What 15 Years of Being an Entrepreneur Has Taught Me
Egg Marketing’s 15th birthday slipped right past me in June. Today is my son’s 17th birthday, which reminded me. I look back on that year in awe: I had two babies, one in diapers and one online. It was a lot to manage, but somehow, both have grown and thrived.
I just reviewed some of the past “lessons learned” posts I’ve written, and while they all still ring true, I have even more wisdom to pass on to you about being an entrepreneur!
1. You Don’t Need Permission
Many of us look around for someone to tell us it’s okay to do things a certain way. We look for roadmaps. But what I’ve learned (admittedly, only recently) is that you’ll succeed best if you find your own path. No one’s going to give you permission except yourself.
Yes, there are dozens, if not thousands, of businesses that offer something similar to what you sell. But why would you want to be like them? Instead, find your own unique recipe and you’ll attract the right people.
2. You Can Attract the Right People
Speaking of attraction, I 100% now attract the kinds of clients I want. That wasn’t always the case. I worked with energy vampires (people who emotionally sucked the life out of me), time-stealers (who didn’t understand that I should be paid for my time), and general a$$holes. But as I’ve learned a little about getting what you ask the Universe for (AKA manifesting), I’ve started asking for awesome clients.
I genuinely love working with my clients. The list isn’t long, so I’m able to have deeper relationships with them. I know when they go on motorcycle rides through the country or are exhausted because their newborn kept them up all night. I got into running my own business so I could be happy, not work for people that made me miserable, and I’m finally there.
3. You Can Change Whenever You Want
This kind of falls under the permission thing, but I’ve realized that my content marketing firm doesn’t need to look like it did five years ago. Or last year. These days, I’m calling myself a “business writer” more than a “marketer,” and that works. I moved away from offering social media services because I didn’t enjoy it, and I’ve stopped working with freelancers for the time being so I do all the writing. And ya know what? All that could change again!
4. Working More Hours Doesn’t Make You More Successful
It took me years to get out of the 40-hour workweek mentality. If I finished work early, I felt guilty about relaxing, so I’d stay on my computer with busy work. But then I made myself a deal: if I wrote X articles a day (knowing how much revenue that was), I was done for the day and could relax. I also take off every Friday. Not everyone has that kind of schedule, I know, but I’d encourage you to question how many hours a week it actually takes you to get done what needs doing. I bet there’s a little wiggle room you could find.
I hope these lessons on being an entrepreneur resonate with you, and they make you think about the lessons you’ve learned on your own entrepreneurial journey!
