What I've learnt in my two years in business

Wow! This week, Be Super Social turned 2 🎉

It still feels so new and yet I know so much more about running a business than I did two years ago.

My Dad ran his own company throughout his working life so I have always been exposed to it, but I didn’t ever think it was in my future.

But after having my kids, losing the passion for my previous career and wanting something flexible I could do within school hours, my business was born.

Initially I thought of myself as a freelancer, picking up jobs here and there. And honestly, to begin with I thought I would go back into employment with my new social media skills. It wasn’t until my husband referred to me as an entrepreneur that the penny finally dropped.

I do run my own business. I am a business owner. I now own that badge with pride.

Over two short years my business has evolved, and I know we are only a little way through the story, I’m sure there will be many more evolutions to come.

Here are a few things I’ve learnt along the way:

💥 Mindset is EVERYTHING! You are completely in control of how you feel and that impacts your business more than you realise. Treating mindset work as a fundamental part of your business tasks will do wonders for you. That will seep through into every area of your life, not just your business.

💥 You do need a bit of money to set up a business, especially if the money doesn’t flow immediately. So be ready for it. I was so guilty of this way of thinking when I started out ‘I am a service provider, doing the work myself, what could I possibly need start up money for?’ Well insurance, contracts / legal knowledge, privacy policy for website, ISO licencing, website domain and hosting, logo / branding, additional training are just a few areas I have invested in over my two years. Not all are essential by any means, but they certainly help. 

💥 You can work things out on your own, but investing in help / coaching / support / memberships etc can be invaluable to your growth. I have worked with two coaches so far, one in a 1:1 setting and one in a group setting, they have both taught me so much. I have also been in two memberships, one I have been in for 18 months and has been invaluable to my ongoing learning and as a source of fantastic freelance support too.

💥 There is plenty of room for everyone, look down your local high street, I bet you’ll find several coffee shops and several hairdressers. There are loads of people doing what I do or similar things to what I do on the internet. But the reason people chose me over someone else is because of me, and the clients I have chosen as my Ideal Clients. Those women who are not so familiar with social media, or want to make sure they are doing the right things to grow organically.

💥 Don’t get distracted by what others are doing. You don’t know their full story and you are not them. I talk about this a lot. It’s sometimes referred to as ‘comparisonitis’ or Joe Wicks calls it his ‘10 year overnight success’. It can be so hard to stay in your own lane at your own pace sometimes, when others look like they are growing harder and faster than you. But like everything on social media, you very rarely know the whole story, so comparing your journey to their positive snapshot is a recipe for upset.

Are you a small business owner? What have you learnt in your time in business? Let me know below ⬇