A long time ago I used to dream about having my own business. Matter of fact, my father told me when I was a little girl that I behaved like a businesswoman. I can’t tell you what he meant by that then, but at this very moment I believe I was made for this!
Have you ever thought you could do something but you were scared and so you froze and did nothing? I believe there are a lot of you who read this blog that have amazing talents, as well as aspirations, but someone or something has made you believe you shouldn’t do something about it.
Well, I’m here to tell you—GO FOR IT!!!
Creating a business is fun. Running a business is work. Maintaining a business is risky. But, it’s ALL worth it! April 19th was was the 6th anniversary of my small business. It’s not what it was when I began. Far from it. It was a tiny idea with a very small vision. But, after 2 years of slowly building a social media presence, followed by a couple of employment terminations (which I thank God for today!) I expanded my little dream into a fulfilling lifestyle. By the way, I haven’t regretted one bit being my own boss since this path began. Here’s a few of my inside secrets:
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- I used my former jobs to learn how to offer high quality customer service and how to conduct an effective meeting by watching how awful most managers were at facilitating their own.
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- I wrote a small business plan by searching Google and downloading a few free ones to use as a template.
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- As often as I could I attended small business development, social media and finance and budgeting courses from my local Small Business Administration. These were free classes taught by experts in their respective field. The bonus with that was receiving emails afterwards for additional business services from legal counsel to tax preparation services.
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- I read as many books as I could, and still do, about starting a business, scaling a business and creating multiple streams of income. Here’s a short list of a few of my fave books.
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- And last, but surely not least, I tasked myself with monthly networking opportunities. It was never boring on that end. I attended socials and after work events that didn’t involve my industry (I like being 1 of a few in the room in my field) like book readings and film screenings. The cocktail hour always forced me to speak to people and hand out my business card, when I used to use those. Now, it’s all about the virtual business links. At other times I networked online. The best place for me at this stage of the game is LinkedIn. Not only do I reconnect with former colleagues there from time to time, but my current writing coach found me there and it’s where I also found my current financial coach.
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The best thing about building my company has been the ways I’ve invested in myself. Owning a business is more than being your own boss. It includes continuously developing your craft, learning skills and building mutually beneficial relationships.
If you’re looking to do something big this year, what is it and where would you like to begin? I’m here for support. Let me know by dropping me a note below about how you want to change an idea into an ideal life.
*This blog is about becoming free. It’s a reflection of introspective thoughts and experiences that have crossed miles of self-discovery. I created this blog to inspire others to live life with less self-criticism, judgment and openness to new experiences. May you find that you learn how to live a life by design and on your own terms!*