— a 4 min read
Hey friends! Long time no talk. I’m back here with some insight into what I’ve learned as a business owner. These type of posts are always my favorite to read because they’re both personal (don’t lie… we all like to be nosey) and educational. So, take notes if you want… and enjoy!
Here’s what I’ve learned so far as a business owner:
You have to spend money to make money. Counterintuitive? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely. As a naturally frugal person, this was a tough pill for me to swallow. I spent years thinking up ways I could get by in the cheapest ways possible. And in hindsight, maybe that was best while I was a broke college student. But now, I realize that you truly need to invest in your business to see return. I don’t necessarily think that dropping thousands will guarantee you even more thousands in return. But, I do 100% believe that your income has a lot to do with how seriously you take yourself and your business. Think about it… when you consider yourself a *professional* willing to spend money on both yourself and your business you are going to be more likely to put in the work that parallels your investment. It’s totally a mindset thing. Since investing in my own business — through brand design courses, collateral, and (hopefully soon) branded photography and even a certificate in brand design from a reputable university — I take myself more seriously. And not only that, it makes your business appear more reputable to the consumer when you spend the money to invest in it. It’s simple… spend $$ to make $$ (plus some).
Collaboration over competition, always. This is something I am so passionate about! When you choose to be collaborative rather than competitive, you immurse yourself in the community in which your business lives and the favor typically always makes its way back around to you. As a business owner, being selfish gets you no where but isolated. And, handing clients off to others who are better fitted for the project, working together, and learning from colleagues makes working so much more fun. There is really no room in business to be isolated from everyone else. It’s nearly impossible to grow that way and nobody wants that!
Nothing happens inside of your comfort zone. This has been my life motto since the end of 2019 and it’s made its way into my business too. So many things I’ve put on the back burner because I was too nervous to take the next step have now come to fruition, simply because I make a point to be brave in both life and business. It’s just a law of life guys – you can’t grow if you’re stagnant. You’ve got to dive into the deep end, out of your comfort zone, and just learn along the way. Done is better than perfect most times… remember that.
Learn as you go (and as you grow). This brings me to my last point. And, I’ll say it again (because it’s that important)… done is better than perfect. Don’t let the fear of not knowing stop you from growing!! There will always be people to help you along the way. There will always be opportunity to grow if you allow it. And this last point sort of wraps up all of my above points into one. Because when you let the fear of not knowing or the fear of investing in yourself keep you from taking the next leap in your business… I can promise you one thing: you will NOT grow. Like, ever. You’ve got to ditch the perfectionism. Ditch the doubt. Ditch the fear. There will always be growth on the other side of risk. And what’s the worst that could happen? If it turns out to be a mistake, there will be a lesson learnt.
Make the investment to make the return. Take the leap of faith. Trust your gut. Don’t worry about not knowing, there will always be colleagues to mentor you. Ask for the help. You’ve got this, girl!
What’s one lesson you’ve learnt as a business owner? Share it below!
