Twelve practical Pieces of Advice to Help You on Your Entrepreneurial Journey

1.       Realize your dreams. Follow them!

Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” What a powerful statement!  Walt’s dream started with a mouse. What will your dream start with? Once you decided that you are going to follow your dreams, it is time to set some goals. 

2.       Set one large goal and then set smaller ones to help reach that larger goal. 

Write them down and look at them every day! Make a daily game plan to help you reach those smaller goals. This helps you reach your goals faster and help you stay focused on your journey. If you need help in this department please feel free to ask me. I have been setting goals my whole life and would love to help you! Seedsintoapples@gmail.com

  

3.       Set time aside to work on your business 6 days a week.

Always take one day off! If you do not rest, you will regret it in the end. There is no need to burn yourself out before you get started. I suffer from OCD, horribly! Therefore, I never really stop thinking about my business. The ones who suffer for that are my family. Personally, I have to learn to take a day off so my family does not suffer and avoid the risk of being burned out on my own business.

4.       Read, read, and read some more!

Read what your competitors are doing, read what professors are saying, read what other entrepreneurs have experienced! I heard somewhere that if you read on the subject in your field you become an expert. Start now!

5.       Ask for help! 

Personally, I cannot be do everything in my company, see rule #3, thus I need to be able to either delegate or ask for help or even hire help. I realize many small business owners do not have the resources to hire; you will be amazed at how many other resources are available for you. I can be one of those resources, if you would like; just shoot me an email with your questions… seedsintoapples@gmail.com

 

6.       Have a great support team!

Everyone needs a cheerleader… No! Wait… everyone needs a cheer leading squad! Find those individuals, family, friends, me, other professionals, and other business owners, which will encourage you to reach your goals, understand your dreams, and help you accomplish all you want!  

7.       Work on your business rather than in it! 

I read a book called E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber and the main point of the book was to work on your business rather than in it. So essentially your business is a two-man team. One person working in your business, while you are working on the growth of your business. 

8.       Be passionate about your work.
 

Unbelievably people will be able to hear the passion in your voice. If you are excited about your product/services then it will reflect in all that you do.  I have seen business owners who were just burned out (See that annoying rule #3 again) working in their business thus, they lack ambition to be passionate. They are tired and grumpy, and always seem to be sick. If you are one of these individuals who has lost your fire or drive for your business, take a few days off, re-evaluate those goals of yours, or write me a venting email… I am here to help you! Seedsintoapples@gmail.com

9.       Stay positive!

I once shared an office space with a photographer. She was a great partner in crime when we thought up new ways to market our businesses. The one thing she taught me was to always stay positive. If someone asks, you how is business going do NOT air out your dirty laundry. Always stay positive! “Business is great! I have reached several of my smaller goals and am well on my way to my larger goal. Thanks for asking!”
If you are struggling and need help then ask for help! See rule #5… seriously! So if that same question is asked, you reply the same way just change the ending, so it will be something like this “Business is great! I have reached several of my smaller goals and am well on my way to my larger goal. Would you mind helping me with one of my goals? I’m looking for a new logo; do you know a graphic artist?” The one thing I have learned is never let on that you are having a bad day; tough days are okay and understandable! Just stay positive!

10.   Network! (And NOT just the social media type of networking)

If you do not know what this is, let me explain. Networking is meeting with likeminded people and sharing ideas, strategies, and business information. It is a great way to learn from other people’s experiences. Just plan a meeting with anyone at least once a week and discover what you have to offer them, or they offer you! One businesswoman I met, in fact, she was my first networking meeting ever, is currently one of my favorite ladies and held my hand through a lot of my business decisions when I first started out.
I have since moved from that area (across the country) but we remain great friends still to this day and that was nearly 10 years ago. There is a lot that goes into networking, this will be a future blog post on the dos, and don’ts of networking so look for it soon!

11.   Be real!

I know I said be positive in rule # 9 but you also have to be real. If you are not then people will view you as fake. Having the label of being fake could lead to people not trusting you and this is not something you ever want to accomplish. Trust is a huge thing in the business industry and once you lose that trust, you can ruin your reputation. It is essential that people trust you. Like I said in #9 don’t air out your dirty laundry but it is okay to let others know you need help, you are struggling or you are having a tough day. Always seek a solution to resolve those issues! So the next time you communicate with the public you can tell them you have resolved the issue. 

12.   Get your celebration on!

Always… and I mean always have fun! Celebrate your small accomplishments and large ones! Let the world know you have achieved a goal! Let them know when you have set a new goal (you will see a great support team emerge from that!) Have a party to celebrate your first $1,000 made, have a ribbon cutting ceremony! Celebrate who you are and celebrate your business! Enjoy every second in your business because if you don’t then you are just working and often times you are working for free, so make your work worth something!