6 Lessons I've Learned as an Entrepreneur
It’s just under three years later since I took the leap from employee to entrepreneur. The journey has been far from easy and on some days I still question if it’s truly worth it. I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way from making such a major transition and I wanted to share my top five. These are things i wish I had known in the beginning and hopefully they will help the next aspiring creator:
1. Failure is a Part of Life: I don’t know one successful person who hasn’t failed at something multiple times. There seems to be some unspoken rule where entrepreneurs can only share their success stories. Not enough are sharing their failures along the way. It is from my failures these last three years that I learned the most lessons. So when failure hits, take the lesson in and move forward.
2. Don’t Let College be the Only Time You Invest in Yourself: This one was a hard pill to swallow. Notice how it’s perfectly acceptable to borrow huge sums of money to get a formal education, but the minute we graduate, we start telling ourselves we don’t need to invest in ourselves anymore and that if we’re smart, we should to be able to figure it out for free. This is backwards. Invest in that course. Buy that piece of equipment. If you believe it will take your business to the next level don’t be afraid to invest in what makes you happy.
3. Passion Vs. Discipline: Being your own boss is not as easy as it sounds. In order to work for yourself you have to be equal amounts of passionate and disciplined. Trust me when I say that it’s easier to stick to someone else’s deadlines than your own. I mean, who’s going to yell at you when you don’t complete your own deadlines? The voice in your head? This is something I am still struggling with. I’ve put off blog posts, videos and other content ideas for weeks because no one was on top of me about it. Writing things down in my planner and looking at it multiple times daily has helped a great deal.
4. Community is Everything: Who you surround yourself with during this time Is crucial. Having the right people in your circle to support you and hold you accountable will get you through the rough patches. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the amazing community I have. For the people who consistently engage on my content to my inner circle who loves and supports me for the person that I actually am.
5. Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Quitting your job will bring you more work before it brings you freedom. There is no such thing as overnight success. I’m three years in and still not 100% comfortable. Be sure you’re okay with that.
6. Your Friends and Family are NOT Your Target Audience: This is a hard pill to swallow for most entrepreneurs. Just because your friends and family haven’t made a purchase from you does not mean they don’t support you. Support comes in many forms. In most cases, strangers will become your customers way before your friends or family would and this is not always a bad thing
