It’s officially a year since I took my leap and launched my business and what a year it’s been!
Going on this business adventure has been incredible and it truly is a rollercoaster ride, so this article is for all of you considering stepping out of your comfort zone and starting your own business.
It is a daunting experience and definitely not for everyone, but if you’ve made up your mind and you’re committed to doing it then here are some of the key lessons from my journey that may help you on yours.
Lesson 1: Do the things that scare you
Starting a business is scary and there are thousands of firsts in your first year, some scarier than others, but you are constantly faced with new and unknown situations which means that fear is a constant companion. This can be debilitating if you let it guide your decisions. But if you acknowledge it and embrace the fact that it’s just part of the journey because you’re crafting your own path it becomes easier to make the decisions you need to make.
And sometimes the things that scare you the most are the ones that will actually pay off the most as well. For me that was signing up to do my elevator pitch at a live networking event – full transparency I almost chickened out – but it was an incredible event. I met other supportive business owners, had an opportunity to get feedback on how my pitch resonated with people, and even built relationships that led to paying clients.
That is just one of the ‘scary’ things that I didn’t feel ready for that I forced myself to do. Sometimes all it takes is 5 seconds of bravery to say yes to an opportunity and then focus on making it happen despite the doubts. 99% of the time all the things you were worried about never actually come true and it works out a lot better than you expected.
In addition to bravely saying yes when you really want to say no, is shifting the focus to be more on the intention of stretching yourself and learning from the experience instead of seeing it in binary terms of succeeding or failing at whatever you’re trying out.
When your goal is to learn then it doesn’t matter if the experience is positive or negative – either way you succeed.
Fear is one of the most common ways we hold ourselves back, so next time you have an opportunity that could be great for your business (see Lesson 4) and that thought of ‘I could never do that.’ pops up, challenge yourself, be brave for 5 seconds, and say ‘yes’ instead!
Lesson 2: Find networks that work for you
No matter what business you are in you are ultimately selling to people and growing your network is a key part of building your business. This is easier said than done, especially if you’re more introverted and shy, and the thought of meeting a group of strangers to talk about your business fills you with absolute dread.
However, the benefits of stepping out of your comfort zone and exploring networking spaces to find the ones that work for you greatly outweigh the short-term discomfort. It also becomes easier the more you do it, so you just have to push yourself the first few times (see Lesson 1) before you find people and groups you resonate with.
Take some time to reframe how you see networking and figure out what type of events work for you as it will have a tremendous impact on your growth journey.
For me big in-person events or groups that are too structured don’t work, but I’m really happy I tried them out, because it allowed me to learn from the experiences and see what other people are doing. I eventually found two groups (Future Females and Explore Protech) that really resonated with me and that’s where I consistently focus the majority of my networking energy. However, I don’t close myself off to other events because you never know who you’re going to meet and what one conversation may spark.
Finding the right network provides you with support, advice, information, collaboration opportunities, referrals, and even direct sales. It can be such a lonely journey when you’re working for yourself, but it doesn’t have to be.
Lesson 3: Have an improvement mindset
When you start your business you start it with preconceived ideas and assumptions and a certain skillset and then you expose yourself and your business to more people, ideas, and information and some of those original ideas, assumptions and skills will be challenged, because we don’t know everything!
What you start out with will absolutely change as you grow your business, if you are open to improving yourself and your business, and that is a great thing. From your brand, your website, your offering, and your elevator pitch, to even your types of clients – nothing except the vision you have for your business is off limits to change.
You are absorbing so much new information in those first few months and you’re testing assumptions, talking to people, refining your understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve and improving your skillset throughout, so it’s only natural that your business evolves a lot with you.
When you know better, you can do better.
However, it doesn’t mean it’s easy to face feedback that challenges key assumptions you’ve made. That’s why it’s so important to learn to separate your own self-worth and identify from your business, so that you can be open to feedback and not feel personally attacked or judged when an assumption is is questioned. Being open to new information and not doubling down on your own beliefs when faced with feedback that invalidates assumptions allows you to objectively evaluate it and make a conscious decision to either pivot or disregard it instead of defaulting to ignoring it.
You have the freedom to adapt and grow your business every step of the way, so taking on that adventure with an improvement mindset will make a huge difference in your success journey.
Lesson 4: Check your compass regularly
When the only constant is change, how do you make sure you evolve in the right direction and that you’re not just jumping at each and every opportunity that comes your way? That’s where your compass, your north star, your vision comes in. When you are clear about why you started your business, what your goal is and what problem you want to address then it gives you the guidelines to be able to make decisions that will keep you aligned.
I’ve had incredible opportunities that I had to say no to as it wasn’t the right time or the right direction for me and my business currently and as hard as that was, knowing what I want to achieve and what my current limits are gave me peace about those decisions.
Be clear about your vision and your why as it will help guide your decisions.
You are going to be faced with unexpected opportunities and collaborations, but you need to know what is going to be in your best interest, so calibrate that compass and check it regularly so you have the guiding light you need to map out your own journey. This will allow you to make decisions more objectively and not allow you to hold yourself back just because of fear or jump in when you’re feeling hyped up.
Lesson 5: Get to know yourself well
When you’re running your own business, especially as a solopreneur, you are your business, so your strengths, weaknesses, values, and beliefs come with you and shape your business. By going in with your eyes open it allows you to acknowledge what works for you and your business and what doesn’t. From productivity techniques to recharging activities, by knowing what makes you tick it allows you to work around it.
The perk of running your own business is that you have the freedom to shape the business to work for you.
For me that means that I create meeting-free space in my calendar after big networking events because I know they drain me, so I give myself the space to recharge or I know that I’m generally more creative in the morning, so I block off time to create your content or strategize.
You have the freedom to create a space that works for you, to shape it around your commitments and schedules, your ebbs and flows, your strengths and weaknesses, so get to know yourself, pay attention to what works and what doesn’t, and use that freedom to shape your business to your advantage.
So much goes into starting a business (check out the throwback to Turning a Leap into a Hop) and so much goes into creating a business that not only lasts but also thrives, so take some time to reflect on your journey, and save and share the lessons, so that we can all learn together and help each other build a world that benefits us all.