People love to give advice. They love to say things like, “Take it from me, whatever you do, don’t ______________” or “Something I wish I’d known when I got started was to do _____________ first.” And it’s always from a standpoint of something they wished they’d known when they started out.
How many people have given you advice? Business owners? Parents? Teachers? Bosses? Coworkers? Spouses? If you’re like me, you likely have a world of advice given by people in any of those categories that could help you in any situation you’re in. Did you always take it? Of course not!
The truth is, no matter how wise that advice may be, it usually takes personal experience and failure to learn the right and wrong way to do things. This is unfortunate because often in business this can mean losing loads of time and money while we wait for those dreadful experience points to come.
That’s the difference between knowledge and wisdom, isn’t it? Knowledge is something that we learn, from a class or a book or another person. But wisdom generally only comes from experience. In fact, it requires it. We can’t make a “right” decision without knowing the cost/benefit factors of both choices. And often the “right” decision comes after making the “wrong” one first.
Or, put another way, the old quote goes something like, “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”
So, while you may not heed my advice, here are seven things I wish I had known before venturing out with my first entrepreneur experience:
7 Pieces of Advice I Wish I’d Known When I Got Started
ONE – Focus on One Thing!
I was interested in a lot of things growing up. I was a musician, so the idea of playing music for a living quickly appealed to me, but then I got interested in other things. I learned how to design graphics and websites as a 18 year-old and so I became interested in that. Then, I wanted to learn to be a public speaker because my dad was one. And I often turned my attention to that.
There is nothing wrong with being well-rounded, and I certainly learned a lot from doing each of those things. But if I had learned to make my mind up early on about the one thing I truly wanted to focus on as a career, I’d have saved a lot of time and pain trying to wait for a sign from the heavens.
TWO – Learn to Make Quick Decisions
I am an analyzer, and my personality type in the Myers-Briggs ends with a “P” for perceiving, and not a “J” for judging. What does this mean exactly? Well, this isn’t a personality discussion, and you may see that word “judging” and think, “Well, that’s harsh.” But in this scenario, this refers to making decisions. We either take all of the information in before coming to a conclusion we think will be ultimately the best (Perceiving), or we make a quick decision to do something now (Judging). And while it takes all sorts of personalities to come together to make this world go ‘round, business requires making decisions quickly.
Yes, it could be the wrong decision, and mine have often been. But I have rarely lived with the amount of regret over a quick decision gone wrong, and I have often regretted waiting too long before acting on something. Please take this piece of advice.
Besides, decision making is a learned activity for most of us. The more we do it quickly, the more we learn HOW to do it correctly.
THREE – Plan, Plan, Plan
My ADHD often causes me to make impulsive decisions. I know, I know, I just talked about the GOOD things about making quick decisions. But too many quick decisions that are not thought through at ALL can be just as deadly. You can find the perfect balance in between the two by learning how to plan for what you want to do.
If you are planning a new website, you need to plan out exactly what you want your users’ experience to be when they log on. This will mean you need to be very intentional about the placement of products, content, and how you intend to market and profit from your site.
Plan for contingencies that you could face, plan how you will spend the money you budget, and plan how you will market your goods and services.
FOUR – Surround Yourself With People Smarter and Better Than You
Yes, you may be a sole proprietor, and you may not need a staff. That’s okay, but you would do well to have three or four people who do the kind of work you’re doing that you can bounce ideas off of. Form a network and meet once a month for coffee or lunch, and don’t be afraid to talk about what you’re working on. Most people who work in similar fields find that their communication with other like-minded people helps them to perform better.
No two people are alike, and you can learn from others who have either been where you are now, or they are doing something similar. And reversely, they can learn from you. This may sound like the subject of simply taking advice, but it’s not as much as it is sharing experiences that become a support.
FIVE – Don’t Quit The Moment It Gets Tough
When you’re first starting out in business, it can be tough to break through. There’s all kinds of factors and hurdles to consider – from having enough seed money to take care of the overhead alone to the competition who’s been doing what you’re doing longer and have already gained a following and are making a great living at it. And it can be tempting to hang it up at the first signs of trouble. It can especially be tempting to walk away when the money isn’t there. After all, you may be in debt already for the cost of simply getting legal and doing business. But if you can just hold tight a little bit longer.
Most business owners fail in their first year and go back to what they knew before. And it can be tempting to do that – you were comfortable before. It didn’t hurt you so bad. But if you truly know that you want this, and you dream of doing your own thing, I urge you to hold on during the unknowable parts.
WHAT BUSINESS ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF OR OTHERS?
Have you learned some important lessons? Maybe you’ve experienced good things and gotten through the challenges you faced starting out. If so, share them with the blog in the comments section below.
Have a great day, and I hope you have a Wonderful Holiday!
