When I was first starting out in my business, my day looked something like this:
Wake up and grab my iPhone. Check emails before finally rolling out of bed. Throw my hair into a messy bun and put on a pair of old sweats. Grab a cup of coffee and eat breakfast at my living room table in front of my computer. Check email, freak out, feel totally lost as to what I should actually do, more coffee, still in sweats hunched over my computer when my fiancé came home. Skip workout, make dinner and talk about my business. Go to bed with iPhone.
NO. FUN.
Worse than no fun, it was completely unhealthy. I wasn't treating my body with respect, I wasn't treating my relationship with respect, I wasn't treating my work with respect and I certainly wasn't treating myself with respect.
Thankfully, I've learned a few things over this journey. The flow of my days, quality of my work and sense of fun and meaning in my life look very different now than they did when I started.
So I want to share with you what you need to know if you're starting your own business.
1. Get dressed up, even if no one is going to see you.
This has been a game-changer in my life and business. You may think wearing pajamas to work sounds like a dream come true, but believe me, after a few weeks of that it's more like a nightmare. It doesn't boost your confidence, help your business or your relationships. Now, even if I'm going to be working at home all day, I always make a point to shower, put on a little makeup and dress myself in an outfit that makes me feel fabulous.
2. Become friends with marketing.
If sales and marketing conjures up images of sleazy cars salesmen, it's time to re-frame the way you think about it. When I first started my business, I wasn't comfortable with marketing. But if you believe in what you're doing and know it will help others, than think about it as a means to simply help more people in the most effective way possible.
3. Move past your resistance.
As a new entrepreneur, you will meet resistance. I work with a lot of clients around moving past fear, procrastination and resistance. It may come in the form of standing in front of the fridge wondering how you got there, endlessly checking Facebook or frantically responding to email rather than working on that big project. Any of these have the same two things in common: fear and doubt. Fear will come up, but that's okay, take it as a signal pointing you in the direction you need to go.
4. Surround yourself with people who uplift and inspire you.
We are the product of the people and environment we surround ourselves with. If you surround yourself with people who tell you that you are going to fail, or are broke themselves, that is much more likely to happen to you. Instead, surround yourself with people who uplift, support and inspire you. Maybe even people who are one, five or ten steps ahead of you.
5. Don't work 24/7.
I can't stress this enough. As a new business owner it's easy to get carried away with working all the time. And well, it gets old. When I first started my business my fiancé was getting so annoyed with my talking about work 24/7, we instated a date night where neither of us were allowed to talk about business. And boy, was it refreshing! More recently, my mom sent some old pictures of me at the age of 12 bouncing on our trampoline in the back yard. It made me smile remembering how fun life can be when you incorporate play into it. So close the computer and get outside to play!
Launching a business is a marathon, not a sprint. There are going to be surprises, hardships and times where you downright doubt yourself. Stick with it and remember the amazing gift that only you can give to this world.
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