Meg's Top 5 Tips For Your Journey as a New Entrepreneur
Jumping into entrepreneurship is sort of like jumping into a lake when you don't know how to swim. At first you panic--you panic a lot-- and then your fight or flight kicks in and you start to learn to tread water. Along the way you get a little tired so you take a quick break and pick right back up where you left off. Sometimes it feels like you are drowning, but really you are learning to swim all along.
Right after I graduated college, I gave myself some time before jumping into the workforce and I continued my job as a nanny until the school year was up. You see, I graduated a semester early in December and I really needed to take some time to decompress. I have had chronic illnesses and conditions since I was a child and as an absolute go-getter and over-achiever, I needed to take some time to allow my body to release all of the stress I had been harboring over the years.
I have always been a dreamer, someone with lofty goals and ambitions who desperately wants to change the world. As time went on after college I realized that entering the world of corporate America made me sick to my stomach. I have watched corporate America tear the people I love apart, make them sick, unhealthy, and miserable. I have never wanted that for myself. I want to change the world but I do not want to sacrifice my health in the process. I want to maintain a certain level of health for the rest of my life and I never want to sacrifice that for the sake of a career. And with chronic conditions I knew that if I couldn't work for myself, my health would never be a priority and I would always be playing catch up.
So I decided to take the plunge into entrepreneurship. And it has been so hard, and scary, BUT SO DAMN WORTH IT. I have been sick but I have been able to take the time to recover that I need.
I have been able to focus on every aspect of my health since becoming an entrepreneur all while building the business of my dreams. It's still really hard and scary but I have learned so much that truthfully, I believe anyone can be an entrepreneur if they want to be! (If you love your 9-5 though, that's awesome! All the power to you, entrepreneurship is not for everyone!!!) I'll let you in on a secret, I am actually not quite sure that most entrepreneurs really know what they are doing. I have learned some tips and tricks over the last seven months though that I would want to hear if I was starting out and I hope these help you no matter where you are in your journey.
- You are going to fail. So go ahead and just start. Put that offer out there. Post that thing. Talk to that potential client. Start that podcast. Not all of it is going to work out, but that's okay!!! You will learn from your failures and you will be able to grow from them. You will never learn if you don't try.
- This is not a one size fits all journey. What works for me will not always work for you. Try new things, try new strategies, adjust the way you do things! Take everyone's advice with a grain of salt and never be afraid to go against the norm.
- Authenticity with your content is key. I don't care if your content is all the same, about the same stuff, I do not believe that you need to be consistently talking about the same things all the time. What are the things that light you up? What are the things that authentically come to you? What do you desire to talk about? Maybe some days it isn't stuff related to your business and that is okay! Show your human side, your clients will appreciate it.
- Ask for help when you need it! Outsource when you can. There is no shame in the game of asking for a helping hand. You are one person and you cannot do it all on your own. It is silly to expect yourself to do it all on your own! Ask for help. It is okay.
- Don't be afraid to invest money into your business. Even when you aren't making money. Even if it means you might take on some more debt. In order to make money, you have to spend some money. Ensure that the money you are spending is aligned with the vision of your business. And then freaking spend it. Don't feel shame around it. Allow yourself to take on expenses that will help you grow, money is energy and that energy will come back to you. I promise.
xoxo,
Megs
Megan Garcia
