Thinking of Being an Entrepreneur? 5 Tips You Need
March was a tough month for me. It was the first time that being an entrepreneur really hit home for me. While I'm revealing myself under the covers here, I might as well admit that so was February. I lost myself somehow. Just a bit, or wholeheartedly, I could argue. Not on purpose really. I didn't even see it coming and then there it was. Insecurity. I let it creep in and take hold and boy did it do a number on me. I'm not proud to admit it. I won't rant and rave (for long at least...) but I will say that starting a new business is. Hard with a capital H. It can be very isolating, lonely, and just plain scary. Then to add insult to injury, let's couple that with my human nature to compare myself to others and their successes and I think you're starting to get the picture of "Conni, the Insecure." Not quite the super hero I envisioned myself to be.
Being an entrepreneur, I was mentally beating myself up with 1) Does anyone read my content? 2) Why aren't my numbers high enough? 3) Where is... 4) Why haven't I heard back from... 5) Aren't I good enough? Crash, bang, boom. There I was sitting alone amidst the throngs of empty boats.
And with all that, I started to lose my voice, my confidence, and instead of being in the swirly, whirly world of blogging & styling gumdrops like my good friend Buddy the Elf would have put it, I was in the swirly, whirly world of losing out on why I started my business in the first place. I did some reflecting and lots of listening and discovered a few things worth noting.
Here are my little nuggets of advice about being an entrepreneur (in case anyone was asking...). Ah, the good stuff:
- You win some, you lose some. Starting a business tests the boundaries of friendships. You will lose some friends. But, you will gain trusted advisors whom you can turn to with your fears and they will give you sage advice. When in doubt, turn to those people. They will build you up and you will be thankful for them.
- You will do a lot of work, for nothing, until it becomes something. You will put a lot, let me reiterate, Uh, Whole, Lot of work into your budding business and you will try, like the little engine that could, to get people to notice what you do. Keep trying. It's working. I have to remind myself every damn day that IT takes time. (I'm impatient. My father always knew it.) And then, after some time, what you thought was nothing becomes something so fantastic.
- Reach out, far and wide. Collaborate your booty off. Twitter and blogging has been a wonderful world of connections. It has brought me relationships with other bloggers who share what they love with me and allow me to share what I love with them. Set a goal to collaborate with someone once a week.
- When you feel lonely, get coffee. (Do not turn to social media!) Social media is my vice. I love it. I hate it. But whenever I'm feeling a lack of creativity, as much as I want to look at what everybody else is doing, I can't, and you shouldn't (if you're anything like me), because all I do is compare and wind up feeling deflated. What has worked for me is to literally take a coffee break. Whether it's by myself or asking a friend for coffee (which by the way is one of my most brain inspiring activities) I just need to grab some java and re-connect away from the social media pull.
- Numbers aren't everything. But they're sure are tough to get away from. We live in a numbers-driven world. Sorry folks. It's a harsh reality that I've had to face. More business, more numbers, more numbers, more business. It's a vicious cycle. An being an entrepreneur, that is exactly what you're business is focused on. But let me tell ya, if you become too focused on numbers, you will lose yourself and become focused on the wrong things, like I did. So what to do? Re-read pieces of advice 2, 3, and 4, and engrain that into your brain. Mantra. Say it with me now....remember why you're doing what you're doing and stick to it! Stay true to you. And the numbers will come. And being an entrepreneur will finally start to feel pretty great again!
(Image from the darling daughter of my friend Bonnie from A Golden Afternoon)
What have I learned about being an entrepreneur? I learned it's time to renew and get back to who I am. April has goodness in store. I'm focusing on finding my way to that goodness and sharing it with you. Please share with me your struggles and successes in business or friendship. I'd love to hear what's worked and what hasn't for you.
Helpful Link: Here is a great link from the Everygirl about how to market your new website or business given to me from my darling friend Natalie of Thoughts by Natalie.