5 Things I Did (and Didn’t) Learn in My First Year of Business
The past year has been a truly wild ride.
And since January is a season of resolutions and reflections, here are some things I’ve learned in my first year of entrepreneurship…and also some things that I didn’t quite get to.
Things that I had big hopes and even plans for, but as many of you entrepreneurs (and especially solopreneurs) know, things don’t always go as planned. And that’s an important lesson in itself.
01
Enjoy the ride
Sounds simple enough, but honestly, this was the hardest lesson for me to learn this year. From the jump, I was so laser-focused on the goals I created for myself and my business and what it would take to get there….so afraid of failing that I was burning myself out.
Which is ironic, because I left the agency-world and my old job due to burnout only to feel like I was now working twice as hard for half my salary. Or so it seemed.
I realized that no matter how hard or fast I worked, that there was always going to be one more thing to do, a next project and a new client. And that I was so fixated on the destination that I had lost sight of the journey.
I think as an entrepreneur it’s especially easy to get lost in the day-to-day and even stray from why you started in the first place. Or I hear a lot of people say that once they monetize their passion, it becomes “work” and they enjoy it less.
But I don’t think it has to be that way. And most of the time the pressure we feel, is pressure we’ve put on ourselves.
Literally my screensaver is my daily reminder of this.
Which brings me to my next lesson…
02
Sometimes the mountain is you
Or as my mother likes to remind me, “whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
There were so many things that I did or that happened to me once I decided to take this leap, that had you described my life to me five years ago, I wouldn’t even believe it was possible.
I am living proof that you are always one decision away from living a totally different life.
Did I have it all figured out? No, and I still don’t. Was I totally prepared if it didn’t work out (or if it did)? Nope. But I did it anyways. And I’m still doing it.
I truly believe that in order to be an entrepreneur or to just make things happen for yourself, sometimes the first step is just getting out of your own way….and taking a chance on something you really want or believe in no matter how scared, broke, unready or unqualified you might feel at first.
Because…
03
You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take
I’ll admit, my entire life I had not failed often.
Not because I was perfect or good at everything. But because I didn’t like to take a lot of risks. I preferred the sure thing, the safe bet.
But once I got over the fear of failing (which you’ll be forced to quickly overcome as an entrepreneur), I was more willing to try for things that I didn’t even think I was qualified for.
And here’s a real business example— Last summer, I came across the Comcast Rise program which gives $10k to small business owners (P.S. Small Businesses do not snooze on this program). I actually knew I wasn’t fully qualified for the monetary grant but I applied anyways. I knew that our missions were similar (helping small businesses) and the application required a brief essay which I knew I could write a compelling story for.
Well, to my surprise I received a letter saying that although I didn’t qualify for the grant, they liked what I wrote and wanted to give me something to support me. So I got a free technology package (two laptops and an iPad) for my new business.
04
Like attracts like
I saw how this worked out with the Comcast Rise application, but I also watched this unfold exponentially as I attracted new followers and clients.
Probably the biggest worry of an entrepreneur and a creative is… whether anyone will want or like what I’m selling or creating. Because let’s be honest, a business without customers is just a hobby.
Maybe some of you business owners will relate, but I think there’s a moment in every entrepreneurs’ journey where they begin to see that they might actually have a viable business. And I think that moment is when customers start shifting from friends and family or referrals to total strangers who appreciate and value your work or connect to you or your story in some way.
And for me I could see how the energy I was putting out there—the quality of the content or work I was creating, the way I was sharing parts of my story and myself or giving freely of my resources and information—was directly correlated to the energy and interest that I was seeing returned.
And because there are a lot of designers following, this specifically was me doing two things: 1) only putting out the type of work that I wanted to attract and 2) nurturing the clients (or relationships) I wanted to sustain.
Sometimes this meant creating work I wanted to do that maybe didn’t exist yet: like my Tiger Balm rebrand. Which with a single instagram post has since netted three new clients in new categories and $10,000 for my business.
And nope, I don’t have anywhere close to 10k followers….
….which brings me to my final takeaway and the things I didn’t end up doing in 2021…
05
Expect the unexpected, never say never and plan for things to not go as planned
Last year…
I thought I needed 10k followers or more to “make it“ and make money using instagram
Not true. (I generate 60% of my revenue from instagram with only 1k followers)I planned to master the perfect work-life balance now that I was self-employed.
Let’s just say it’s 11:20pm on a Sunday as I’m typing this.I planned to create, film and launch a course (or three) by June of last year.
Didn’t happen.I outlined, partially filmed and planned to launch two coaching programs in 2021.
Also didn’t happen.I thought I would film 6 in-person Talk Shop episodes with fellow industry experts and start a prolific Youtube channel.
I filmed two. And Covid happened. Again.I never thought I would be mulling over excel spreadsheets analyzing my P&L, expenses and taxes.
I still hate excel, but I love my accountant.I thought I could still run my side hustle Ink+Ash while building Ash Branding Co. full-time.
Definitely not.I never thought I would book out 6 months in advance with a waiting list.
But here we go…
All this to say, entrepreneurship is a wild ride. It’s hard, messy, exhausting and exhilarating all at once. And I have no idea what this next year of business (or life) will look like or bring.
But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Because if this year has taught me anything, it’s that life can be whatever I make it.
And I hope you’ll find the same is true for you too. In 2022 and beyond.
Xx,
Ash
