The Nitty-Gritty:

* Why Madison Wetherill found herself the owner of two small businesses—and how she knew something had to change about the way she was managing them* How Madison came to think of herself as a “busy person” and why that impacted the way she structured her time* What she noticed about the way she was spending her time and how it related to the results she was creating* The way she restructured her priorities and found a new—more productive—set of responsibilities that help her drive revenue

I just got home from talking with the new manager of my climbing gym.

Wait: don’t fast forward… this isn’t yet another story about how fitness is like business.

I was there to talk to him about a job.

As in, a job that I am considering taking…

Of course, I don’t need this job. It would simply be a way for me to continue learning and sharing my passion for climbing.

They’ll pay me; but it literally isn’t about the money.

Because, as you can imagine, the numbers don’t add up.

This month, we’re talking about running our businesses by the numbers, looking at the way we spend our time, make decisions, and plan.

I’ve already been working at my climbing gym—just an hour per week teaching beginners how to boulder. I haven’t been paid this little per hour since 2004.

Taking on some additional responsibility and exploring a new skill set won’t get me any big pay raise. Actually, it won’t get me any pay raise.

My priorities are clear. My life & business come first. This job—no matter how much I might enjoy it—comes second. If I take it, I’m confident I’ll do great and show serious commitment. I’ll be an asset to the gym. And I’ll learn some new things along the way.

Unfortunately, our priorities aren’t always that cut and dry.

It can be tough to know whether the thing you’re spending time on is paying the dividends you need it to—whether those are financial or otherwise.

Madison Wetherill—a food blogger and the founder of Grace & Vine, a web design studio—found this to be the case late last year when she realized that her food blog was taking up most of her time but her web design studio was producing serious financial results.

It was time to make a decision and get her priorities straight.

Madison and I chat about how she ended up with 2 businesses in the first place, how she knew something needed to change, and how her workdays have changed now that she’s reprioritized her businesses. We also discuss how she’s becoming aware of her identity as a busy person—and the challenges that creates.

Have you made an important decision in your business because you got real with the numbers? Have you discovered a new opportunity right under your nose when you examined your traffic, profit margin, or conversion rate? We want to hear about it!

Share your story on Instagram and tag me, @tara_mcmullin and use the hashtag #explorewhatworks.

Now, let’s find out what works for Madison Wetherill!

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