7 Things I Wish Someone Told me When I Started my Business
I’ve been running my own business for years and I’m still learning new things every day. I’ve made mistakes and learned from them, but there are some lessons that would have been helpful to know before I started out. The following list is what I wish the people around me would have told me when I first started out:
You don’t have to follow the rules
One of the most important things you need to know, as a business owner, is that you don’t have to follow the rules. You will be given advice from everyone around you about how things should be done and when things should happen — and they might not always be right.
You’re in charge of your own company, so don’t let anyone tell you what’s right or wrong for your business! If someone gives you advice that doesn’t sit right with your gut (or if it just doesn’t make sense), then don’t do it! Your intuition is there for a reason; trust yourself and go with it.
Remember: there are no right answers when starting a new business…only choices! Choose wisely and take action on anything that feels like the best option at that moment in time — even if it goes against other people’s suggestions or advice from friends or colleagues who may not understand exactly what’s unique about YOUR company's needs/goals/values etc.
Watch who you take advice from
Although it can be difficult to discern who you should listen to, I recommend finding someone who has a similar background as you, and whose advice is based on their own experience. If they’re not in the same industry as you, or if they don’t understand the goals of your business, then what they say may not apply.
When someone is jealous of your success (and therefore sees it as an opportunity to put others down), they’re not likely to give honest feedback — in fact, they’re more likely to criticize everything about your business. Be careful of this type of person; although they might have good intentions at heart and genuinely want to help out by giving advice, it’s unlikely that their comments will carry much weight with you.
Don’t forget who you are
It’s easy to get caught up in the hype and lose sight of your goals, especially as a young entrepreneur. Don’t let success get to your head — especially if it’s not earned. Be true to yourself and remember who you were when you started out: someone who was willing to work hard for their dream, but also realize that it may take more time than expected or even fail completely before finding success (or at least learning something).
Make time for family
You don’t have to be an expert at everything, but you do need to know that you are a good role model, listener, communicator, and friend. If your kids learn how to treat people by watching how you treat others in business, they will grow up knowing what they should expect from other people. They will also learn how important it is to give back and give of yourself so others can thrive too. It is important for your kids to see the person behind the wheel of their own dreams — even if those dreams don’t include starting a business (yet).
Embrace change and failure
Failure is part of the process.
Failure is not the end.
Failure is not the same as failure. If you’re trying something new and it doesn’t work, that’s a great way to find out what does!
I know this one may sound silly, but it would have been nice to hear from someone who had gone through similar experiences and was telling me things were going to be okay (and they were).
Relax and have fun!
If you are a business owner, it is very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of running your company. It’s important to remember to take time for yourself so that you can relax and have fun. This might mean relaxing at home with your family, going on vacation with friends, or even just taking some time out for yourself during the day when you need it most. If this is not something that comes naturally to you, then make sure that it becomes part of your routine right away!
When starting my own business I wanted everything to be perfect from the very beginning; however, no matter how hard I tried there were always things I could improve upon which led me into a negative spiral where every little thing became a big issue in my mind (and sometimes still does). The problem was not really in my head but rather because I was comparing myself with others around me who had been running their businesses successfully for years while working full-time jobs at other companies as well (which makes sense since they had more experience than me). Instead of worrying about what other people think about how well/poorly your business is doing — focus on improving yourself instead!
If you want to run a successful business, make sure you are in the right mindset.
Your mindset is the most important thing. The reason why some people succeed at things while others fail is that they have different mindsets and they apply them in their daily lives. If you have a growth mindset, then your chances of success increase dramatically.
Mindset is like a muscle: the more you work it out and exercise it, the stronger it gets! If you want to change your mindset for something better (for example: being kinder towards people around us), we need to realize that this takes time and effort; we can’t just snap our fingers one day and expect our inner demons to disappear overnight!
Conclusion
When starting a business, it’s easy to get caught up in all the hype about what you should do. But at the end of the day, your own ideas and opinions are what will make your business successful or not — and that’s something only you can decide. Don’t be afraid to take risks when trying new things; sometimes they work out well, and sometimes they don’t. But remember: even if something doesn’t turn out as planned, there are always new opportunities ahead!
