“Being an entrepreneur isn’t just a job title, and it isn’t just about starting a business. It’s a state of mind. It’s about seeing connections to things that others simply cannot, seizing opportunities others won’t, and forging new directions that others haven’t even pondered on.”
Welcome to Episode 51:30 Things Being An Entrepreneur Taught Us!
Starting a business is not always as easy as it sounds. Some may even say it’s the hardest things they’ve ever done. There’s a lot of long days filled with as much caffeine as your body can handle, endless meetings, piles of paperwork, strategy pow-wow’s, difficult clients, wonky platforms, sleepless nights and tired mornings all to rinse n’ repeat again the next day. Possibly even a few weekends too! However, through all that, every breathing moment is quite exhilarating -- even while tackling the pain points to grow your empire.
We may not feel those awesome “save the day” superhero moments every single day, and that’s okay. It’s all a part of learning and growing.
Here's what we will be untangling in this episode ...
Are you ready?
Pop in your awesome earbuds and let's dive in!
“Being an entrepreneur isn’t just a job title, and it isn’t just about starting a business. It’s a state of mind. It’s about seeing connections to things that others simply cannot, seizing opportunities others won’t, and forging new directions that others haven’t even pondered on.”
Welcome to Episode 51:30 Things Being An Entrepreneur Taught Us!
Starting a business is not always as easy as it sounds. Some may even say it’s the hardest things they’ve ever done. There’s a lot of long days filled with as much caffeine as your body can handle, endless meetings, piles of paperwork, strategy pow-wow’s, difficult clients, wonky platforms, sleepless nights and tired mornings all to rinse n’ repeat again the next day. Possibly even a few weekends too! However, through all that, every breathing moment is quite exhilarating -- even while tackling the pain points to grow your empire.
We may not feel those awesome “save the day” superhero moments every single day, and that’s okay. It’s all a part of learning and growing.
Here's what we will be untangling in this episode ...
Are you ready?
Pop in your awesome earbuds and let's dive in!
Starting a business is not always as easy as it sounds. Some may even say it’s the hardest things they’ve ever done. There’s a lot of long days filled with as much caffeine as your body can handle, endless meetings, piles of paperwork, strategy pow-wow’s, difficult clients, wonky platforms, sleepless nights and tired mornings all to rinse n’ repeat again the next day. Possibly even a few weekends too!
However, through all that, every breathing moment is quite exhilarating.
In the beginning, no matter your niche, nobody really knows what the heck they’re doing. Or even what to expect from one day to the next. But we just keep trucking along, telling ourselves it will be okay. That things will get easier …
As entrepreneurs, we sometimes tend to bite off a little more than we can chew -- hoping we will learn quickly how to chew it.
In the next handful of months, I’ll be rolling into my 16th year in business, and my fifth year as a full-timer. I’ve been lucky enough -- and very grateful -- to have a full support system at my side every single step of the way. But truthfully for a moment, nothing I did really prepared me for all the potholes I tried to avoid, but constantly fell into. And you know me, I’m crazy organized and pretty resourceful.
I thought I had read all the books and blogs, listened to all the podcasts, downloaded all the guides, joined all the social media groups, attended all the webinars and workshops, asked to advise from wiser entrepreneurial sidekicks who’ve “been there, done that” and so many networking events I’ve lost count.
Still, nothing prepared me for all the hoops I needed to jump through and all the extra hats I had to wear. Things I honestly didn’t even think about in the very beginning. But over the years, I’ve had some time to sit back and reflect on everything I’ve accomplished … from good clients to difficult ones, from mistakes that created learning experiences to learning new platforms, design tricks and better ways of time management. And even though some of those potholes hurt like f’in hell my business is still in one piece and better because of it all.
And even more importantly, I’m still in one piece and I’m feeling like a superhero!
