Lessons Learned after 5 Years as a Business Owner
My business is 5 years old.
If I knew how hard it would be back to run my own business, the sleepless nights, being broke for the first two years, losing the respect of my peers, and losing my guaranteed salary and pension each month, would I have continued…?
Yes.
Because you will always learn more as a business owner than you ever will working for somebody else. Here’s the valuable lessons I have learned since I started.
- No matter how experienced you are, you’re starting over. You can’t rely on a corporate brand anymore. Your previous success doesn’t matter. Put your ego aside and get to work.
- Most of your friends and family will spend more time liking posts of cats and dogs than they will support your business.
- Don't take your customers for granted or they will get rid of you.
- Pick up the phone when negotiating a deal. Never negotiate by email.
5. Learning to speak in public is one of the best ways to generate new leads and one of the most valuable skills you can have.
6. Kindness is one of the most underrated qualities in business.
7. Don’t Discount. You won’t enjoy the work and the client rarely appreciates you.
8. If a huge corporate asks you to work for free and in return, they will “put in a good word for you” NEVER accept it. You’re disposable to large companies and they will forget about you by tomorrow morning.
9. Social proof matters. Always ask for recommendations when you overdeliver to a client
10. Most people can’t use LinkedIn properly. Don’t be like most people.
11. Listen to a frustrated client. Don’t judge, just listen. You will be amazed by what you will learn.
12. Putting your phone in airplane mode 3 times a day for 90 minutes at a time. It’s a gamechanger.
13. Never stop caring - whatever you give to the world, positive or negative, comes back to you.
14. Some people will resent your success no matter how nice you are - don’t hate them. Hate is too easy an emotion. Smile and move on.
15. Standing out from the competition took me years to have the courage to do and it’s the best business move I ever made.
16. Prospect every day, even if it’s just for 1 hour a day.
17. If you don’t invest in yourself, why would anyone invest in you?
🏆 1:1 coaching to elevate your career to another level.
💯 Group sales training or group LinkedIn training to build your staff confidence, help them progress and get better results.
🎤 Speak at your annual conference or Sales Kick off to educate, inform and advise you on how to maximise selling and LinkedIn.
What you can do:
You can buy my book: Business Growth
If you prefer something designed for you on a 1:1 level check out my 1:1 Coaching options.
