6 Tips For Aspiring Entrepreneurs + A Giveaway

Let’s chat business!  This is the first post in celebration of my upcoming 10 year blogging anniversary (and includes a sweet giveaway at the end, so be sure to read on).

This month marks 10 years since I started this blog.  Something that I never considered would be a viable career path, and yet here we are!  It’s all because the #WayWeWork is drastically changing.  I learned a ton about this at workischanging.ca and was shocked to read statistics about the shifts happening within the job market.  It’s such an exciting and transformative time in the workplace!

 

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”  – Steve Jobs

 

I don’t have the magic formula to entrepreneurial success, but I really wanted to share some honest things that I’ve learned over the years with you.  Hope you enjoy!

5 Tips For Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Do Work You Care About

You have to show up every day and give it everything you have.  If you don’t believe in what you do, then business ownership will be an even tougher battle than it already is.  On those really taxing days, you need to be able to check in and define the purpose behind what you’re doing to keep going.  I find it to be one of the most beautiful things about passionate entrepreneurs.  Whether they’re an artist, consultant, or providing a product or service, you feel that they’re also sharing a bit of their heart with you.  And when someone, to their core, believes so much about what they’re doing (entrepreneur or not), it’s absolutely contagious.

Admit Your Strengths and Weaknesses

I’ve come to realize that being self aware is one of the most valuable things as an entrepreneur or leader (and an adult in general, but that’s for another post).   Being comfortable enough with yourself as a business owner to pinpoint, “Okay, I’m really great at emails, but can’t seem to understand how to create social media posts.” Or, “I have this wonderful product and I know so much about the market, but not so much about the numbers side of things” is going to do wonders for you and your business.

There’s no such thing as the perfect person.  We will all have aspects in our working lives that could use improvement, or that no matter what, we just won’t really thrive at.  That is okay!  We can’t have it all.  Being cognizant of your traits will only help you delegate and potentially expand your business in the future.  Which brings me to my next point.

Know When To Ask For Help

Besides my anxiety, this has been my biggest struggle as an entrepreneur.  I wish that all those years ago I had decided not to be so stubborn about asking for help (a lifelong trait of mine).  Receiving coaching and having built in support is vital for any business to blossom.  I love that organizations like Futurpreneur help turn ideas into businesses.  Futurpreneur provides both mentorship, as well as financial support to Canadian entrepreneurs between the age of 18-39 and wish that I’d had the confidence all those years ago to consider my ideas worthy of that sort of backing.

Especially as a sole proprietor, another way to ask for help is expanding your team.  Outsourcing and delegating when the time is right, can free up some space in your schedule for essential things like business development.  In combination with the above point, knowing where you need the most help is going to do wonders for hiring.  Again, something that a great mentor can help guide you through.

Embrace Pivots and Change

Things really don’t always go as planned.  My entrepreneurial journey was full of twists and turns.  I left my 9-5 to start a social media management company, particularly in growing online community for local small businesses.  I’d seen an opening in the market for such a specialty and the demand proved to be there.  Especially since I was 24 when I started this, I think things went fairly well.  I landed some amazing clients, was able to bring on some part time help, and was growing a ton.  The problem, was that expansion was happening faster than what I could realistically keep up with and suddenly my business model didn’t really make sense.  Managing brand voice, content creation and calendars, meetings with clients, seasonal campaigns, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Blogs everyday for several businesses became nearly impossible.  It started making more sense for some of these companies to source their content creation and social sharing in-house.  My performance and confidence took a major dive because my once thriving business was suddenly not working out.  As contracts wrapped up, I took a few months off to reevaluate what I wanted to do.

In January 2016, after soooo much reflection, I saw another opportunity to try blogging full time.  Which, yes, blogging is a full time job regardless, but I was finally giving it the time and attention that I’d always wanted to.  And you know what?  There was no failure in ending my social media management company.  Everything I learned on that AMAZING path led me to become the businesswoman I am today.  I had to pivot from my original idea, but that’s just the reality of being an entrepreneur.  I might even have other businesses in the future.  We all know I’m absolutely full of ideas!

Just Get Started

The career landscape is changing and taking the leap isn’t as isolating as it once was.  There’s so much support and understanding out there now that I wish had been prevalent when I was young and unsure.  Who would have ever guess that blogging would be a viable career path 10 years ago?  I sure didn’t!  But, if I’d never started, I absolutely would not be writing this today.

I think it’s good to be prepared with a business plan and to do some research beforehand, but don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis.   Take the big leap!  There’s some really great resources out there, including lots of info and posts on workischanging.ca.

Don’t Expect Success Overnight

Anyone who hits their stride right away is the exception, not the rule.  Entrepreneurial work takes dedication and time.  Which, is tough when we’re so used to instant gratification these days.  Go into business with a realistic timeline and financial projections for yourself.  The money won’t necessarily come flooding in, but when it does, you’ll be so glad you stuck it out!

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own business or turning your side hustle into a full time gig?  What’s been holding you back?  I’d love to hear more in the comments below!

I also want to give you the chance to get some guidance, something that I wish I’d sought out when I got started!

THE GIVEAWAY

Enter to WIN an one hour of 1-on-1 coaching time with Futurpreneur’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence!  This is such a fantastic opportunity for anyone who is dreaming of making their idea a reality, working multiple gigs, wishing they could dive into entrepreneurship full time, or who is already a business owner who could use some support.

To enter, all you have to do is hop on over to my Instagram and

1. Follow @Futurpreneur
2. Leave a comment explaining what you’d love mentorship for (I know for me, it would be about expanding my business to be able to bring someone on) #WayWeWork
3. Bonus entries for every friend you tag to do the same!

Contest open to Canadians only and ends April 28th, 2018 at 6 pm PST. Winner will be chosen at random and contacted soon after. *Please note, I have extended the giveaway timeline*

This is a partnered post with Futurpreneur Canada, the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39.  They are amazing, see more of what they do here! As always, opinions are my own.