What are The Realities of Starting A New Business?
When we start a new business or move from being an employee to a business owner, there are a lot of practical things we have to consider. Things like choosing the right business banking account. But those aren’t the things I want to talk to you about today. Today, I want to talk about the realities that come from starting something new.
There are things you might not have really thought about or have not spoken out about, since starting your business, things that many business owners go through, myself included. So today, let’s explore what some of those realities are.
Do it your own way
As you develop your business, you will naturally look to other people in your field to see what they are doing. You might buy a course, download information or go online and see what others are doing, and how you want to create something similar. However, it is very easy to get stuck on someone else’s blueprint but your business needs to be aligned with you.
So whilst there’s nothing wrong with checking out what other people are doing, make sure you only take away the ideas that feel good to you and suit your business. Don’t be tempted to copy someone else’s blueprint and processes because whilst it might look like that business is successful, the reason for that is that they are thriving in a business that works for them, and you have to find a way to make yours work for you, in your own way.
If you put the processes of another business in place and follow what they are doing step-by-step, there is no guarantee you will replicate the same results, in fact, chances are you definitely won’t because those processes are not aligned with you. Take the information you need, and make it your own.
Don’t ever do something that does not feel good to you. Most people build a business to build freedom, to build something they don’t want to escape from. Copying someone else will not create a sustainable business and eventually you will not enjoy it.
2. Our Energy
When we start to do something new for the first time we get really excited and are often full of enthusiasm, but the reality is, at some point, your energy will drop, you will feel the highs and you will also feel the lows.
If we don’t learn to manage our energy, we will find ourselves hitting a wall, suffering from burnout and, with not enough energy in the tank to run the business. Managing our energy is so important because we need to ride a wave of emotions as we build our business, the feeling of needing to work all the hours possible to get it off the ground seems possible when your energy is through the roof, but what about when it isn’t?
It’s important to acknowledge and accept that you won’t always feel such high energy and that at times it will be frazzled, and when that happens, you need t know what you need to protect your energy and to protect yourself. Sitting in push mode will leave you not well enough to run your business. Ensure you manage your energy and that it is sustainable.
3. Support Systems
Who are your support systems? Who do you know that has done what you are doing, who do you know that just ‘gets it’? in those early days your team will be quite small, you might just have a freelancer working with you so it’s important you are amongst people that understand what you do.
It’s all very well and good family and friends being there for you, but they might not understand the process you are going through and that can be a lonely place. So whether you find your support through masterclasses or social media channels, it’s important to find a support network that helps you feel like you have people around you that understand.
Very often business owners have a feeling of being ok, they can do it all themselves, they don’t need anyone, but there is nothing wrong with sitting down with a coffee with someone going through what you are going through and sharing your thoughts and even you’re failures.
Staring at the glossy screens of social media that share only the good bits of everything, can make you feel like you’re doing something wrong. Therefore having someone you can speak to honestly when things don’t go well, is hugely important.
There will be highly supportive people in your lives such as your family, however, their comments might not be as supportive as you would like, such as asking how many clients you have or suggesting you do more work and fewer courses. The reason for this is that these people often just don’t ‘get it’. Unsolicited advice about how to run your business is not very helpful so, accept that it’s ok not to take that advice on, even if the intentions are positive.
The last thing to say about this, is to try to have people around you that have done or are doing what you are doing because it will help you to feel inspired and to see that it can be done.
4. You can’t do it all alone
It’s so easy to feel like you’re superman or superwoman and that you can do it all alone, trust me, I’ve been there. In the early days, we don’t always have the funds to invest in taking on help either and we can often get stuck in the weeds of the now. You want to build your website you want to start getting clients, you want to do everything right away.
In those early days, you need to think about creating a sustainable business that isn’t a job, and you simply fulfilling a role. You can’t be the accountant, the PR person, the marketing person and then be the person doing everything that needs to be done in your business. As soon as it is viable you need to consider outsourcing. It might be taking on an accountant in the early days, the amount of time and money they save you is well worth the investment. Take on board recommendations, it will help you find someone you trust.
If you can afford some sort of support, what does that look like for you? It could be that you take on a VA. The way the world works now you can take on some help for just a few hours a month and it isn’t hugely expensive. Taking on support in such a way can often be done by picking it up as and when you need it. It might even be support from a family member. My husband is a musician and he does my editing for me which takes a lot off my plate.
You might even consider taking on someone to help with the kids to free up your time. The bottom line is, you can’t do it all alone, stop acting like the Lone Ranger, it isn’t sustainable for you to do every single thing in your business, every single day, without being stuck at a certain level, or having a breakdown.
The initial day-to-day can be messy, so keep thinking of the long-term and what that picture looks like. Even if you take small steps at a time such as outsourcing small elements of your website or help with a bit of copy here and there, build up to it incrementally.
5. Celebrate!
Celebrate your achievements, whether that’s the first client or referral, it is so important to be grateful to yourself for putting yourself out there and doing something not everyone can do, and something that you’re doing for yourself.
You have behaved in such a brave way to start a business, so when taking that courageous step, you need to be in deep gratitude for every single one of your successes. Therefore, whenever something happens that deserves to be celebrated, allow yourself to celebrate it.
Come and hang out with me on LinkedIn, please say Hi! I would love to hear from you!