wtf are you doing?

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Some of y’all don’t love it when I curse in these (sorry mom!). But ya know? I’ve taken a break for the summer and I’m on a bit of a rant so I’m coming in hot today with a return to a very basic question.

Never did I ever think that this question would be the insightful, challenging, thought provoking question I’d bring to my clients. But here it is, ringing in my head over and over and over again. Not with condescension but with love and earnest pleading: What the fuck are you doing?

• when a founder is 15 years in and still working to square up what exactly is most meaningful about their work.

• When a board chair sends a 6 page strategy document that ends with “Unresolved considerations: what is our primary purpose?”

• When I talk with the entrepreneur who is so nervous about slowing momentum that they don’t have time to define what it is they’re building towards.

Listen, you know what’s not hard? Willy-nilly, haphazard growth. Doing ~mOrE~ stuff.

You know what is hard? Like really hard? And, call me an idealist here but, also critical for any hope of our collective thriving? Growth that’s intentional. And Aligned. With your vision. And your values.

I’m not asking you to do more. We are all running a little low on margin these days. I’m asking the the opposite. Do less. Do better.¹

Without answering this question - you end up decades into building a thing, still unsure if you’re any closer than when you started. You end up floundering between business models because all you were chasing was momentum. You constantly re-invent offerings because you’re searching for positive feedback instead of something that accomplishes what you want it to. You cannot make any meaningful, smart decisions without knowing what you’re trying to do here.

So ask it with me: What 👏 are 👏 we 👏 doing?

A year from now:

• What will it look like for you if you’ve “done it”?

• What will it look for for other people if “it worked”? And also, who are those people?

• What changes in the world because you crushed it?

It doesn’t have to be high stakes. It just has to matter to you. To be aligned with your energy and interest.

If you do know what it is - write down and stick it by your monitor. Every single decision you make should put in that direction. If you don’t, spend some time thinking through it or book a clarity workshop.

ILYSM

This Cool Thing I Found -

AKA folks to help you answer this difficult question

Events, free stuff, or cool links I’ve found lately.

🔍📝 Brand Clarity Lab

Designed & led by Jamie Cox, this is a stellar way to dive into this “what are you doing?” question with the support of a thoughtful and supportive expert. The Lab is a 5-week, group experience that helps you craft the essential elements of your brand's foundation—who your ideal clients are, what you offer, why it matters, and how to say it clearly and confidently—so you can talk about your business in a clear and compelling way to the right people. Not ready for the whole 5 weeks? Join a free 2-hour Brand Clarity Check In.

⚙️🗺️ Systems Mapping

If running your main offer feels messier than it should, Devin Lee’s Process Mapping Session is your fix. (As a systems girlie myself, Devin is the one I hire to build my systems!) Devin’s Process Mapping sessions 60-minute deep dive that:

• 👀 Brings clarity to what’s really happening behind the scenes of your offer

• ⚡ Pinpoints inefficiencies and gives you a clear plan to streamline

• 💻 Recommends tech to cut busywork and free you up for high-impact work

Read what others are saying or book it!

💰✊🏿✊🏽 Back Black

It’s Black Philanthropy Month and BackBlack is distributing over $50,000 in direct support —to Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofits. Make sure yours is one of them!

Cheering for you,

I’m Laura Green - a strategist empowering creative leaders to build businesses they love. My work focuses providing you actionable insights and customized strategies to find more impact and less friction. I want you to have the clarity, confidence, and energy to make good stuff happen, to drive profit, and to get back to doing the work you love. As for me - I love charts, good beer, nerdy nature books, and sneakers. When I’m not spinning up spreadsheets, you can find me gardening, hanging with my wonderfully wild kids, or sneaking in a nap. ✌️

1  Thanks to the participants of my group coaching cohort, Layers, for coining this phrase last week.