Top Five Lessons I've Learned Since Starting My Biz!
One thing I often get asked by new VA’s or entrepreneurs is if there is anything I wish I’d known when I started my biz.
It’s a hard question because every mistake or misstep I’ve had in the last four years has helped me get to where I am and I wouldn’t change my journey for all the champagne in the world (and if you know me, you know that’s a big statement!). Having said that, when I started my business, I didn’t really have any clue what I was doing. Don’t get me wrong, I had spent months researching all I could about being a Virtual Assistant (you can read the ad that booked my first VA client here!) and I was more than ready to take the leap. But at the core of it, I was embarking on a path that wasn’t laid out or certain and I was learning on the go.
Here are my top five tips for entrepreneurs at the beginning of their journey…
1. Success is not determined by how much you work.
Working constant 16 hour days or only sleeping 4 hours a night is not a recipe for success. It’s actually a recipe for burnout. Success is determined by the number of times you followed your heart and trusted your gut. It’s about the number of times you asked for support, and the number of times you put processes and systems in place that support you in working smarter not harder!
Your dreams require you to show up again and again and again. Even in the moments when you don’t want to, yes they will come.
The first step to building the life you desire is to define what that life looks like and then LEAPING! Stop playing small, the world needs you as you are, beautifully flawed, bold, and brilliant!
2. Make your word your law.
The inescapable fact of being human is that you will experience oversights in your biz. Some months your hunger is going to be larger than your capacity and you’re going to wear the capabilities of your team on your shoulders. Take all of those moments as opportunities for growth and move through the moments of struggle and challenge with integrity by sticking with your word.
Say what you mean, mean what you say, and live by those words.
If you say you’re going to meet a deadline, meet it. And if you can’t, communicate that!
If you make an error, own it, apologize for it, rectify it, and learn from it!
Under-promise and over-deliver, always.
Remember that you’re human and that life is allowed to affect you, but people can’t support you in what you’re going through if you don’t tell them!
Make your word your law, and watch the respect and loyalty your clients give you.
3. Take a step back to take a successful step forward. ⠀
You can’t be everything for everyone. You need space to reset, to create, to design and to nourish so that you can flourish. There is no shame in pausing and resting, there is no shame in changing your business plan and there is no shame in pivoting your business to a place where you feel both it and you can thrive.
4. The shit will shift. ⠀
In those tough moments, the tears, the screaming at your laptop (don’t lie, we’ve all been there!), remember that this feeling is not forever. Every challenge you face will strengthen your resilience, allow you to pivot onto the path you’re meant to walk, and make the sunrises and sunsets a heck of a lot more beautiful. They are an inevitable part of your journey but have faith that things will shift and celebrate the shit out of the mess when it finally does!
5. Finally…there is no magic wand or secret recipe.
Your financial and locational freedom, alongside your happiness and joy, doesn’t come from the flip of a switch. It comes from a clear vision, unparalleled dedication to have an impact, a willingness to fall flat on your face (multiple times), pick yourself back up and learn from your growth opportunities
So set those boundaries.
Say hell yes to dream clients.
Ask for help and get the support you need it.
And…
Work your damn toosh off!
You are stronger and braver and more powerful than you can ever imagine, don’t ever forget that. Listen to your intuition, trust your instincts, connect with your people and always live every day as if it’s all you are promised!