It’s been 2 months since I ‘launched’ a consulting practice to offer business process optimization services to businesses and teams. And what a time it’s been! There have been ups and downs, twists and turns. It honestly feels like I’m on the Expedition Everest ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: It’s fun and exhilarating, sure, but at times it feels like Bigfoot is trying to chase me down. Ha!
In the last 2 months, I’ve learned a ton…about business, but also about what it’s like to be a full-time entrepreneur for the first time. Here are my top reflections from this period:
My community and support system is everything
I am super fortunate that my sister and mom are both going through a similar transition into self-employment right now - the 3 of us lift one another up and offer advice and a sounding board when the other needs it.
I am also so immensely grateful for my friends, far and wide, who believe in me and send me encouraging messages and Instagram posts. It may seem like a small gesture, but knowing the people who love me believe I can do this helps me keep going, especially when it feels like it’s not working out the way I hoped it would.
Everything takes longer than I think it will
The actual rate at which things moved did not always align with the energy and pace I was pushing towards. Just trying to open a bank account to get a credit card, so I could buy a computer, took weeks! But I am continuing to learn to trust in God / The Universe’s divine timing and believing that everything happens exactly when it’s meant to happen. If things had happened more swiftly with those admin tasks, then maybe I would have launched on LinkedIn sooner and my current client may not have seen my announcement which prompted him to reach out to me for work…everything happens when it’s meant to happen.
It feels like all the money is going away from you, instead of towards you
OOF this one is hard…watching my money go OUT with not as much coming IN makes my stomach turn into knots. The financial impact of self-employment was (and still is) one of the things that most terrified me about making this leap. However, I am learning to embrace abundance and working hard to earn an income so I can continue to pay for my life, while simultaneously being more mindful about where my money is going.
My Inner Critic is quite loud, especially at night when the mind is quiet
If you’re not familiar with the concept of the Inner Critic, it is the self-critical voice inside our heads that stops us in our tracks from doing what we really want to do.
Tara Mohr, a coach and expert on beating the Inner Critic explains it as: “The inner critic is an expression of the safety instinct in us — the part of us that wants to stay safe from potential emotional risk — from hurt, failure, criticism, disappointment, or rejection by the tribe.” (If you want to read an excerpt on the Inner Critic from her book, Playing Big, you can here.)
For me, my Inner Critic wants to protect me from disappointment, financial failure, letting myself or others down, rejection…so she speaks up loudly to try and keep me complacent. And she is loudest when my mind gets quiet before bed or when I wake up in the middle of the night. I am continuing to do the work to make peace with her voice and turn more to my Inner Mentor/Authentic Self when I am able to.
My personal systems and routines are vital to my success
Sticking to my daily routines, setting an “Ideal Schedule” for my week, and creating weekly and daily goals has been instrumental in ensuring I am moving forward. I use the Full Focus Planner, which sets me up to feel in control of my day and have a sense of productivity when the work day ends. I really love it - I even turned my sister onto using it too!
In addition to my planner, my mindfulness and yoga routines are just as important, if not more. I can feel a difference in my mental and physical landscape when I miss my morning yoga, a yoga class or a meditation break. Taking time to pause, feel into my body, and clear my mind is key to staying in tune with my Authentic Self and believing I can do this.
There is no room for ego
I have to check my ego at the door. Part of creating awareness for my new venture is reaching out to people in my network, some of whom I haven’t talked to in a while. And it feels hard and scary and I am afraid they’re going to say “No” or just not respond to my message. But I do it anyway, because I need to do what it takes to grow my business! And amazingly so many people say “Yes!”, and I have been able to reconnect with some amazing people who have been so generous with their time! (Thank you!!!)
I also have to ask for help. And say “I don’t know” - A LOT. There is no room for ego when it comes to starting a business. I am working on giving myself the grace and compassion necessary to keep going. This is a brand new job and I am learning each day how to accomplish it.
I CAN do this.
When all is said and done, I know - deep down in my inner knowing - that I can do this. Yes, my Inner Critic sometimes wins the volume battle and she’s all I can hear. But then I have other moments where I know I am doing what I am meant to be doing. Like when my client told me I taught him something new and that my Systems Map I built him was better than any of the ones in the book he had read on systems thinking. My heart soared! I am trying to string together all these tiny moments of affirmation and gratitude to make a chain of confidence that will carry me through to success!
If you are considering going out on your own in business, or taking a scary, big step of any kind in your career, feel free to reach out to me! I would love to offer you encouragement and support in the same way my community has supported me.