Written by: Clare Roberts-Molloy, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
For a long-time, I thought there was something wrong with me, to the extent I felt embarrassed and ashamed.
When meeting new people, they would inevitably ask me what I do for a living. Nervously, I'd tell them I do many things, including running two businesses, being a magistrate, founding a charity, and leading several community projects and initiatives. This would often be met with an exclamation of, "wow, how do you do all of that?' I would simply smile, shrug, and quip about not sleeping a lot.
But why did I feel so embarrassed at pursuing and achieving so many things? In a society that tells us to find our passion and niche and to focus on a single pursuit to ensure success, the fact I pursue so many passions and interests made me feel as if I had a dirty secret to hide.
As a result, I've spent years procrastinating over websites, marketing and even posting on social media and LinkedIn because I didn't know how to encapsulate all my interests, passions, and pursuits into a singular message, offer, or brand. I saw so many people with clear brand messages and didn't know how to begin defining what I stand for and defining it in a single brand. Many of the entrepreneurs I follow online are their brand, and I just couldn't see how to achieve that for myself.
My response was to create separate brands for my different businesses and passions and rarely refer to them on my social media. I hid behind each of the individual brands. Not even some of my closest friends could tell you the names of my businesses and projects. I didn't even have them all listed on my LinkedIn profile because I thought it would make me look scattered and unfocused.
But is this true?
Am I scattered and unfocused?
Is there something wrong with me?
Does it mean, as my father used to say, I have a 'kangaroo brain' hopping from one thing to the next?
Should I undergo an assessment for ADD?
So many questions!
Well, it took me a long-time to understand, but no, there isn't anything wrong with me! Quite the opposite.
During the lockdown, on one of my daily walks, I was listening to 'Everything is Figureoutable' by Marie Forleo, and she used the phrase, multi-passionate entrepreneur!
Boom!!! It was like the proverbial lightbulb exploded in my head.
That's It!! I'm not an unfocused individual who hops from project to project, I'm a Multi-passionate Entrepreneur. I'm serious and committed about everything I do, put my all into everything and find it incredibly rewarding to work on so many positively impactful projects.
And best of all, I realised I'm not alone. That there are many, many multi-passionate entrepreneurs out there. Perhaps you are even one of them!
For those who enjoy a definition, a multi-passionate entrepreneur is someone who pursues multi businesses or projects at once. They don't tend to fit in conventional career boxes, they most likely have a million ideas we want to try daily, have a whole list of hobbies and passions that light them up, and feel suffocated and stifled at the idea of only pursuing one career avenue.
But pursuing and managing several projects and businesses at once isn't easy. I've had to learn some hard lessons along the way, and I'm sharing my top 5 lessons to thrive as a multi-passionate entrepreneur here:
1. Build a Team ‒ You can't achieve everything alone.
As much as I may sometimes like to don my cape and be Wonder Woman, I couldn't do what I do without the support of some great people around me, from my family to the amazing teams helping me deliver my projects and supporting my businesses every day. Before you try and do everything yourself and find it is unsustainable or worse, burn out, build a support team around you and outsource where possible. If there is a task you don't enjoy or that falls outside your zone of genius, outsource to someone for whom that task is their strength. This will give you more time to focus your strengths on the elements you enjoy and achieve greater success.
2. Maximise your Time – We all have 24 hours in a day
We all have 24 hours in a day and until Hermione Granger lends me her Time-Turner, I'll have to manage with the same 24 hours as everyone else. However, it doesn't stop me from still being able to run my businesses and deliver my projects on top of my other commitments. It is all a matter of maximising my time. I've learned the best way to do this is to batch tasks, so my focus remains on one area at a time, increasing my efficiency and productivity. I also love a deep focus session, where I set a timeframe and work on a particular piece of work until the end of the allotted time. This provides deep focus, and I can achieve more in a 2-hour deep focus session than many people achieve in double that time when allowing themselves to be distracted. Over the years I've also identified my time thieves. The tasks that add little value, but in which you can lose large amounts of time if not managed well, e.g., constantly checking email, social media scrolling, and TV. I keep them to a minimum to allow more time for the things I want to achieve.
3. Say No ‒ Set Boundaries
If like me, you're a natural people-pleaser, you may struggle with this one, but it's a lesson we must learn if we're to focus on what's important to us. I can be my own worst enemy and find myself saying yes to additional projects and commitments (usually because I feel guilty saying no or don't want to upset someone). I commit knowing I don't have the physical or mental capacity to deliver or knowing something else will slip for me to fulfil the commitment. Saying no and setting boundaries may make you feel awful, but it's a positive step. It demonstrates you respect and protect your time and helps others value you and your time too. It has taken me a long-time and heaps of guilt, but I have finally learned to say 'no' and set healthy boundaries, and what a game-changer it has been.
4. Look After You – The Importance of Self-Care
Self-care is a phrase appearing on many social media postings and can result in numerous eye rolls. Despite the reaction, the words may provoke in you, looking after yourself and your well-being is vital. I might quip about not sleeping a lot, but it's true. I do sleep less than the average person and less than the recommended amount, but it generally works for me. However, while sleeping less means I gain an extra hour or two in the working day, it also means that if I'm not careful, I can overdo things and find myself getting ill more frequently. To combat this, I set aside time for self-care, on a daily and weekly basis, to help maintain my well-being. I've also set boundaries around my weekends, making sure clients know I'm not available and ensuring I have plenty of family time and relaxation. As the cliché goes, put your own oxygen mask on first if you want to be useful to others.
5. Show up as You – Embrace Your Superpower!
One of the greatest things I've learned on my journey as a multi-passionate entrepreneur is to get visible, stop hiding and show up as myself. No more hiding behind my brands and not sharing my work and accomplishments on my personal pages. I'm now proud to shout about all my different projects across all channels and, despite my fears, the reception has been great and sparked lots of interesting conversations and collaborations. In fact, many people seem relieved they finally understand everything I do, and I've found colleagues proudly introduce me to others and list my many projects. They have gone from not being able to articulate what I do, to confidently listing everything I do and that is great! I previously thought my multi-passionate approach was a sign of weakness, but now realise it is my superpower!
Being a multi-passionate entrepreneur isn't for everyone and thank goodness! We're all different and have different strengths and passions. It would be a very boring world if we were all the same.
So next time you see me posting about different projects and subjects, please don't think I'm flaky or lack focus. Instead know that I am super driven and ambitious, with huge aspirations, multi-passions, and masses of energy.
After all, this is me. I'm a Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur and I'm proud!
In the words of Marie Forleo:
"Having multiple strengths and passions can be a tremendous gift, as long as you embrace it"
And I'm definitely embracing it!!
Clare Roberts-Molloy, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Clare is a Potentiality Coach, working with women who are ready to step into their own power, achieve their goals, realise their dreams and reach their personal and professional potential. As a multi-passionate entrepreneur and social entrepreneur, Clare founded Pitch Perfect Tenders, supporting businesses to win 6 and 7 figure contracts, as well as the founder of TEDxWolverhampton and PeriodsMatter, a charity tackling period poverty in her home town. Clare's mission is to inspire and empower women to realise it's Never Too Late to achieve their goals and dreams and realise their potential.
