10+ Years as an entrepreneur - 5 Pieces of Advice

#lifeadvice #entrepreneurlife #businesshelp #smallbusinessowneradvice

In 2006 I became an entrepreneur. I was in the middle of medical school when I realized that being a doctor was not the only passion I had in life.

Over the years, I have had many successes and failures as an entrepreneur. Here are 5 pieces of advice for other small business owners and entrepreneurs.

1. Your friends and family might not see your vision or believe in your business, at first.

While I am fortunate that my parents and siblings have been very supportive, other friends and family members have not been. Initially I expected for my cousins and childhood close friends to readily support my business venture. Even if they could not purchase my product or services, I expected them to at the least share the social media posts and tell a friend!

That did not happen. So if you find that to be the case for you and your business…you are not alone. You experience is not unique. What I have found it that most people, even close friends and family, will only show their support once you have achieved a level of success. Get ready to hear, “I knew you could do it!” and “Let me hold a dollar, cuz!”; those comments are coming!

Push through the feelings of rejection and hurt. Remember, no response, is a response is a response. Don’t take it personally, because in most cases, your audience is not trying to hurt you. Most times their lack of support is a them problem. The fact that you are going after your dreams and goals might be highlighting the fact that they have goals they have not pursued. Or, they might believe that you are already successful without their help. Some might not even believe their support would make a difference, unless they are spending money. Take all this into consideration, then KEEP IT MOVING! Whatever their reason, it is not your concern.

Focus on your business and money making activities.

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2. You have to WORK

Whoever said, ‘ if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life’, was obviously not speaking to entrepreneurs. Millionaire and entrepreneur Lori Greiner said this

“Entrepreneurs are the only people willing to work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week [for someone else]”.

That about sums up entrepreneurship life. Even with the advancements of automations for your business, there are still aspects of entrepreneurship that must be done, hands on and in-the-moment.

A more accurate statement would be, if you do what you love, you will still enjoy your work!

Do not be discouraged by the hard work required. Your business will take sweat, tears, sacrifice, patience and even failures for it to be successful. Know that going in and expect it. So, when you do feel like giving up, you will already be poised to push through! Hard work is a part of the process.

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3. Overcome your I.Q.

When I speak with my client entrepreneurs, I often like to determine their I.Q. Not their intelligence quotient, because you do not have to be an academic buff to be successful at business. However, what I have learned as an entrepreneur over the last 10+ years is that you have to know and overcome your I QUIT level [I.Q].

Above I referenced the importance of knowing that your business will take hard work and at times you will want to give up. You will want to quit and run back to the safety of bi-weekly paychecks. The comfort zone of showing up, doing your work and going home. Not a care in the world about staffing, marketing, contracts, overhead costs, customer satisfaction and the whole host of responsibilities that comes with being your own boss.

Entrepreneurship requires you to always overcome your I.Q. level over and over again. The first step in overcoming your I quite level is to make a decision that regardless of how hard it gets, you will not quit.

You might pause, pivot, reframe, and even kick and scream in the closet, but take quitting off the table, for good.

Once you decide that quitting is not an option, you immediately give yourself permission to feel frustrated without feeling guilty or worried that your frustration will cause to you to give up. Your decision to overcome any I quite level will allow you to pivot in your business without feeling as though you have given up on your business.

4. You are NOT a tree

Early in my entrepreneur journey, I became very discouraged because I felt as though my initial platform and setup for business were no longer viable. In the beginning, my plan was working. I was landing new clients and business opportunities consistently. Which gave me a false sense of security in my plan and platform. A security that I did not easily relinquish.

For a few years, I struggled to keep the status quo going. Forcing a square into a round hole, if you will. What I knew was that times were changing - my customer demographic was changing and so were their needs. Still, I wanted to stay true to the plan of 2006. I lost money and wasted precious time trying to stay loyal to the beginning in 2006.

Pivoting in business is changing direction in your business when you realize that your current products, services or strategies are not serving your customers as intended, or not attracting customers as planned. Pivoting is NOT quitting and then starting something new. Instead, it can be rebranding, adding new products, eliminating other products. Pivoting can be switching your focus from one customer need to another customer need, while still serving the same target customer.

As entrepreneurs we get so attached to our baby, our business. However, your business is not for you, it is for your customers. You always want to show up for your customers and future customers in a helpful way. Remember the power of the pivot.

When I decided to shift my business focus toward different customer needs, I began to see immense growth and increased revenue.

Pivoting is a constant process, because people’s needs are changing and how people consume is also changing. Get used to adjustments, additions and deletions in your business. Pivoting in business is a good thing; it is a vital aspect of any business that wants to stay relevant and viable for years to come.

You are NOT a tree, MOVE your business to align with your customers and future customers. Your core vision and values do not have to change. How you serve your customers does need to change.

5. Open your mouth, consistently

If you are like most people, you might find it difficult to share about yourself and your skills and expertise. No one likes a brag, right? Well in business that is WRONG!

We have a saying in Jamaica, ‘closed mouths don’t get fed!’

As an entrepreneur, you have to be your own spokesperson. Especially in the beginning stages of your business. Being shy about sharing your products and services will cripple your business growth and decrease your earnings.

Do you have a product or service that will help someone? SHARE. Do you sell an item that others will enjoy using? SHARE. Do you have a skill that others will benefit from? SHARE.

Remember, closed mouths don’t get fed. Don’t assume someone is not interested in your business or service. You never know. In fact, you don’t know if they know someone else who might need your services. SHARE.

With social media, it is very easy to feel as though you are already effectively sharing your business when you simply post a nice graphic or video. Not always so. While social media is extremely effective and should be utilized in your business model, it does not replace human interaction and person-to-person referrals.

If you are having a conversation with a friend, and your friend talks about a need or want - that is in alignment with your business, that is a time to SHARE. Invite your friend to check out your products. That is such an easy way to authentically share. You didn’t even have to do a sales pitch. Your friend already opened the door by sharing his/her need or want.

I know you might be thinking that you shared your business on social media and you are sure your friend gave a ‘like’ and even gave an affirmative comment. So why would you need to share again? If your friend wanted to, they would have purchased, right?

Wrong.

While you are always thinking about your business, your friends probably aren’t. Your friends are not always thinking about your business not because they don’t care, though for some, that is the case. However, your friends, like everyone else, see so many posts on social media. It is easy to forget a post seen in passing. So SHARE.

It might take multiple exposures to your business before friends and family take an interest. Brace yourself. Don’t take it personally. Remember, your service, product or business is not for everyone and not for all times. That should not stop you from SHARING.

What if they don’t bite? What if your friend dismisses your invitation to check out your business? First, most people, especially your friends will not directly turn down your invitation. Most will at least say they will check it out - if they don’t, that is their lie to deal with. So don’t let the fear of rejection prevent you from sharing.

If you do get direct rejection, realize that their rejection does not mean your business is not good or that they won’t check it out later. Personal development and working on myself, has made my skin a bit more resilient to rejection. Does it hurt, sure. However, you know what hurts even more? Your not sharing to others just because someone else didn’t accept your invitation. Your lack of sharing your business with others negatively impacts your financial growth and business success.

Here are 7 pieces of advice - Advice You Would Give to Your Younger Self

Comment below some other pieces of advice to help other entrepreneurs and small business owners.

About the author: Sherunda Simone is an entrepreneur and physician with a Christian Lifestyle brand. She is also half of Laraun and Sherunda - your business trainers in success. Specializing in business branding, personal development and business growth.

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