What I learned from my first two businesses
The most important thing, if this is all your read from this blog, is to start before you are ready.
Start before you know all the ins and outs of running a business. We tend to hold ourselves back because we don’t know the “how” to everything we are doing, and continuously sabotage our success by not putting in the action anyway.
If you know the first step to take, take it. The answers for the rest of the steps will present themselves as you do the work.
Don’t wait until you know it all. That won’t happen. As you evolve the more you will continue to relearn things at your new level.
But I totally get the fear that holds you back. Sometimes the easiest way to unblock this is by hiring a mentor that is currently where you want to be with your business/life. If this sounds like you, let’s chat.
I do want to leave you with some additional guidance to get you going.
These are three things I learned from my first 2 businesses.
First of all, they were both side hustles. I didn’t intend to start a business, I fell into it and I am so glad I did. It taught me many things that when I was ready to be a business owner I took leaps instead of sideways steps.
1.Learn how to price things to sell.
At first, in my furniture flipping side gig, I was pricing things based on what others were selling similar items for. The problem with that was twofold:
I was not taking into account all the costs associated with each item I was selling.
Pricing it based on what others were selling put me either too far outside my comfort zone or didn’t make me feel excited to sell the items. Both of which create an energetic “we are closed for business” sign.
2. Create a plan for long-term growth.
I was focused on selling what was in front of me, which meant that there were months when I only had one item to sell. I didn’t have a plan or strategy to keep inventory and create a product suite that would have helped me increase my income without always having to trade my time for it.
3. Learn to sell in a way that feels good to you.
In the MLM company I had signed up for, their marketing strategy at the time was to push your products by starting a casual conversation and then following it up with a pushy sale. This was not my vibe. And I felt like I was annoying everyone I knew. It didn’t feel authentic.
I hope these tips help you take a few leaps forward in your business journey.
Remember that failure doesn’t exist. It is just a lesson you need to learn to be able to grow to the next level.
Not sure what your first step should be? Fill out this form and I’ll send you what I think the next best step is for you.
