There are more than enough people who will sell you the glossy, Cosmo cover version of "running your own biz."
Lose the boss and be the boss.
Ditch the cubicle and become free.
Work from your laptop, anywhere in the world.
Whether you're starting your biz, thinking about starting your biz, or are already face deep in your biz, this is for you. Because while having your own business is WONDERFUL, it's also full of stress and annoyances. YES -- You gain choices, freedom, flexibility, unlimited income possibilities, creative carte blanche.
But you also lose things, like the stability and security of knowing where next month's rent is coming from, or the ability to "clock out" at 5:00 p.m., or boundaries at night, on weekends, on holidays, or ever. You lose sick days, paid vacation, and a whole lot of cushy benefits that "working for the man" can give to you.
I'm proud of my business and I love what I do, but the reality of being an entrepreneur is anything but glamorous. I'm writing this post to swing the door wide open on being a business owner. For every entrepreneur who thinks they're doing it wrong because they feel shitty sometimes, spend random days crying in their bed instead of getting up and working, or stare at the computer blankly and just can't get stuff done sometimes... you're not alone.
Real Life: Being an entrepreneur is anything but easy.
Because FREEDOM is hard. That's why cults are a thing. No one ACTUALLY wants to be free. We want percentages of freedom. You want "free" time, but not all the time. After all, the more free you are, the more choices are available to you. And that's just overwhelming. The world literally becomes an endless buffet, and you're left standing there, gaping at the make-your-own-omelet station while you think about muffins. Meanwhile, you haven't even picked up a plate.
It becomes easier to waste time spinning in your own head wondering if your choices are the "right' ones.
So what is being a free-wheeling lady boss really like?
GUILT, OH THE GUILT. I literally cannot be near my computer without feeling like I "should" be working. If it's not a client project (which it usually is), it's updating my website, checking my email, posting a blog post once, or doing marketing of some kind. The list goes on and on and it's ALWAYS there. So if you don't cultivate a strong ability to say "eff it" and take care of YOU, you're screwed.
STRESS & ANXIETY. The fear of becoming destitute could literally eat you alive. Especially when you have an expensive higher education like mine, and the student loans to match it. I'll be paying that off until I'm 50. This occasionally causes you to say YES to too many things. It's easy to get scared that the work won't come, so the natural reaction is to book it when it does. But learning how to say NO, because again, you have to take care of YOU, is a pretty big skill to sharpen up on.
SLEEPLESS NIGHTS. Sometimes it's because of said stress & anxiety, but sometimes it's just because you're afraid to drop the ball because you're the only one holding it. Even with virtual support no one cares about your business and your clients as much as you do. NO ONE. Sometimes that means staying up all night working on a deadline. Sometimes that means staying up all night because you're flooded with amazing ideas and the brain won't stop going. The point? Kiss your old restful sleep goodbye.
CRYING & FRUSTRATION. I think I cry almost every day. Last week, my website went down for a beat, I lost an apartment I really wanted, a client moved a job at the last minute, other clients backed out after I'd already gotten their paperwork set up. Another client disappeared without paying. Some days are nightmares. Some days nothing goes according to plan. Some days you can't meet a deadline and there's nothing you can do about it, except stay up all night. This isn't bad entrepreneurship, it's just entrepreneurship. It's frustrating and it tests the hell out of your patience and ability to go with the flow.
IDEALISM & DISAPPOINTMENT. Like when you spend 16 hour days working your butt off, write crap loads of your own emails and sales pages to upgrade your own business (after working on client work all day), create and "perfect" a writing course that you know is super valuable, cut the price down to make it really easy for people to say yes, and then still don't meet your sales goal. Let's just say, I ate a lot of cookies that week. Ultimately, I was more excited than anything else to just help other business owners communicate more clearly and authentically. But it's so easy to give yourself "pie in the sky" dreams and then crash land into reality, like you came down off of an entire 8 ball of cocaine, no snorting required.
And no, it's not all bad.
It's just a lot of ups and downs.
But, after nearly two years, here's what I've learned about all of it....
It's not personal. It may feel personal, but it's not personal. Clients are also scared, indecisive, and waffly. If you're lucky, they will at least trust your authority and expertise, but sometimes that's just hard for people to do. It's not personal -- it's more about them than it is about you.
The money will come. The less you worry, the more will come. This is just how it works. Worrying does not generate wealth. If it did, I'd be chilling on a private island, probably sipping on a Piña Colada, and not writing this article.
Meet your market where they are and make things easy for them. That means just because you want to charge a crazy amount of money for something you created, it doesn't mean anyone is going to pay for it. Lots of entrepreneurs, especially those who in the personal development space, love this idea of "charging your worth." You can't charge your worth. You're a human. You're one of a kind. You're priceless. But you can charge what the market will pay for, and that's almost as good.
Make things easy on yourself instead of hard. I was planning on re-launching one of my courses as a $97 product. Then, I realized that the video component wasn't necessary, and neither was the Facebook group offering online support. So I kept it simple, trimmed the offer down and now it's a simple, effective $39 product. Making it an easy yes for anyone who needs my help. Happy Jamie, happy clients = winning.
Stay true to yourself and focus on your greatest strengths ONLY. The more I can focus on my greatest strength - brand innovation and storytelling -- the better work I create. The farther I stray from this, the harder the work feels. The less time you waste straying from your zone of genius, the less tired you feel. That will empower you to handle everything else -- chaos, unforeseen disasters, and pain-in-the-butt situations - with way more ease.
Tell me: what do think "everyone else" is succeeding at that you're not?
I'd love to know, because there's a good chance it's way worse in your head than it is in reality.