4 Big Lessons I Learned Running My Own Business For 5 Years
If you've been reading my blog for a while or follow me on my social media, you know that I'm very open about my journey and the mistakes I've made in my five years of being an entrepreneur.
I'm very big on trying to grow and be the best version of yourself, and I think that making mistakes and failing is just one of those things that help us do just that.
So, today, I made a list of 4 big lessons I have learned in the last five years, and I'm sharing it with you so that you save yourself the time and heartache and learn from me.
Also, I think that by sharing this with you, it might be helpful for you to identify if you're making any of these mistakes yourself and don't know about it.
So, let's jump in.
4 Big Lessons I Learned Running My Own Business
Lesson #1: Work with people who have different strengths than you
Yes, it might be tempting to start a business with your close friend who is just like you, but I suggest starting a business and hiring people who have different strengths.
If your business partner has the same strengths as you, you won't be more successful; it's going to be harder to fill in the voids where you both lack the skill in.
The same goes for hiring people. If you already know very well how to write content for your blog, but don't have a clue about running social media, don't hire someone to help you with the blog to make it even better. Hire someone to help you with social media so that it would be as good as your blog.
That is how to grow and improve your business. And when all the voids are filled, then you can start hiring people to take over the things in your business that you're good at, so that you could start working on scaling and other important things.
Read the book "Rocket Fuel" by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters that explains Visionaire and Integrator relationship in the successful company - after reading it, I never looked at my business the same way.
Lesson #2: Clarity always wins
I'm always talking about clarity and why it is important to your business and life in general. And trust me when I say it, it is one of the most crucial parts of your business.
Confused customer buys nothing. Your message and offering must be super clear as nobody wants to sweat, trying to understand what exactly you are offering & how it works.
When creating an offer or a service page, focus on making it as clear and easy for your potential customer to understand and use. Make sure that they know what they can get from you, why they should choose you, and how can they contact you if they're interested.
When in doubt, just remember - simplicity always wins.
Lesson #3: Set boundaries from the beginning
In the first few years of my business, I had no boundaries.
Clients were messaging me on my social media at any hour of the day and night, and I felt the immediate urge to get back, even if it meant leaving another task unfinished. Honestly, it was a hot mess express, but I really wanted to please everyone, and I thought that's the right thing to do.
Finally, one day we changed our contract and included some clear boundaries, and you know what? Our clients are equally as happy as they used to be while I stopped feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
You see, you don't have to be available 24/7 to have happy clients and offer great services. Your clients are also people, and they understand that you're not a robot who is working day and night as is always there to serve them.
So, give yourself a break and don't try to be always on. Set boundaries everywhere you can as it will make sure that your business and your mental health is in a healthy state.
I really wish I did this from Day One and haven't waited years to start. It would have saved me so much stress and time that I could have used somewhere more productive. Learn my lesson.
Lesson #4: Competition doesn't matter that much, but finding your unique voice really does.
Go ahead and check your competitors, but don't sweat about it too much. When I tell my clients to see what their competitors are doing, I don't mean to go and obsess and try to compete with them.
You need to know what your competition is doing so that you understand the market. And just because they're doing something better than you, it doesn't mean that you're a failure.
Instead of trying to be better than your competition, concentrate on finding what makes you UNIQUE. That is really the most important part and the thing that will help your potential customers choose you over your competition.
Feeling stuck and can't find the thing that makes you unique? Read the book called "Blue Ocean Strategy." Some of the most successful people I interviewed have also said that this strategy has been a single most important thing for success in their careers.
Final thoughts
Here you have it, my top 4 lessons I learned during the last five years running my business. It's not easy sharing my failures and mistakes in public, but I think it can be very helpful for you.
And while I do encourage you to go there and fail and make mistakes yourself, I think sometimes it's best to learn from others as well, so I hope you learned a thing or two from my entrepreneurship experience.
And now tell me - which lesson have you find the most interesting one? Share yours in my Business & Personal Branding group - I am excited to hear.
Also, don't forget to grab my free personal branding blueprint that has all the information you need to grow a successful personal brand and start getting paid clients.
