Three things you didn’t know about running a small business
Meta4 Business Coaching
Is this what it really takes?
For those considering embarking on being the proud owner of a small business.
I know you’ve been thinking and dreaming about it for some time now.
The prospect of being your own boss. Answering to no one, being able to come and go as you please, no more office politics and to top it all off – earning more money – the kind of money you know you deserve.
Whilst this is all completely true, only business owners truly understand what it takes to get a small business to this place of utopia.
As an ex employee myself with a self-employed husband it wasn’t until I was in the same position did I understand the challenges, and then the mindset required to overcome them.
Here is the truth, look away if you wish to remain ignorant of the facts:
#1 You will not achieve your dream small business on your own. “Great things in business are never done by one person.
They’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs Running a small business requires so many different skills; marketing, copywriting, administration, accounting, PR, sales, people development, not to mention the actual delivery of the product or service your business is seeking to share with the world.
Attempting to do all of this on your own would be like trying to fly a plane with no training. You are setting yourself up to crash and burn.
Seek out the right help from the outset, you will not only be saving yourself money in lost income (the income you’re not earning as you don’t know where to start first) but gaining invaluable skills and knowledge in an otherwise enormous learning curve and your first customers.
#2 Reaching your goals will always take longer than you plan for.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.”
Thomas Edison This is from someone who knows – Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts to invent the lightbulb – seemingly then, to others, a completely impossible and ludicrous task. I’m not saying it will take you this long!
But don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t get there straight away. Be as clear as you can on what it is you are attempting to achieve and be doggedly passionate about getting there. With the right people surrounding you means that when you do get there (because you will!) it will be worth every ounce of sweat it took from you – you just don’t know it yet.
#3 You WILL be able to achieve so much more than you ever thought possible.
From the outside (full time employment – desperate to get out) you may feel you can’t write a blog post – you wouldn’t know where to start… you can’t go along to networking meetings – the thought may fill you with absolute horror… you can’t records Vlogs – maybe you don’t even know what they are! Self-employment and running your own small successful business is 100% about putting yourself outside of your comfort zone, on a regular basis.
This is where having your hand held, figuratively speaking, is invaluable to your personal and business development.
Invest in you and your new business – whatever that looks like to you – a business coach, a marketing coach, a PR expert. Someone who will have your back and be able to give you the right guidance for building your new, amazing future.
Clare Whalley has just published her first book ‘Do.It.Now! A practical workbook to let your business work hard, not you!’ You can purchase it on Amazon here to get you and your business on the right track.
"I found the book to be so comprehensive, clear, straightforward and user friendly, it covered everything and I was excited!! I am in the early stages of starting my business but I know with the help of this book I will be able to shape my business step by step, whilst ensuring I build it on a solid foundation. I trust this book and it’s made me believe in the process, every time I pick it up I’m motivated to do something which is quite something for someone who had procrastination down to an art form." - Kiran Thiara