*Even Batman rose from the abyss …
I don’t feel those awesome “save the day” superhero moments every single day, and that’s okay. It’s all a part of learning and growing. And with that being said, I wanted to create this extra special “untangling” episode for you today -- to start the year off right since we’ve just cruised on into January -- by sharing with you 30 very important things I learnt in my first year of as a full-timer in business. And it’s my honest to goodness hope that some of the items help you earlier on in your entrepreneurial adventure!
If you think about it … Being an entrepreneur isn’t just a job title, and it isn’t just about starting a business. It’s a state of mind. It’s about seeing connections to things that others simply cannot, seizing opportunities others won’t, and forging new directions that others haven’t even pondered on.
So, let’s be honest here by taking a quick virtual turn to the 30 things list I just shared with you … some days are great -- we wake up feeling motivated and ready to take on the world, and come up with ideas and solutions quickly to the problems we face. But even superheroes have bad days!
Maybe you’re feeling lazy today for all the extra hours you’ve been putting in over the last few weeks (fair warning: this sounds like the start of a recipe for burnout). Or you’re having trouble coming up with that genius creative solution to a problem you need solved. Inspiration just seems beyond your grasp!
Well, whatever it is that has you feeling stuck lately, be prepared to feel inspired ….
I’m here today to tell you that part of the problem has to do with finding that perfect work-life balance. Many entrepreneurs, including myself, just do not give themselves enough attention (physically and mentally). We eat whatever is quickest to make or nearest our fingertips if we even stop to eat at all. We work until the wee hours of the night even when our brain is giving us warning signs that we’ve pushed the limit for the day. This lifestyle is a recipe for burnout and for us to do good for the entrepreneurial world, we need to feel good. So, well-being should be a #1 priority!
With that in mind … Are you ready to create some change?
Truthfully, you must let the inspiration come to you. The more you try to chase it down, the further it’s going to get and the less success you’re going to have catching up to it. To help with creating some change in your business life to let creativity and inspiration flow more easily, here is a small list of things we like to do to switch things up …
I’ve heard people say that entrepreneurs are crazy. Maybe they are right. However, we are the ones who change the world AND get to live our dream doing it ... freedom, fame, purpose, and change. And due to those factors, it seems that more and more people want to become an entrepreneur. And with all that lifestyle greatness that comes along with the title, why not?
However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows!
So, to end things off today I want to share with you the most important trait you need as a movement leader, resilience. Resilience is the virtue that enables people to move through hardship and become better.
You’re going to make mistakes, and you’re going to be told by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people that what you’re trying to accomplish simply can’t be done BUT it's our "crazy" strategies and tactics that are going to change the world.
So, with that being said, here is my open-hearted letter to YOU...
Dear entrepreneurial friends,
It’s human nature to avoid pain and seek pleasure. Some of us take risks while others play it safe. Some of us see problems and answers while other see the status quo. Some of us feed off our comfort zones while others see hiding behind this as failure. The path isn’t always easy, and the survival rate is bleak. But it’s the mental tools that keep our journey intact. And one of those very important tools is resilience.
Having this ability is crucial if you want your business to grow and last. And like any shift in thinking … it doesn’t happen overnight. We need to be practical with the steps we choose to take on our path in order to build resilience and become better equipped to handle issues, difficult clients, not-so-strong team members and setbacks as we grow our business. Especially in the start-up phases.
Fear holds us back. Dark cloudy days and setbacks are unavoidable and surely not pleasant. However, they also have the potential to be your engine of personal growth. (Also, in our daily lives beyond business hours.) The difference between success and failure comes down to who’s willing to stick it out in the smartest ways possible. And that’s resilience.
Pain plus reflection equals progress.
So, see yourself as a fighter. Go with the gifts you were given. Trust your gut. (It’s always right!) Take time to re-boot. Be gracious about your losses. (Even ones that shatter your world!) Learn as you go. Don’t give up. Keep reminding yourself why you’re doing this worthy work because who better to take it on than you. And believe in yourself, because then others will believe in you too!
With all the Virtual Love in the World;
Crystal