This post started out as the 5 things I wish I knew, but has quickly expanded into 10 after learning so much about being an entrepreneur  since launching Crazy Wild Love a few years ago.

When I was first starting out, my day looked something like this:

Wake up and grab my iPhone. Check my emails before finally rolling out of bed. Throw my hair up into a sloppy bun, sometimes get dressed or sometimes just throw on sweats. Grab a cup of tea or coffee and eat breakfast at my living room table in front of my computer. Check email, freak out, feel totally lost as to what I should actually do, more coffee, still in sweats hunched over my computer when my fiancé came home. Skip workout, make dinner and talk about my business with Peter. Go to bed with iPhone.

NO. FUN.

Worse than no fun, it was completely unhealthy. I wasn’t treating my body with respect, I wasn’t treating my relationship with respect, I wasn’t treating my work with respect and I certainly wasn’t treating myself with respect.

I wrote a free self-love guide all about my experience and how treating yourself with respect can change everything.

Thankfully, I’ve learned a few things over this journey. The flow of my days, quality of my work and sense of fun and meaning in my life look very different now than they did when I started.

So I want to share with you the 10 things I wish I knew when I started my business.

1. Dress as if the world is watching.

This has been a game-changer in my life and business. You may think wearing pajamas to work sounds like a dream come true, but believe me, after a few weeks of that it’s more like a nightmare. It doesn’t boost your own confidence, help your business or your relationship. Now, even if I’m going to be working at home all day, I always make a point to shower, put on a little makeup and dress myself in an outfit that makes me feel fabulous.

This has changed not just the way I feel about myself, but also the relationship with my husband and how productive I am throughout the day. This doesn’t just relate to work, either. When I became pregnant I got a little frumpy. Morning sickness was totally a legitimate excuse, but after a while, I had to make peace with my changing body and find a new style. This also goes for your work environment.  A tidy, organized space will go a long way for your mood, mindset and productivity level.

2. Become friends with marketing.

If sales and marketing conjures up images of sleazy cars salesmen, it’s time to re-frame the way you think about it. When I first started my business, I wasn’t comfortable with marketing either. I thought somehow clients would just come flocking to me from the power of my vision board and weekly newsletter I sent out to the 34 people on my list. And yes, my list was pretty much all my extended family.

I know that you’re a brilliant writer, or a powerful coach, or have the ability to create art that literally leaps off the canvas; but if you don’t spend time marketing, no one will ever care about what you do. So believe in what you’re doing and know it will help others, than think about it as a means to simply reach and help more people in the most effective way possible.

3. Move past your resistance.

As a new entrepreneur, you will meet resistance. Believe you me. I work with coaching clients around moving past fear and resistance. It may come in the form of procrastination, standing in front of the fridge with the door open aimlessly staring at the milk, mindlessly checking Facebook (ooh! someone else got engaged!) or tweeting about the breakfast you ate rather than working on that big project. Any of these have the same two things in common: fear and doubt. Fear will come up, but that’s okay, take it as a signal pointing you in the direction you should go.

4. Surround yourself with people who uplift and inspire you.

We are the product of the people and environment we surround ourselves with. In fact, it’s been said that we are the sum of the 5 people we spend the most time with. Hmm…interesting right? If you surround yourself with people who tell you you’re going to fail, or maybe are broke themselves, that is much more likely to happen to you.

So up your game! Start hanging out with people who uplift you, support you and inspire you. Maybe even those who are one, five or ten steps ahead of you. Don’t compare yourself to them, but use their story as inspiration for what you can one day achieve.

5. Don’t work 24/7 .

I can’t stress this enough. As a new business owner it’s easy to get carried away with work work work all the time. And well, it gets boring. When I first started my business, my husband was getting so annoyed with me a) working constantly or b) talking about work. We instated a date night where I wasn’t allowed to talk about my business. And boy, was it refreshing! I know it’s super exciting and easy to get all-consumed when starting a business, but people will get bored with you very fast. So keep yourself interesting! Go on trips, take up a cooking class, hang with friends. Don’t let yourself become one-sided.

More recently, my mom sent me some old pictures of me at the age of 12 bouncing on our trampoline in the back yard. It made me smile remembering how fun life can be when you incorporate play into it. So close the computer and get out there!

6. You are your brand.

Your brand is the cornerstone of your business. And guess what? You are the cornerstone of your brand. So if you have a brand that…ahem…sucks, you have to be ready to invest money to fix it. Some reasons why your brand might suck is if you’ve been trying too hard to sound like everybody else rather than speaking like your authentic self; the quality of your images and website are crap; you’re not saying anything that people are finding interesting or unique; you’re going after the wrong people; your brand is all over the place; or you’re trying to be too many things to too many people.

