Lessons & gratitude from my first year in business

This time last year I was filled with excitement and terror, about equal parts! 2014 was to be my very first year where I had real time to focus on only my coaching and consulting business. Serious stuff – the real deal – now or never type scenario!

It has been a year filled with ups and downs there is no doubt about it. One of the biggest highs – in May this year I matched my corporate salary for the first time = big high. In September this year I was in hospital with a lung collapse and I felt like my business was going to collapse around me too = big low. I am here now though and feeling very positive about the future – so excited about the year ahead because of the potential.

Through all of this there are things I have learnt that I wanted to share with you since it might help you on your own business journey.

This list is by no means exhaustive – the fact is I could go on forever I feel at this point but here is just a few:

Fear is a little hanger

He comes and goes. You have to learn to just say “hi, I see you there, but you are not going to stop me”, and keep on walking.

Build a support network around you

Even when you are working alone as an entrepreneur or a micro-business owner, you are never alone. Support can come in many forms. From a Business or Life Coach, a mastermind, your own business network, your friends, your family. Probably many of these in some way. Nurture these relationships, don’t be afraid to ask for help, never feel like you are on your own. Reach out in person, online, or on the phone. Someone will understand, someone will be able to help you.

Find the best way for you to work

Don’t look at what other people are doing online and think that is the best thing for you. Beautiful pictures of home offices with views of the ocean might stir feelings of “I want exactly that and I want it now” in you but you need to find your own space – literally and figuratively speaking! Because if you don’t know in your heart what will work for you, when you get that desk and you get that view you might just find that you are not happy there.

For me I have learnt this year that as an “e” for extrovert according to Myers-Briggs I love being around people. I know this to be true. I want to work in my own business – I am absolutely loving what I am doing right now – and I want to be around other people too. Working on my own in my gorgeous home office – that I am really grateful to have – is not going to be for me in the long term. I love people – love being around them, love the energy of a room filled with busyness and vibe and thinking, love brainstorming, love helping others – the list goes on. So, pretty soon I will be working a mix of at home and in a new shared workspace. I know this is going to help lift me in my own business. For you, the opposite could be true. Just find your own ideal room.

Find your own voice

What you have to say and what you have to offer IS unique AND valuable. Don’t try to be someone else or something that you are not – it’s just not worth it.  Plus it’s so much more exhausting!

Invest in yourself and your business

You are worth it and it is worth it – don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Know your worth

Understand that you are valuable in this world and you have something genuinely worthwhile to offer. You can’t build a sustainable business by undercharging. Even though you might feel that you are being of service by keeping your prices capped, are you going to be of service to anyone if your business doesn’t exist because it wasn’t profitable enough? Nope.

Do whatever it takes to get past the money blocks that are keeping your from earning more money.

 

Oh so many – I don’t want to miss any – let’s move on to dot points for your sake!

• Listen to your intuition
• Have a plan – a financial plan & a marketing plan
• Share your stories – good and bad
• Pick the right clients, for you, and don’t be afraid to walk away when its not working – all the money in the world is not worth it and they are just taking up space for the right people to come in to your world (kind of like a bad boyfriend right?!)
• Know your strengths
• Get over trying to create a steady income
• Celebrate your successes – reward yourself, give yourself the review that no one else is going to
• It’s OK to boost your income with other means while you are building your ideal business – in fact it can be quite liberating and provide the space you need in your business to actually make it work

 

OK – now that looks like a pretty good content calendar for my blog right there! I will flesh some of these out for you in the future but in the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to hit reply and let me know.

I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Here’s to a wonderful, joyful & abundant 2015 for you,

Kate xo