When I started to explore having my own business, I was completely and utterly unprepared for the reality! I was sure my corporate experience would stand me in good stead, and it did to a degree, but I still had so much to learn. Here is a list of some of the things I’ve learned, if you’d like to hear more detail on each topic, sign up to my blog and get a new insight every week 😊
Your Life | Your Business – a decade of small business learning
- You are the most important asset in your business – be kind to yourself, take care of you
- You are probably the hardest boss you never had – see point 1!
- Take time off, you must protect yourself from burn out – see point 1!
- You can’t do everything yourself (you will become a jack of all trades and master of none) find the WHO’s that you need in your business and outsource tasks to them
- Understand the fundamentals of what you are outsourcing before you ask others to help, it prevents costly mistakes
- Aim for mastery, anything else is the same as anyone else
- You need a business family, your own family (and friends) simply don’t cut it as a sounding board – they love you too much and they bring their own sh*t to the party!
- You need FOCUS to work for yourself. There’s lots of bright shiny objects to distract you, all cunningly disguised as being a busy business owner!
- Don’t be drawn in to the ‘shoulds’ you should run your life and your business your way – yes, I’m aware of the irony
- Don’t go shopping when you’re hungry! Get a coach, or a specialist to help you BEFORE you need it, otherwise it’s like shopping when you’re hungry – you buy crisps, cream cakes and biscuits, instead of fruit and veg. And that can be costly in time and money (and the waistline!)
- Get your systems in place – there are so many benefits to documenting your systems, but primarily, if it’s in your head it’s not repeatable, so your quality is subject to your mood
- Make progress every day, doing that builds momentum which has a compound effect
- Build good habits, doing just 1 thing everyday moves the needle 365 steps in a year – see point 11!
- You no longer get paid for every hour you work – You need to spend time growing your business and running your business, these hours are not ‘paid’ for
- You will very likely undercharge your first few clients – constantly review your pricing and learn to appreciate your value
- And finally, (in the same way that super actors are listed at the beginning of a film – this is the biggie) You must understand your numbers – it’s the one area that will make a huge impact on your decision-making capabilities – and usually the last area people want to get into at their detriment!