After years of being an entrepreneur, I would say that I’ve learned many lessons the hard and painful way. It was tough when they happened but I am grateful for these lessons now, as they have made me so much stronger! If you want to succeed in entrepreneurship, you will need to learn these lessons at some point in your journey, so let me save you some time, heartache, and money!
After all, I want my hindsight to be your path forward. Here are some of the hardest lessons I had to learn:
Believe in yourself, intuition, and vision.
Believing in yourself requires an upgraded mindset. Sort of like the energy of a child: adventurous, fierce, unapologetic, inspirational, and tenacious. So many entrepreneurs lose that “spark” of self-belief after a few setbacks because they view failure as inescapable. However, this is the most crucial time to work on reprogramming your brain to win, so you can pivot and learn from your failure and move toward success!
Get out of your own way.
A not so early career mistake of mine was fueling my business with too much personal time and energy. I found myself being the single motor driving the ship. With this mindset, I quickly found myself working seven days a week, which was unsustainable and very difficult to duplicate. It lead to such heartache, for myself and my clients. Between my personal issues and the business I kept taking on, I had a mini meltdown! Now, my business is now fueled by leadership and systems. Infusing these into your business model can be game-changing for growth and lasting success!
Stay curious.
“Stick to what you know” is a strict “rule” in many entrepreneurship circles. After living that for many years, I’ve come to believe just the opposite. By keeping your mind open to new ideas and embracing innovation, you make opportunities for yourself. By exposing yourself to a multitude of businesses and products, your scope expands! On the contrary, if you always have your blinders on, your perspective becomes wayyyy too narrow, and you miss out on promising opportunities.
Value your time by putting a price tag on it. And then, add tax!
Your time is the greatest resource and one thing you can’t get back. To execute at the top level, you have to understand how important your time is. It’s imperative to prioritize your life and business in a way that lines up with what you value most.
While it’s important to hustle and grind and look to the future, it’s just as important to allow yourself to live in the moment and take time to give back. That means getting clear on what gives life value and what your time is worth.
Can you relate to any of the above lessons? What are some hard lessons that you have learned?
