9 Lessons from My Entrepreneurial Journey

It has been 8 months since I left my corporate job to launch my coaching business. I was first certified in 2016 and had been trying to “work my side gig” while still working full time but, the demands of the job made it very difficult to make significant headway. I took the plunge after a friend of mine passed away. She was living her best life. In fact, she was living the life I wanted to live, inspiring and working with women to help them succeed. Her passing was the catalyst for making the best decision of my life.

But, if I’m honest, it hasn’t been easy. There are days I am super productive and others not so much, moments when I wonder if I made the right decision, even though I know I did and times when trusting the universe only gets me so far. And at the same time, I’ve experienced tremendous growth. I’ve been uncomfortable countless times. And I have learned there are a lot of people in my circle who are willing and able to help and support me.

This week, I want to share the 9 things I learned which had the biggest impact of my new life.

Downtime is NOT underrated

The week following my departure, I was suddenly overcome with back spasms that made me feel like I couldn’t breathe. It was my body’s way of releasing 30 years of corporate stress, and it hurt. I was in tears and gasping for air in my boyfriend’s car on the way to chiropractor and was never more scared in my life. So, I decided to take some downtime even though it felt counterintuitive. I wanted to jump in, get started and move forward with my new life, but I also knew I needed to shed some of this baggage.

When you make a major life change, even if it is a positive change, it is jarring to the body. Why? Because everything you know and are comfortable with will change. There is a certain level of comfort in your discomfort for the simple reason that it is familiar. You’ve learned to deal with is and to adapt and this one decision upends everything! Taking downtime is not taking three steps back! It may feel like opportunity is passing you by. But look at it this way; Imagine the kicker of your favorite football team going up to the line as he readies to kick the ball through the goal post. What does he do after he’s positioned the ball just like he likes it? He takes a few steps back, so he can align and visualize kicking the football through the uprights. That is exactly what you are doing when you take some time to transition into the new life you are creating.

It’s a great time to decide who you want to be moving forward, like shedding an old skin that feels too restrictive and no longer serves you. Define how you need to show up for whatever new adventure you are embarking on and take the time to work on yourself, developing the skills you need to maximize your success. And don’t forget to simply rest. It will serve you well.

Get healthy

Never have I been more motivated to get my health in order than now, for three reasons. 1. I have crossed the 50 threshold. That means it is likely I have less life left in me than I have already lived. And I want the next 50 to be better than the first 50. I want to be able to move as I want and with Alzheimer running in my family, I want to have all my faculties as I get up there in age. 2. How can I talk to my clients about being healthy and taking control of their health, if I’m not willing to do the same? That would be pretty hypocritical… 3. There is too much I want to do and if I don’t find a way to increase my energy levels, I will never be able to do it!

If you are starting on your health journey or if you want to explore even deeper, find the resources that can help you do that. For me, it meant experimenting with different credos and learning to take small steps. What do you need to do to get in the best health of YOUR life, so you can serve those you love and those you want to reach?

Schedule the heck out of your day

When I woke up and walked into the living room the day after my last day, I stood there with my hands on my hips, looked around the room and thought “now what…?” I was so used to my daily agenda being dictated by my boss, my client, my colleagues, etc… that I needed to take a moment. During my downtime, I took time to figure out how I wanted to structure my days. Again, it felt foreign and uncomfortable. So many questions were running through my head: “How do I know I’m doing the right things?” “What should I be spending my time on?” “What if this doesn’t work?” But I started putting things down in my agenda.

When you become 100% in charge of your life, it is incredibly empowering! You get to decide what you’ll do. You get to run the show. You have always been the star of your own movie, but never more so then now. So, try things on. Experiment. See what works. Consider whether you’re an early bird or a night owl and schedule your most important activities when you are at your best. As a morning person, I do my creative work in the morning. But that might not work for you. You know yourself better than anyone else, so follow your true north and determine what is optimum.

You can consider different things you want to schedule. Take into account your work time, your growth time, your down time, your morning and evening routines, your time with friends and family, your personal time.  There are so many different things you can look at. And schedule your entire week, so you have a good view of what is coming each day. If you are not used to calendaring yourself, you may feel restricted at first, but I encourage you to keep at it. Having a schedule is incredibly freeing because you don’t spend any time trying to figure out what you do next. You can go from one thing to the other, with the proper breaks in between without wasting any time.

Invest in yourself

I’ve been doing this business thing my way for the last 8 months. I am getting some traction. I see things are moving, but they are definitely not moving fast enough for what I have in mind. I only have so much money saved before I start to sweat and going back to corporate is not an option I’m willing to entertain. So, I needed to find a way to accelerate things. How? By investing on myself and my business. I want someone to cut my learning curve, yet I needed to try it my way first. So, (gasp) I took the plunge this past week and bought into a year-long program to help me do just that. I’m going to learn from the best, from the mistakes they made and the successes they had.