Brands require constant attention. They can’t be ignored or set up and forgotten about. What worked six months ago might not work anymore. Think about it this way, if you don’t stay the same for more than a few years, neither should your brand. Especially when your brand is a representation of you, you need to make sure that your unique personality shines through.

7. People don’t want what you sell or they don’t know they want it.

If people do not already know that they need something, you have to do ten times more work to educate them on why they need your thing. This is going to take ten times longer. For example, when you wonder how Linda’s Donut Shop has been in business for so long, it’s because people know they need coffee and donuts! It says it right on the sign, they drive past it on their way to work every day, and maybe after a few drive-bys then stop it and enjoy a jelly roll.

They do not necessarily know that they need what you’re offering. Give it at least two years… keep being your creative self, offering a stellar product, never let up, throw tons of money at a great brand, stellar copy, awesome coaches, ads on influential websites, and then the world will start to go, “Oh! I definitely need her! Ready to buy.” Maybe. It takes time. Don’t listen to those people you see online who say they had ‘overnight success’ and made six figures out of nowhere. They didn’t. There was a lot of behind the scenes planning, building, crying and coaching to get there.

8. Build multiple streams of income.

Number 8 has two points: the first is that it’s OKAY to take a second job, and the second is that it’s important to diversify your offerings. If getting a second job so that you have some money coming in will give you peace of mind, do it. Don’t be an asshole like I was and be too above taking a second job because I thought it would mean “giving up on my dream”. That worked for a few months until I ran out of money and had to start waitressing at the Cheesecake Factory. Yes, your attention may be divided but it’s better than total financial stress affecting your business. I later quit that job and started doing some freelance work copy writing for other business owners. Just make sure it’s a job that won’t be either too stressful, take away too much of your time or that you feel overly invested in.

The second point is that it’s important to have multiple streams of income for your business. Ideally, you want to have active income (trading your time for services) and passive income (you made something once and the money flows). For example, my active income comes from working with clients and taking women through the Crazy Wild Love Academy, which I run once or twice a year. For passive income, I have a number of video courses that I offer on multiple sites, as well as ads and affiliate income. So if your main source of income is through online sales, get creative with what you can offer.

9. Spend less time planning, more time in action.

The first year of my business was largely spent signing up for a gajillion newsletters, watching every webinar out there, hoarding tips on how to create a better Pinterest board, perfecting my tweets and creating the perfect client avatar. Then I finally dished out some money and hired a coach. That was the best thing I could have done because she helped me to get past my procrastination and resistance phase and just start doing stuff already. She also had already been in my shoes so she could tell me what worked and what didn’t…i.e. saving me hundreds of hours of wasted time.

I coach clients all the time who are just starting up a new business and get so stuck on reading every training tip out there, figuring out what exactly to call themselves or not launching their website until it’s perfect. Believe me…I get it. This is partly a necessary phase of the process, an initiation of sorts.

It’s time to get sh-t done. Block out all distractions (close your email, don’t check Facebook or answer your phone) and take inspired, actionable steps towards your goals. Try a power hour where you create a list of 1-2 specific tasks and set a timer for an hour. Do not get up to pee. Do not start vacuuming the floor. Do not peruse the fridge for snacks. Just get the work done and use an accountability partner if you need one. I promise, you’ll feel more accomplished in an hour than you have for the last week.

10. You haven’t dealt with your own BS.

You haven’t dealt with your crap about money. About success or failure. About your worth. About childhood drama. Whatever it is, if you don’t deal with these things they’ll drag you down faster in business than a sack of potatoes. And I’m by no means saying that you have to be perfect before your business will be successful. Far from it, being an entrepreneur will pull up all of your bullsh-t stories, throw them in your face, spit you out, have you in tears, and then make you a better person than you ever knew you could be.

But you have to know that you are worth it. You have to know that you are deserving of success. You have to know that you can do it. You have to be a model for others to follow.

You have to be prepared to take on risk. You’ll experience at times incredible loneliness and utter confusion. People may think you’re crazy. But if you continue to follow through and repeat all of the above steps with patience and persistence, you will be successful.

More than anything, when starting your own business, remember to love yourself through the process. Launching a business is a marathon, not a sprint. There are going to be surprises, hardships, and times when you downright doubt yourself. But stick with it and remember the amazing gift that only you can give to this world.

[bctt tweet=”It’s time to spend less time in planning mode, more time taking action. “]

[bctt tweet=”Surround yourself with people who uplift and inspire you.”]

[bctt tweet=”Starting a new biz? Read the 10 things I wish I knew when I started my business.”]

 

Let’s Talk.

Let me know in the comments, which of these tips are you going to implement into your business and life? Are there any others you’d like to add from your experience?

You’ve got this!

Alexis