Entrepreneurship is a risk-based profession. Many factors outside of your control can effect your business and you need to be able to navigate a career where these factors pop up from time to time. In life and in business there are some risks that you should expect to take and some that you should take to get ahead.
Trust someone to help you.
Sometimes people disappoint you. We’ve all been there. But this doesn’t mean that ALL people will disappoint you. You may feel like you can’t trust anyone with anything business related because your business is your baby and no one can care for it the way you can. If you are the face of your business and the brand is built around your personality then there may be some truth to that but, that still doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the help of others. Allowing others to help you with your business is not the same thing as letting someone take over or giving up the reins completely. You will be shocked at what a little help from friends, family, or employees can do for you. Tasking others with your least favorite things to do will allow you to focus more time on what you love and get more items checked off of your to do list. You don’t have to give up the drivers seat, just start letting other people ride in the car!
Abandon your steady paycheck.
A lot of people think that because they walk into work every day into a building that someone else owns and sit at a desk that someone else provided, they are guaranteed a paycheck. This is false. Just because you have a “regular” job, you are still not guaranteed a steady paycheck. You never know when a company may need to downsize and if you are not the CEO, then you don’t get the final say in who stays and goes. Owning your own business is a financial risk but at the end of the day, you decide who stays and goes. If luck and hard work are on your side, you may end up making more than you ever could have at your day job.
Collaborate.
The right collaboration can take a good project and turn it into a great project. Finding the right people to work with can sometimes be a challenge but with social media on your side, you can get a great idea of someones work ethic and creative capabilities before you even send them a hello email. Collaborations can help you build a stellar portfolio that represents your best work, find new ways to be creative, and have a list of awesome creatives to work with on speed dial.
Donating personal time.
You can’t expect to launch a successful business without putting in some extra time. If you are used to always having a 40 hour work week that fits perfectly into a Monday to Friday format, get ready to say goodbye to it. Being an entrepreneur often requires long, weird hours. Depending on what kind of business you own, you won’t necessarily always need to log so many extra hours but be prepared to cut into your personal time in the first few years of entrepreneurship.
Put yourself out there.
You can’t get what you don’t ask for. If you are having a difficult time finding clients or customers, it may be because you are not putting yourself out there as much as you could be. Are you completely utilizing social media with both relevant and consistent posts and updates? Are you networking in person when you can? Are you offering to be a leader in your industry and speak out or share knowledge on the topics you are an expert in? If you answered no to any of these questions, you need to be putting yourself out there more. Whether you are extroverted or introverted, there are tons of creative options for getting your name out there so get that idea book out and show the world what you can do.