Entrepreneur-ing Ain’t Easy!

Brass tacks: Starting your own business is the easy part! Maintaining and growing your business is where the real work begins. That my friend, “ain’t easy”. Unless of course, you have the immense fortune of being born into a referral funnel of infinite returns… If that’s the case stop reading here and thank you for visiting.

Seriously, the allure of being your own boss is in the aesthetics. Managing your own schedule, galivanting at the drop of a hat and reaping the bulk of the proceeds are all part of the attraction of being self-employed, but what is not as sexy is finding clients to sustain your jet setting lifestyle and even more difficult… keeping them!

Freedom comes at a cost. That cost is rooted in discipline. How you stay motivated during times of scarcity is entirely up to you when you are an entity. Just as challenging is the discipline to stay steadfast during times of abundance as well. Throwing the baby out with the bath water is simply not an option.

When things are good it is just as important to take inventory as it is when things are well… let’s just say, not so good. Chances are if you have ever attended preschool or kindergarten you are no stranger to routine. That scheduled nap time, story time and the most coveted time of day, recess, were all part of a routine.

Routine is an asset for an entrepreneur. Remember that freewheeling, jet setting mentioned earlier? Yeah! Even as the boss of you, that childhood routine is still the foundation of your earned success.

If you need further inference there are plenty of motivational texts written about the power of routine. The reason: consistency is key!

The truth is you probably do not have to look hard for examples of routines in your life. Most people cannot begin their day without a cup of coffee. Others need a shower or a complete breakfast. Maybe you fast intermittently and that is the catalyst to getting your day off to the best start possible. Your business is no different.

Creating a consistent routine that aids in level setting your schedule is a step in the direction of success. Note, I said it is a step in the direction of success, not success itself. It is important to treat your business as a business. Otherwise, your spare time will drive you crazy!

Dedicating your time throughout the day to specific tasks will help reduce the time you have to brood over what is not working well or how much work is left to do on your business. As a business owner there is always work to do and you are required to wear a consortium of hats. However, each hat pulls time away from the thing you want to be doing most.

Some of those many hats you wear are, but not limited to bookkeeper, salesperson, marketer, publicist, copywriter, accountant and therapist (you will talk yourself off of many a ledge) to name a few. Being a boss is about the ability to make decisions that benefit the whole. Well, in this case, the whole is YOU!

Parcel out the things you are not good at or consume the bulk of your time. You need a website but have no idea how to build one and WordPress is not your strong suit?

Hire a professional.

The amount of time it will take a professional to make your online presence nice and pretty will pale in comparison to the time it will take you to read and understand a “WordPress for dummies” book or pdf. Forget about trying to listen to an audio version of it!

Oh! But you’re a control freak which is why you decided to be an entrepreneur. I have heard it all and this excuse is the most humorous! Let’s unpack the idea of being a control freak. You do not trust anyone to do it correctly, so you decided to do it yourself. Who exactly is in control in this situation? Surely, it is not you!

Afterall, if you were truly in control you would be able to snap your fingers and watch the people around you dance. If we are being honest, that is real control. The ability to motivate the people around you to get done what you need done is the measure of control. So, BOSS UP! Learn the skill of delegation. If the people around you are not capable, find someone who is. That’s what bosses do, right!?

Hire a professional and let them work. As an entrepreneur, I am sure you are asking the same of your clients. So, pay it forward! If you need help mastering the art of Bossing Up! hire a coach!

“But, Will, I’m in business to make money and don’t have money to waste hiring someone else’s business to kickstart mine.” You are absolutely correct! You do not have money to waste. But do you have money to invest in the success of your business?

All expenditures are not equal. Purchasing 3,000 refrigerator magnets may not be a good idea to maximize exposure for your baked goods business as much as securing a booth at your local farmer’s market. Invest in things that elevate your potential customer’s experience.

The most important part of the equation is your customer! Granted, your ability to do what you say you do is important but, that should be a given. Without your customer base you do not have a business. This is true for singular consumers as well as businesses too!

A common mistake by many business owners is speaking to their potential consumer audience as if they are as educated in your expertise as you are. I like to call these conference room conversations. Your clients do not do business with you because they are the expert. Nor do they want to become an expert.

Your client is trusting you to be the expert to help them through their problem. So, appeal to their senses by letting them know you understand their dilemma and have the ability to solve it. You know, kind of like I did here.

Entrepreneur-ing ain’t easy, but if you follow these basic tenets, it may be a little less daunting.