Top 8 Lessons I Learned From My Hardest Year In Business
2019 was HARD. I downsized my business. We fired clients. We restructured (and cut) our services. We launched a brand new conference. Key members of my team stepped away. Oh, and I took a month off to get married! Let's just say, it was A LOT. But with hardship comes growth, and I learned so much from that year I'd love to share with you.
Here are the main lessons I learned from my hardest year in business:
1. Don't recreate the job you left with your business.
It happens all the time, we all do it. But when you step away, step away from it ALL. The expectations, the style, and the staff. Your business needs to be just that: YOURS. So make it yours in every aspect, across all platforms, and in all communication!
2. Don't spend more than you make (plus 30% for taxes).
Eeeesh, this one's a tough one, but so necessary to say. There's value in "investing" but be mindful as you go. Keep tabs, be honest in your bookkeeping, and start slow and slim!
3. Boundary UP!
Create and hold boundaries for yourself with your routine, mindset, time, etc. This will create clear expectations and save you from terrible mistakes, broken relationships, and lost trust.
4. Relationships and community is everything!
My community massively stepped up for me when I finally started to say, "I'm not okay. I need help." I felt like I'd failed, but my mentors, coaches, friends, team members, clients, and even neighbors, all embraced me for where I was. They even trusted me more for being honest instead of trying to hide behind perfection!
5. Put yourself in their shoes.
Client, contractor, and staff relationships can be tricky. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our business and how things flow for us that we forget to check in or communicate. We can get defensive and hold projects or parts of our business with a closed fist. When this happens, step back, soak in the full picture of the situation, and try to put yourself in others shoes. Humility is the name of the game when it comes to business ownership!
6. Loosen the white-knuckles grip on your business.
The fact is, you can't control your team, your customers, or how people perceive you. You can only control YOU. Loosen the grip. Let things go. You get to decide what you lose sleep over, what you let go, and who you truly forgive.
7. Give yourself grace.
You're not a robot, you're human. We all fall flat on our face and fail. No one has it fully figured out, we're just all trying to do the best we can. Don't beat yourself up. Dust yourself off and get back on the horse. Be kind. Speak the same encouragement you would speak to a friend to YOURSELF in these moments.
8. Be yourself. Be real. Be YOU!
People can smell the stink of inauthenticity a mile away, just like lions with fear. When you lay your head down at night and know that no matter what happened in your business that day, you were 100% yourself...well, that's something to be PROUD of.
I'd love to hear what YOU learned from your hardest year in business! Visit our Instagram post here, and share a few nuggets of wisdom in the comments. We hope you feel encouraged today! You got this!