09/28/2024
Today is my business birthday! 🎉 Bravery Beats (my LLC) is 9 years old, and it’s wild to think back to who I was when I first started this business.
I tend to always get reflective around anniversaries of any kind - but after just hitting a business revenue milestone, this anniversary feels extra sweet.
I had an Instagram follower (and mentee) reach out and ask me to share my top 9 lessons learned from being in business for 9 years, so here they are - in no particular order ⬇️⬇️
Lesson 1: Just start.🚦If you want to start a business, do it. I was so young and naive when I started my business, but it’s *because* I started when I did that I know as much as I do today. You’ll never be completely ready to do something scary that involves risk; feel the fear and do it anyway.
Lesson 2: Understand your special sauce - the thing that makes you, you. 🧨 Because that’s why people want to do business with you. Having a high level of self-awareness is key because it lets you hone in on how you can uniquely solve problems and provide value for your clients.
Lesson 3: Ask for help. Seriously; you can’t do this alone. 🙌 Surround yourself with amazing people - because it feels good and because you’ll get smarter as a result of doing so. You want great partners that offer things that you don’t, so that you can be THE trusted person for your clients. You’ll need great freelancers if you want to be able to grow and expand. Not to mention, building a business is energy-consuming and hard; having people to vent to and ask questions to is huge for feeling supported.
Lesson 4: Embrace challenges. 💯 Your path will not be linear. You’re going to make a lot of mistakes. Don’t let those moments take you down; keep thickening your skin and dusting yourself off after each misstep. Use every single one of those moments as an opportunity to learn something new about yourself, your client or your offerings.
Lesson 5: Be agile and be ready to pivot. 🏃🏼♀️The people I’m working with, and the offerings I provide, are vastly different from what I was doing 9 years ago when I started my business — because I’ve learned what the market needs and adjusted my business accordingly. If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that agility is key to businesses survival.
Lesson 6: Never stop learning. 🤓 Staying up to date in your industry is critical. Being curious and observing trends in the market is how you’ll keep your business profitable for years. Bringing new findings to your team, and guiding your clients along as platforms evolve will show that you’re the right partner for them.
Lesson 7: Solve problems. 🔭 Be the person that can solve problems for your clients. Go out of your way to look for answers to the questions they haven’t even asked you yet. When you get into problem-solving mode, you’re in value-giving mode. This is how you earn trust and grow WITH your clients as they evolve.
Lesson 8: Be a connector. 🤝 One of my favorite things about having a business is being in the position to connect people. Oftentimes, my clients have needs outside of what I can single-handedly provide and it’s always such a pleasure to be able to bring freelancers and partners into projects. When you connect good people, good things happen. If you’re in the position to do that, you’re doing something right.
Lesson 9: Listen to your intuition. ✨ If you tune into your body enough, you can develop an insanely attuned sense from deep within about what is and isn’t right for you and your business. Honing that self-connection and learning to trust it is the greatest gift you can give yourself as a business owner. It’ll save you so much time and money, I can’t even tell you. Knowing when to say yes to a project; knowing when to walk away from a client, knowing when’s the right time to have a hard conversation with a client… there’s so much information your body will give you if you listen.
Which lesson resonates most with you? What’s your top lesson that you’ve learned as an entrepreneur OR in the roles that you’ve worked? I’d love to hear from you!
