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Tag: entrepreneur

10 things entrepreneurs [should] know

I’ve learned some tough lessons during my transition into the business world. I’m sharing a few of them here and believe they can be applied to more than entrepreneurial endeavors.

I hope they are as valuable for you as they have been for me:

  1. You’re never finished. There’s always more to be done. Bigger plans, more emails, another phone call, scheduled meetings, surprise encounters…
  2. You have to set boundaries. For yourself, your relationships, your time, your values, your abilities, your email checking. Prioritize, identify what is important to you, and rank your daily to-do list.
  3. Everyone has an opinion. That doesn’t mean you have to take their advice. Listen, and take what works for you.
  4. You’ll be scared and nervous and anxious as hell. Starting is scary. It doesn’t go away, but it gets better.
  5. You will fail. And you’ll fail hard. You’ll really f— something up, but you’ll learn from it and you’ll change it for next time.
  6. Not every idea is a slam dunk. That’s OK.
  7. Celebrate the wins. Even the really small ones. If you don’t recognize where you’re going and how far you’ve come, you won’t want to keep moving forward.
  8. It’s OK to ask for help. It’s impossible to know all there is to know about everything that is involved with running a business. Find people who can help and don’t be afraid to admit ignorance.
  9. It’s a process. You learn to ride the tide. Sometimes it’s in your favor, other times you’re swimming in the ocean for what seems like forever. There will be another wave, you’ll get to the shore, and then you can swim back out and do it all over again.
  10. It’s OK. It’s going to be OK. You’re OK. What you don’t know is OK. What people think of you is OK. Be OK with yourself.

Jumping is scary. Do it anyway.

As a young woman, I hitchhiked alone and traveled across many countries. I went head-to-head with lawyers and counseled delinquents. I earned a masters from an ivy-league, received a state license, and wrangled my way into an entirely new industry. I directed and designed and produced successful events, facilitating valuable connections between people who otherwise might not have met.

But it wasn’t enough.

I needed more experience. I wanted more connections. I didn’t have enough knowledge. I wasn’t ready. And if I’m entirely honest, I didn’t think I was enough. (Turns out, I was wrong. I just needed to jump.)
I know I’m not the only one. Everyday I talk to entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and artists who struggle to take the first leap into the unknown.

…It’s not the right time…I don’t have the resources…I can’t find the time…I’m worried about money…

We do this to ourselves. We sabotage our dreams. We’re afraid.

Deep down, we know that if we put our mind to it, we have the capabilities to break our biggest goals into manageable, digestible chunks. But we over-chew. We convince ourselves the path we’ve been traveling on, the one we’ve been walking down for some time, is the safest and best option. We lower the height of our own sky and the limits to which we’re capable of flying. We lull ourselves into forgetting the sweet deliciousness of new experiences.

Fortunately, it’s never too late. It is just a matter of making that decision.

You must choose. Nothing will happen until you decide to venture away from the safe waters into territory where there is no rulebook, no play-by-play. While you can find leaders and teachers and people whose experiences might mimic your own (and it is imperative that you do), there is no “on the job training.” It’s up to you to figure it out.

Sometimes the hardest thing is recognizing what you want. The next hardest is to begin. By recognizing there’s no prescribed way to land that dream job, dream family, dream life, we open ourselves to an entirely new world. A world that is uniquely ours to create.

Dare yourself. Set goals and work backwards. Plan checkpoints along the way and reward yourself when you reach them. Gather information, collect the necessary experiences, and confidently step in the direction of your dreams.

Don’t hold yourself back. If not for yourself, do it for the people around you. Show them what it looks like to lead a life that is uniquely yours, a life filled with magic and dreams and adventure.

Jump.

The $12,392,786.00 blog post

I have had the good fortune of meeting, counseling, and sitting in business seminars with intelligent, driven, successful individuals — and they just want to become better. Industries range from music to publishing, finance to social good, art to real estate. Age, life experience, and stage of life vary; students, fathers, midlife, C-level, nearing retirement, starting up.
Despite a plethora of variables, I’ve noticed a few themes that come up again and again. In fact, they repeat themselves so frequently I wish I could bottle them for distribution, sending them around the world to inspire people to do more and dream big.
I’m sharing them here in hopes they resonate with you.
Why $12,392,786.00? Because I believe if you act, the following nuggets will add value to your work and life. And if you’re really diligent, you’ll see benefits worth even more.
———
We get in our own way. Believe it, accept it, move forward.
Be willing to listen — to the point someone could convince you to throw your idea out the window or drastically change it.
Don’t wait. Do it now.
No one is going to give you permission.
You have a choice. Don’t be seduced into thinking otherwise.
Relationships are important. The “unexpected ones” often prove to be the most valuable.
Milk the in-between spaces. In-between jobs, appointments, calls, relationships, events, ideas. They hold more potential than you think.
There are an infinite choices. Pick one. If it fails, there will be another.
No decision is irreversible.
Question. Ask lots of them.
Who (or what) can you connect? Everyone can bridge two people, two ideas, two companies. And it will multiply.
Stop trying to sell to people you don’t know. Start with the people you do.
Be vulnerable. Connect, reach out. People cherish authenticity.
What are you really saying? Get honest with yourself and with your audience. Cut the crap and get real.
Don’t assume. You never know whose talents can help you and how.
Set dates otherwise you’ll never get it done.
Pick up that pen, make that call, stop waiting to begin.
There is no perfect.