Seven Lessons After Four Years in Business

I’m going to be honest; I wasn’t 100% sure if this blog would ever be written. Even with a skill-base I believe in, a service I am proud of and a market need, I wasn’t sure if this business would make it to Year Four. Nothing to do with my confidence, research shows I was unlikely to make it past year two!  But here I am, hanging onto this startup (I think it can still be a start-up) during times of uncertainty and change. I thought I would share with you today the seven things I have learned after four years in business.

Or, “some of the things I have experienced, so don’t worry if you do them too!”

A year into my business I published a blog confessing my mistakes and sharing my top tips; over that first year, it was such a leap of faith and whirlwind!  Now I am four years in, a massive milestone, and I’ve been reflecting on how life has been for me since taking that leap of faith in 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

So, here are the seven things I have learned, four years in:

1. You will make mistakes
To be able to grow and develop a business and as a person, you need to take some risks. To try new things. Some of these won’t work out and will cost you time, it may cost you money.  It’s the price you pay for trying new things, but you can also learn a lot! Just make sure you don’t brush those mistakes under the carpet!

2. You may get bored
Like anything in life, things can become mundane; you may slip into a routine or have to do things you don’t want to, for the sake of compliance! However, the joy of running your own business and self-employment is this. YOU ARE IN CONTROL. You can write and re-write your own job description You have the potential to change your environment and your perspective. When the profit levels are right, these activities can be outsourced to people who LOVE the things you don’t.

3. You will look for jobs
At least once a year … If not more. When you are having a bad month, money, stress or loneliness wise, you may find yourself searching the “For Hire” section.  You may even have to take one to keep things ticking over. That’s fine. Gone are the days that anyone has a job for life; more and more people are moving to a portfolio career – a mix of incomes from different sources.  Maybe it’s a sign you need to change up how you are working, or who you are working with?

4. You will surprise yourself
Your confidence and comfort zone will grow and change (see point one!) But you will also still doubt yourself (see point 3). A good way of keeping track of all your progress is to set yourself a regular self-reflection point. I tend to do it once a year, where I sit down and track everything I have achieved over the year. From the number of clients I have helped, organisations I have supported, places I have spoken in or written for; all of these add up to evidence of everything you have done. Takes responsibility for an annual performance development review.

5. You will get used to the feast and famine
The one thing that I found the hardest about self-employment is the unpredictability of “money in”.  But over the past four years, I have started to see a trend in the income and get comfortable with this version of stability.    This is from a person that has MAJOR money mindset issues; I am ironically much more in control of my income and can be more agile with my spending and costs than I was as an employee!

 

 

 

 

 

6. Not everyone will want to work with you / buy your product
Like YOU won’t have bought from every business person that you have met on your online and in-person networking travels, you won’t always offer what others need. And it’s not just about your price point; it about the value that people see in what you do; and that is OK.
What you start to notice though, and appreciate, are the people that are your champions, they share what you do with other people, and are always quick to give you a like or comment on social media! Don’t underestimate the power of this supportive network.

7. Your business won’t look like what you expected
You can set all the goals you want (yes this is coming from a coach), but things won’t go how you planned.  From “big clients” disappearing to new business opportunities, things will change over the years. Some of this will launch you into different sectors and will connect you will people you hadn’t even considered.   The one thing that helps all of this – knowing what your values are. Life always changes, so you need to know what success looks like and what you stand for, to help make the right decisions for you!

So, they are my seven lessons from four years in business. Who knows what they will be when I reach the next business milestone? I’d love to hear more about YOUR lessons – come over to Creating Careers to Enjoy on Facebook and share!

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