5 Words of Advice for My Former Self About Building a Business
In keeping with the five year anniversary theme, I was thinking the other day how much I wished I had the opportunity to give myself five words of advice as I began building my business. My hope is these five words strike a chord with business owners at every stage, because I think they resonate whether you started your business yesterday, 20 years ago, or are even thinking of beginning a business. OK, so these are more than 5 words but my maximizer just can’t help it.
Ask for help 5 times more than you think you need it. Really. Starting a business is HARD. Just imagine how you feel when you start a new workout routine. It is overwhelming, causes doubts about your abilities, and it can also be a very scary leap. Ask for help! You don’t have to know it all. None of us do. And asking for help from the people surrounding you also makes them feel good, and helps them become a part of what you are building.
Find a coach. Everyone needs a coach. The highest-class caliber athletes in the world need a coach, so why should you be any different? Beginning a business can be a very lonely endeavor, and finding someone to support you, cheer you on, and yes, call you out on your mistakes at times is invaluable. It makes you better and holds you accountable on your journey.
The most important thing is how you see things happening. Listen to others but don’t believe that everyone knows what makes sense to you and your business. On the flip side of this, it is important to know yourself, and your business journey. Not everyone’s advice fits your particular business or your journey. It is great to listen to others with experience, but also remember that their journey is theirs, and your journey is yours.
Believe people when they tell you that you are doing well. This one can be tricky, especially when you are navigating so many unknowns all at once. It is important to accept the compliments of others along the way. While you may feel like you are not always doing the best job, chances are that you are. Other people can see this more clearly at times than we can for ourselves.
It is not world peace, mistakes are part of the process. Don’t be so hard on yourself. This can be particularly tough for those perfectionists in the room. But building a business is very tough, and the conditions are ever-changing. As we have seen more clearly than ever in this past year, we don’t always know how life is going to look. Sometimes we make the right call, and other times we don’t. It is all part of the journey.
Identifying your Strengths as part of the process of starting and owning your own business can help you remember these five keys too. I believe being high in activator and achiever allowed me to begin without all the answers but kept my focus on excellence. Being strategic, I always sort through information, themes and patterns quickly. This helped create road maps for me to use as templates. My maximizer generally kicked it up a notch as in my brain my ideas and plans could alway be a bit better. I am very high in realtor and responsibility. The foundation of my business is people. I always start from where my client is at and build a coaching relationship from there. When I step back and look in on myself, I clearly see how my dominant strengths have and continue to show up. This is how my strengths operating system impacts my business. How might your strengths operate? Let’s find out!