How to Make a Decision

Many of us started our careers at full-time jobs, where decisions about your career direction were probably somewhat mapped out for you. If you’re working in a corporate setting, there’s often a hierarchical structure that dictates how and when you can advance to the next level. And even if you’ve worked at a start-up, there was still probably a path laid out for ways to achieve a promotion.

But when you work for yourself, there’s truly no set path. This can feel incredibly freeing — you can change your mind any time you’d like! — and totally overwhelming, all at once.

As small business owners, we are constantly pressed into making big decisions about next steps. Even if you’re a business of one, you’re still a CEO. And at each inflection point, we must question where we want to go next. Should we expand our business or compress it so we can work less? Should we add a new service line? Does a new gig align with our overall direction? When does it make sense to pivot?

All of this comes back to a key skill: making decisions. It might sound silly, but no one teaches you how to make a decision you feel good about. And that’s what I want to dig into today.

As always, let’s start with a story: K.J. had been working part-time for a writing client for the better part of five years when she first signed up for coaching. During our…