How I Found Freedom From My Business Monkey Trap
Uh-oh. Gotta let go!
I have been trapped building my own business for 20 years. Here’s how I escaped.
A couple of weeks ago, I was discussing with my wife how liberating it has been this year to put my corporate training/consulting business on autopilot and focus on the customers that have always mattered to me most (individuals, consultants, creatives, micro-businesses).
She brought up that wonderfully striking imagery of a monkey trap - wherein a monkey reaches in to grab some tempting food through a hole small enough to get its hand in - but too small to draw the hand back out while grasping the treat.
I was that monkey. As long as I couldn’t let go of that enticing banana, I wasn’t able to open my hands to new opportunities.
I had determined to build a business that would provide the revenue our family needed, and that also allowed me to develop my Clarity framework. Nothing wrong with that. However, for the longest time, I couldn’t let go. I couldn’t allow myself to be free. I was soul-attached to that business idol.
All my selling, marketing, writing, social media, and strategy were wrapped up in building that business framework.
Unfortunately, the business model I chose felt like constantly pushing a boulder uphill. I was making enough money to meet our needs, but Sisyphus-like, I felt like I was never able to reach my true goals. Which = transforming lives through clarity.
A state of frustration and futility set in. Each day, I felt like I was speaking into a void and getting back only crickets in response. Mute crickets, at that. Of course, I was adding plenty of value during that time, for plenty of people. My work was legit. But it wasn’t my best fit.
At an Unconference earlier this year, a stranger, after a brief exchange, absolutely nailed the issue. I was discussing how I didn’t have a podcast because I could never find the “business justification” for it. He looked me in the eye and asked directly, “Is that how you measure everything? Through short-term business growth only?”
That one question pierced and haunted me. He was absolutely correct. He saw the monkey trap long before I did (after all, you can’t read the label of the jar you’re in).
graphic by @gapingvoid
I had been convinced for years that, at some point in my 60s, I was going to transition to putting the majority of my energy into people like me. People who NEEDED clarity to rise above the noise and competition, and succeed. And so, about a year ago, I decided it was time to make the shift, whether there was a clear revenue model or not.
(I seem to be drawn to this kind of decision, since there was no established revenue model for what I decided to launch 20 years ago! I don’t actually recommend this for others…)
Starting in early 2025, I began to network widely and openly, trusting that new business opportunities would present themselves. My new motto was simply, “Be Steve, do clarity stuff with people, trust God, and watch what happens.”
The transformation has been remarkable! I am now pushing forward a handful of initiatives that bring value to others and show great promise for growth. But even better: my creative energy level and networking joy have exploded. I am having more fun and fulfillment than ever before, in my entire 40+ year work history.
With my friend David Ask, who leads a Mastermind group that has been full of encouragement over the past two years
Am I still available to do my training workshops and clarity consulting for large organizations? Absolutely. But I am no longer trapped in that business model, that identity. I’m a free agent, free to help any people and companies that need clear direction and messaging.
I’m Steve, the clarity guy. How can I help you?
Subscribe to my weekly LinkedIn newsletter, the Clarity Blend