Advice from an Entrepreneur

When I left my job, I left certainty, comfort, and an income that I could count on. On one hand, I was scared about the unknown of going out on my own; on the other hand, I was afraid of what my life would be like in five to ten years if I didn't go on this journey. It was time, I took the plunge.

When I was Director of Marketing at a cannabis boutique in Colorado, I enjoyed what I did, but I started to feel unfulfilled. It is my nature to desire change and to want more for myself, especially when I am feeling stagnant. I felt that the quality of my work was slipping, and I had no motivation or interest in being there. I wasn't giving my best, which wasn't doing right by my employer.

I spent the last several years in the cannabis industry and it was time well spent in my career. During that time, I accomplished everything I wanted to in the industry. I started in grows, became a budtender, moved into management, and then into marketing. Although there was more I could get into, I was beginning to feel burnt out in this industry. I needed a change.

Many years prior, I attempted to go freelance but I was in over my head. I had no clarity nor direction and it didn't last long. Fast forward six years later to my last job in the industry. The last months were spent in the pandemic. While it did have an impact on operations, to my surprise, during this time we had done better than we had been doing. This hike in sales didn't last long as in the beginning, everyone was purchasing not only their weed but also their toilet paper. However, my role was now more important than it ever was. COVID had forced me to become more creative and dive deeper into digital marketing. But by the end of my time there, I was burnt out, unhappy, and just miserable. If you were an essential worker, you undoubtedly can relate to this.

I had this idea to start my own marketing company for some time and even though when I first went freelance things didn't work out,  I had more experience under my belt about business and what people need. I was feeling confident. If there was one thing I wish I did before getting started was to learn about what it means to be an entrepreneur.

At the time, I didn't consider myself an entrepreneur and it wasn't something I thought to look into, but this is my first piece of advice for anyone who's thinking about starting their journey of owning a business.

My first year in business

You can read all the books you want about starting a business (and they've helped me tremendously throughout this journey) but nothing prepares you for the entrepreneur life like actually doing it. If you like chaos, you will fall into it just fine. For those who need order, I am sorry to inform you that this life is quite the opposite... at least in the beginning. You are in charge of everything -  business relations, networking, finances, marketing, all of it has your name on it. That alone is enough for some people to decide to walk away. As it goes, I didn't get everything right the first time but I learned valuable lessons along the way and they are as follows.

Plan & Research

As you start thinking about your journey, it helps to plan it out. Know what you want, how you want to do it, whom you want to serve, and when is a viable timeline. Be realistic about the timeline part - that may mean you stay at your job longer but this will all be worth it. Once you have clarity, research your field. See what the rates are, what the current trend is, educate yourself as much as possible, and keep yourself informed.

Network

Start networking immediately, and try to join a mastermind group where you can meet other entrepreneurs. Once you can build a rapport with these connections, they are more likely to recommend you and your services to their network and you should do the same for them. In freelancing, reputation is everything. I can't count the number of times I've been told horror stories about freelancers who didn't quite live up to their capabilities or did something terrible to their clients. When you can build a strong network, this can put these types of clients at ease.

Find a mentor

When I thought I had it right, I was asked the questions that proved otherwise. I had been considering getting a mentor for some time when I met Kimberly Shepheard in an Entrepreneur Mindset Discussion group I joined. We immediately clicked, and in our conversations, I learned about her and what she does. At that time, she introduced me to the Powerful Marketers program. After setting up a meeting, here is where I met Mari-Liis Vaher who was the one who was asking those questions that had me rethinking the way I was doing things. Both of these women changed my life in many ways, I don't think they will ever know. I found clarity in my business, created structure, had accountability, someone to talk to about the wins/losses, and everything that comes with your business. Most importantly they left me empowered.

I highly encourage you to find your Kim and Mari-Liis.

Don't talk about it, do it

It's easy to sit there and talk about starting something but I find that the more we talk, the less we put that talking into action. What has worked best for me is to just do. With this, however, you have to also release some of your limiting beliefs because they will hold you back from actually starting. It's uncomfortable, you will have to do things that you don't want to but it all falls together and on the other side of it, you become better. Just do. When you fail, try again, and again, and again. Allow yourself to fail in the "doing" process. These failures are great lessons and help you come back even better. Just go do it.

Go, go right now and good luck!