to do worthwhile work and support something good. We simply need to identify what problems we are trying to solve.

My overall aim is to support people, specifically women, to live a good – better – best life, simply.

Looking back I see the stages of my business trajectory were all connected. My simple beautiful life business remains about living a good life, and I believe simplicity, self-focus and sharing stories can help us create one.

So if you are running your own business –

• What problem are you here to solve?
• How?
• Why?

Can your business change and evolve along with you?

Yes. I think so.

A simple beautiful life is all about enhancing our quality of life, simply. It is about living a lighter life, with ease. Because life is suffering, but it is also beauty and grace and joy and connection.

Genevieve

Two Good Writers

I recently came across two worthwhile quotes from two worthwhile writers who updated my idea of business: Mark Manson and Tim Denning.

Mark sums up all of our issues and worries into 4 problems, and Tim simplifies what a business is. Put the two together and there is the reason I added the talk space to a simple beautiful life.

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you know that I love simplifying. These quotes resonate with my life philosophy of simplicity.

Problems That We All Experience

Mark Manson receives thousands of messages from his million-plus readers asking for his life advice. Reading these letters he noticed that what bothers us and what matters to us can be summarised into four points.

“I’m unhappy in my relationship but don’t know if I should end it or keep trying.”

“I’m unsure of what to do for my future—I worry that I’ve been on the wrong path.” 

“I struggle with anxiety/anger/depression and it’s fucking up many areas of my life.” 

“I’m insecure about my money/status/appearance and wish I didn’t give a fuck.” 

Mark Manson

So if you want to refocus the problem you are trying to solve – does it fit into one of these four points?

Many of the women who speak to me seem to feel isolated and disconnected and alone in their suffering. Somehow we are not giving others the space and time to feel heard, seen, or simply okay.

Whether we are experiencing one or more of Mark’s points above, many of us seem not to realise that we are all experiencing some version of the same challenges and that we really are not alone.

A Business That Solves A Problem

Tim is a personal development writer who writes a lot about entrepreneurship and making life better. He has a way of reducing things to easily accessible basics which I love. Here he simplifies the point of business.

A business is a thing that solves a problem.

That’s the whole definition.

Tim Denning

Simple and easy to get into action with this motivation.

The Talk Space Is A Business That Solves A Problem

I started that talk space because I saw a problem:

• many of us feel disconnected and unheard

I recognised that there is a problem to be solved and whether our challenges are in our relationship, future, mindset or ego, often simply talking about what is bothering us, can help us feel better, or help us solve things on our own.

Therapists, counsellors, and coaches are all awesome and many deserve our utmost respect. I felt there was space for an even more simple solution:

• giving women the space to speak
• giving women time to feel heard

Many women I spoke to felt lost, disconnected and unheard. The pandemic lockdowns exacerbated and intensified feelings of loneliness and disconnection globally, and women, we felt it.

Anxiety, Overwhelm, Disconnect

In the past two years, I have experienced periods of anxiety, like many others, because we have had to deal with a lot of anxiety-inducing situations. In our case, like many others:

• losing a business
• home-schooling
• staying indoors
• not seeing friends
• or family, and
• having no idea of what the future holds

Many have experienced far worse.

During the first 18 months of lockdown, I spent time learning digital skills and, unsuccessfully, tried to affiliate a digital education company.

After a few months of numerous calls, webinars, Facebook groups and workshops, I realised that so many people felt lonely and disconnected, and I wanted to help.

The talk space is simply a space for listening, for being present, for being seen and heard. I believe listening to women talk could help solve some of these problems.

It solves a real problem.

I wrote a blog post about the talk space which you can read here. I called it We All Need To Be Heard because it seems we do. Real focused listening and presence seem to be increasingly rare experiences for many of us.

Two More Aids

My Business Solves A Problem With Meditation

Besides simplicity and stories – this blog is about self-focus.

I began to meditate fiercely once my pandemic-induced anxiety struck, and still do. This simple habit has been a life-changer. I meditate most days and feel I can cope with life’s undulations better.

I spoke to my coach Robyn from The Perpetual Pilgrim the other day and mentioned that friends sometimes tell me I am the busiest person they know. Yet I write about living simply, meditating, and living a good life. Robyn, an ace at reframing things, pointed out that it is precisely my philosophy about keeping things simple, the simple systems I use, and my self-focus practice, that supports my ability to handle such a full life. I liked that.

If you want to give meditation a try – the button below will give you 4 simple breathing exercises you can use any time, any day (provided you are not operating heavy machinery or driving dangerously). They will calm you and centre you and make you feel in control again.

My Business Solves A Problem With Systems

Being busy I also rely on a set of simple systems to help ease the way through the days. I aim for flexibility in using schedules because life is organic and they are meant to support me. Sticking rigidly to systems can worsen things if they are not right for that particular situation. I see them more as a guiding framework than an immobile structure.

Life needs to be lighter. Simple systems can help to achieve this. I am always working to let go of the things that drag me down and make the day heavy. Systems, used in a way that works for you, can help lighten things up.

From a simple morning routine to an evening routine these can help to guide you lightly through your days.

I write about these things in my weekly blog because many of us have busy lives and I offer these simple systems as a solution to help make our days easier and our lives lighter.

Life is busy, and having tools available to help smooth out the days, is a good thing.

You are welcome to download the systems I use from my morning to evening routine below. I hope they help you.

Business Solves A Problem

So – How Does Your Beautiful Business Solve Relevant Problems?

Mine offers solutions to overwhelm, “lostness” and isolation by promoting simplicity, self-focus and story sharing – partly because I like alliteration, and partly because I really believe in this stuff.

So for more blog posts along these lines – written by me for you, please head over here.

Thanks to:

• Tim Denning and Mark Manson for their sharp minds and inspiring prose about life problems and business that helps solve them.
• Many who came before me and my own life challenges for helping me start a meditation habit.
• The poets and writers who display the benefits of Minimalism without whose knowledge I would not have created a simple beautiful life of my own.

As always, thanks for reading.