Getting Your Business Started {Episode 8}
May 11, 2023
What if you were spending the same amount of time and energy ON your business as you're currently wasting just wondering and worrying about it?
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and sometimes that first step can seem impossible.
In this episode I'm going to help you put some of those newbie fears to rest (like, "will starting a business cause me to neglect my family?") and walk you through the 3 things you need to decide to get started on your dream. You get to (finally!) decide what you're going to do, why you're starting this business and the truth behind the "how".
Today I have a bit more of a logistical episode for you.
You might be listening and feeling ready to start this business that keeps coming to you, but you don't know where to start.
Every minute you spend wondering "what if", being confused about how to start, or worried about how it might not work, is a minute you are NOT building your dream.
Let me get one thing straight: there is no RIGHT way. As moms of faith, we like to lean heavily on God and His plans and timing which is very often a GOOD thing!
But sometimes it's an excuse. If you find yourself saying "I don't know if it's the right time, or right thing, or right move" you may be using a lack of heavenly confirmation as an excuse to not move forward.
Just like there's no right way, there's also no wrong way. Just like a cross-country road trip, your entrepreneurial journey will be full of U-turns and scenic drives and stops and traffic jams.
Here's the key many of us like to forget: it's a road trip, NOT a rollercoaster. The difference? You can stop or get off a road trip at any time. YOU are the driver and completely in control.
Too many people think that starting a business is like hopping on a rollercoaster with its terrifying flips and loop-de-loops with no way off the ride.
Can a business GET out of control and ask more of you than you'd like to give? Absolutely, but then you get to CHOOSE what to do next.
Let's show an example: when my oldest 2 kids were little, I really wanted to start a clothing brand. I looked into all the logistics and made several large steps in that direction.
I ended up deciding that we didn't have the exta money to invest in it and that I needed to give my family my full attention.
But what if I had gone ahead? One of two things would've happened: I would've figured out the roadblocks (bootstrapping finances, hiring help, keeping things small so I could be available for my kids) or I would've set it aside when life as a mom got too crazy.
Guess what wouldn't have happened? I wouldn't have become a crazy busy businesswoman and neglected my family. Why not? Because that's not in keeping with my values.
Sometimes women of faith have too little confidence in themselves and their abilities to live in keeping with what's important to them. Having money will not make you selfish. Building a business will not make you neglectful.
Remember that you can put on the brakes, shift or pivot ANY time you want. In fact, that's one of the beauties of being an entrepreneur!
So let's talk about what you're most afraid of if you haven't yet made progress on your entrepreneurial dreams or if you're stuck near the beginning.
Most people tend to get stuck on the what, why or how so let's go through these really quickly.
The what: there's so much drama surrounding this! Like I mentioned before, when we stress about choosing the "right" thing. Forward motion creates momentum. The "right" thing is not chosen, it's created.
Everything you learn along the way to the perfect business for you will help you learn and grow; and even that "perfect" business will not always be perfect. A business is more of a living breathing entity than an unchangeable possesion.
Set aside quarterly and yearly breaks to stop, reflect and decide if this is still the "what" you want to do. Pivots are not failures, they are how you personalize your business to serve you, not the other way around.
The WHY: many of us don't think about this until the going gets tough. We're high on excitement until the clients don't come, the customers turn into crickets and things are harder than expected.
So choose your why NOW. It doesn't have to be big and massive - but I recommend making it at least a little unselfish.
Now I am a huge proponent of doing things for yourself even if people disagree, so why do we need an UNselfish reason? Because that will serve us best because we're faithful moms who want to be unselfish and put good out into the world.
When things get hard, working for extra vacation money or even to pay the bills becomes not enough; you can get an easy job for that! But serving your target market? That's amuch deeper why.
When things get hard for me, I think about YOU. The moms who feel this little nudge to create something but they're overwhelmed or terrified or full of insecurity. I think of what to say to you and how to show you your potential.
That's what keeps me going!
Finally the HOW: You're not gonna like this but if you're wondering "how" it'll all work, here's the answer: you're not going to know.
If you're the type to plan all the things and always be in control, this will drive you crazy!
Here's another example:When I first thought about manufacturing clothing products, I looked into lots of different manufacturing options. I found one place that seemed amazing; it was an educational center with a manufacturing floor that could teach me everything.
It had a scholarship to let in budding designers and I was one of the finalists. And then I didn't get it. I was so devastated! In my mind, it was the perfect fit!
A year or two later I found another place that seemed heaven sent and checked all the boxes. But that one didn't work out either. I could have used these examples as proof that it wasn't "meant to be" or that I'd never accomplish my dream.
But I kept looking and finally, I found the manufacturer I used to create my first product, the Lettie bra, last year and the whole process was seamless and amazing. In fact, it was WAY easier than it would've been at the other manufacturers.
So just let go of control, trust in your own abilities and intuition but mostly trust in God.
Be patient but don't wait to take action.
To quote a favorite religious leader: the Lord loves effort. Show Him and yourself that you mean business - pun intended! I can't wait to see you get started.
Are you tired of figuring everythingĀ out on your own?
Let me help you create the business of your dreams.
