5 Things I wish I knew when I started my Business

The COVID19 pandemic has disrupted all of our lives. But sometimes disruptions can be times of opportunity. Many people's livelihoods have been hurt by the pandemic. But some saw this as an opportune time to take their lives in a new direction.

As a part of this series called "How I Was Able To Pivot To A New Exciting Opportunity Because Of The Pandemic",  I was interviewed for Medium magazine.  A piece of the interview focused on 5 things I wish I knew when I started my business. Here is a re-cap!

The full article can be read here.

1) If you don’t love most of what you do, you probably should pivot. I remember going through the motions in my business during the first couple of years, thinking that if I just keep doing all the things, I would eventually see progress. But that isn’t always true. You can’t always trade time for money. And if you don’t enjoy what you are doing, you definitely don’t want to waste your time.

2) Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s end. So often we get trapped in the comparison game. Especially on social media. Sometimes what you see is not what you get. When you look at some of these big social media accounts and businesses they have entire teams helping them. I am a a team of one (growing to a team of two). Most of my clients are a team of one. Your wins will look different and that is OK. Lean on your community and focus on serving that people that are watching. It just takes helping one person to make a difference.

3) Sometimes you have to slow down to speed up. I remember when my twins were little, my day literally was packed and then I would find myself scrolling the internet at night pretending I was “working” but really just feeling lost. Create down time so that when you do have “work time” you are able to do more. Slow down and really appreciate your current state. And when you do speed up you will have the energy and drive to keep going.

4) Do one thing and do it great. If you can’t tell I am big into planning and productivity. I am a huge believer in time blocking and planning your day. Everyday when I wake up my goal is to focus on ONE thing that I want to accomplish. It takes the pressure and anxiety off trying to do everything. Imagine if you were consistent on accomplishing one big thing for your business each day, where you would be in a month?

5) There is never an end, so you better enjoy the journey. Burnout it not a lifestyle. A funny thing happens when you start to hit a few goals. You create new ones. So often we say “oh when I just get to [insert goal] everything will be great”, but the truth is you create new goals. And new milestones. A good question to ask yourself is, can you keep the pace you are currently out for the next 3-5 years? If you can’t, it might be time to pivot. Create a system, a strategy, a routine, that is going to support you and your business for the long term.

p.s. If you like this type of business motivation, check out Episode 064 of the Crush the Rush Podcast.