When is the right time to walk away?
Is it wrong to use Valentine’s Day as inspiration for writing a post about the breakdown of relationships? I’m talking about professional relationships with clients, collaborators and connections here. Not the romantic kind!
Curtailing client relationships
Earlier this year I stopped working with a long-term client. We’d been working together for 18 months; I’d been planning and writing their blog posts and monthly newsletter. The end of the relationship wasn’t a surprise. It’s something we’d spoken about previously and I had anticipated the conversation. Saying that, it was still a wrench to hear that they wouldn’t be part of my business life any longer. The client was really fun to work with and we’d built up a mutual trust.
My client’s decision to end it was purely a business one – and I felt it was the correct course of action (they assured me it was in no way a reflection on my writing skills!). I walked away from our meeting feeling strangely positive. I know we’ll stay in touch and continue to support each other’s businesses in any way we can. I’m also excited about the possibilities for filling the extra capacity I now have, with plenty of new copywriting projects lined up.
Changing business direction
I know a couple of people who have recently made big decisions to take their businesses in a different direction in 2018. Being a fairly risk averse person, the concept is quite frightening to me. Yet both of these individuals have a clear vision about the type of client they want to attract and what they want future projects to look like. It just feels right. That’s something I can relate to. Can you?
Disconnecting on social media
This week I disconnected with someone on social media because the content of their posts was making me angry. I didn’t agree with the statements they were making and the mutual appreciation society they were building online left me with a nasty taste in my mouth. Reading their posts, I started to reveal a side of myself I didn’t like; the moaning Lucy that first materialised when I’d had enough of corporate life. It was time to walk away.
Yes, you can block people on Facebook, mute them on twitter, or unfollow people you no longer want to see content from, whilst they still remain a friend or connection. But this situation required stronger action from me. This person’s values and opinions did not match my own and I felt very strongly that I no longer wanted to be associated with them. The delete button was deployed!
If you allow it to, social media can have such a huge impact on your mood. If you’ve ever experienced similar feelings, I urge you to remove these people from your feeds. The surge of relief I felt when I’d done it was immense. How about you?
It takes courage to end any relationship. Deep down, you’ll know if it’s the right thing to do – for you and your business.