How do you look at spending money on yourself, let’s say, to grow? Is it a cost or is it an investment? There is a big different between the two. A cost is something you just spend money, time or resources on. It’s an expenditure. But an investment is so much more than that. Yes, it’s still money you spend, but you also expect to get something from it. You expect you’ll have a return on your investment. When you buy a course, masterclass, coaching services, they are an investment in yourself because they bring with them the expectation of a brighter and better future, for yourself. What have you been putting off investing in for yourself?

Take full ownership of yourself

The wonderful thing about being in business for yourself is that no-one can tell you what to do. The bad thing about being in business for yourself is that there’s no-one to tell you what to do! It’s a double edge sword. At the end of the day, you need to make what you think is the best decision for yourself and your business. You are, maybe for the first time in your life, 100% in the driver’s seat. There is enormous power in taking full ownership for oneself. It’s also intimidating. The buck stops with us. There’s nobody to blame. There’s no playing victim. There is just us. When you sit squarely behind the steering wheel of your life, you are both accountable and responsible for your actions. You make a mistake? Own it! Learn from it and endeavor not to make it again.

Realize there are days you’ll feel stuck and that’s OK

A few weeks ago, I remember sitting at my desk and my mind went completely blank. It was like someone erased the tape. I wasn’t sure what to go and where to go from where I was. But the worst thing was, I didn’t know how to get unstuck! And after thinking about it, I realized that I had been going non-stop for 5 months, every single day. I was tired. So, I did all that I knew to do at that moment; I took a couple of days to refresh.

When you get stuck like that, which you invariably will, you have many ways to help you get through to the other side. You can take a break, like I did. You can engage with other people and unplug. Why not pick up a good book and just read for pleasure. Have a hobby you haven’t paid attention to in a while? Do that! Being stuck is part of the process. I liken it to weight loss. If you’ve every been on a weight loss journey, you know that there is invariably a moment when you hit a plateau. Why? Because your body reaches homeostasis and the only way to break through is to do something different. So go for it. Get out of your comfort zone and try new things!

Look for opportunities to collaborate with and support others

I have connected with and met so many wonderful people since I started. When I left my previous job, I took all the people I worked with, put them in a box and put that box on a shelf. Because of the confidential nature of the work I did, it was not possible for me to stay in contact with peeps. Now, I am reconnecting with people I hadn’t spoken to in, sometimes, 20 odd years. And you know what I found? Most of them have been super receptive and open. I’ve had countless conversations where it felt like I had just left yesterday. They have been incredibly supportive of what I am doing now and happy to help in any way they can.

I’ve also met new people through the power of networking and social media and we’re looking to collaborate in ways that helps us both, but also helps those we serve. Bottom line is this. You are not alone in this journey, or at least, you don’t have to be unless that’s what you choose. If you’re introvert, reaching out to others might not come naturally, but I urge you to get out of your comfort zone and experience the power of connection and collaboration. If you’re interested in learning more, check out a blog I wrote on the topic a few weeks ago, but clicking here. We can do so much more when we are many than when we are alone! You help each other grow by learning from each other. You can cut each other’s learning curve by sharing experiences and trying different methods. And if nothing else, it feels good to know you’re helping someone succeed and to be part of a community.

Consistently provide value

I had an epiphany in the last month. As much as I want to grow faster and quicker, I also realized that I can do more. If I want to accelerate my business growth, I must give more or myself, my time, what I’ve learned. I am proud of how consistently I have been showing up with my blogs and on social media, but at the same time, I understand I need to step up my game.

All of this is part of the learning curve. Try different things and see what works and what doesn’t. And sometimes, it’s not that what you do doesn’t work, but more that you need to do more of it, so your audience know what you’re all about and what the benefit will be of working with you!

Don’t forget to have fun

I can’t stress this enough. It plays into most of the points I’ve highlighted. Take your weekends and do fun things, have new experiences. That downtime is absolutely precious! Getting healthy doesn’t have to be painful. I’m learning to enjoy and have fun with my 30-minute kettlebell exercise twice a week. It’s been uber fun reconnecting with old acquaintances and making new connections. And I have been trying to maximize one day a week to do fun things like going to see exhibits, attending special events, seeing movies, hanging out with friends, or enjoying a really nice dinner out. The point is this. Get out of your head for some time every week, so you can enjoy the process more!

Final thoughts

This new journey has been great so far. I love that I don’t answer to anyone, that I am 100% responsible for what happens to me and that I get to impact others in a significant way. I have taken these 9 lessons to heart and I hope they can help you in your own moment of transition.

Let me know which of these 9 insights resonated most with you. And don’t be shy to share some of the things you’ve learned which can help a newly minted entrepreneur accelerate their success. Let’s  support each other and give each other hope!