Lessons Ive Learned As A Business Owner
1/27/2020
Failure. It’s not a hot topic to talk about, and it certainly isn’t easy to admit. Failure was my biggest fear. I used to define my life based on successes and failures. But then I had a mindset shift. I realized that failures were just lessons in disguise, and if you look at each experience (good or bad) as a lesson, you’ll get MUCH more out of it than chalking it up to a success or failure. With this simple shift, I’m able to pursue my passion and, like Lewis said, put myself out there again and again, no matter the result. Here’s a candid look at my three greatest business Lesson #1: Don’t run the risk of getting in over your head
Let’s rewind back to 2016, when I held Path to Profitability, a live event focused on how to build a brand and market it on social media, which would eventually turn into an online course. On the outside, things looked super successful and promising:
In reality, I was drowning in dollar signs because I spared no expense:
As this was going on, big things were also happening in my personal life:
I was in WAY over my head. The perfect storm had happened. I was spending more while cutting down my revenue sources. I was drowning. But I kept swimming. My stubbornness may have gotten us into this situation, but it was also what got us out of it. I wasn’t willing to give up on my dreams. We made it through (and never went into debt in the process)! What I learned: the first time you try something new, it doesn’t have to be perfect. *Heck, it barely has to be good!* I could’ve cut my costs by ⅔ if I just took the bare minimum and made it work. I would’ve learned more having spent much less trying to make it perfect. ![]() Lesson #2: Listen to others
Social Curator was first launched in July of 2017, and then again in October of that year. With this brand-new business venture, I wasn’t focusing on numbers. Instead, I wanted to focus on how to best serve our members. On the outside, we were striving:
In reality, I had missed the point:
The biggest wakeup call came in January of 2018, when I was told that our numbers were lower than when we started. The team suggested that we start a Facebook group to create a community between members. For six months, I said no. I thought of Facebook as a negative scene where people go to bring others down, and I didn’t want that for our members. When I finally got over my ego and listened to the team, I witnessed a drastic change. Members had a safe space to connect, share success stories, and ask for advice.
The Facebook group revolutionized Social Curator. What I learned: it ain’t about you, boo. It wasn’t about me. It was that I wasn’t serving members to my highest potential. Just because I didn’t like the idea of a Facebook group didn’t mean that it didn’t have the capacity to be good. >>As entrepreneurs, we have to do things we don’t want in order to get where we want to go.<< Lesson #3: Set your priorities
When I started my photography business back in 2007, I knew NOTHING about how to run a business. On the outside, I was putting in the work:
In reality, my priorities were out of whack:
But then I got the call that changed everything. My friend discovered that her husband had a brain tumor and wasn’t expected to live. I was in shock because we were the same age. We even got married in the same month. That phone call made me realize that I owed my family an apology for prioritizing my business over them. NOTHING is more important than family. What I learned: setting priorities sets parameters. Although I still wanted to grow my business, I needed to prioritize my life in order to set parameters on what I said yes or no to. This allowed my business and personal life to flourish. *Phew! That was long-winded, even for me!* Long story short, I could’ve looked at each one of these experiences as a failure, and given up. Instead, I’m CHOOSING to look at them as lessons learned. By doing so, I’m turning “failures” into success!
So boo boo, if you’ve been knocked down a time or two (like me), I encourage you to get up, wipe off the dust, and keep on keepin’ on! The post Lessons I’ve Learned As A Business Owner appeared first on Jasmine Star. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/2RXLN7X
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
October 2021
Categories |