Here’s article two of my series on starting your own business.
The truth of small business is that you will NEVER be done improving your business.
If you are starting your own business, there are literally thousands of things to do before everything is “just so.” Then, after you have your business going, there are more and more layers of the business.
I’m saying this so that you can accept the fact that you will never be done working on your business.
Now that you know your inbox will be full when you die, we can get on to doing the most important things in the business.
The first thing to do when you are starting a business is look at what you want to sell. Even if you aren’t asking for money, you may be asking others to invest their time with you. Often to get started, you will need to sell people, even though you are offering it for free. Massage therapists do hours of free sessions as part of their training. I did a lot of coaching for free and in a business environment before I started looking for clients.
What do you want to sell? What is your dream business?
Think about this. At the same time, remember, you can’t do it all.
Find coaches, partners, supportive friends, anyone who has been where you are to help you. When you say, “I need your help.” people will line up to help you, once you know what you are selling.
The next post will talk about how I would want you to educate me on your business if I were a potential customer or if you came to ask me for help.
Once we agree that the list of tasks will fill a lifetime we can start to accept that it’s not going to be perfect. We can’t do everything that a great business needs in the first day. What we can do it make a little progress each day toward our goal of our dream business.
Be nice to yourself. Know that it takes time to build your business. Treat yourself as you would a beloved friend who is learning something new. At times, there will be tremendous frustration and upset as you work towards your dreams.
Step back, take a breath, let the upset go and start anew.
You can’t do it all, but you can do it!
Ned
p.s. – if you need help taking a breath, feel free to subscribe to my Coaching Newsletter at the right of your screen for free one-minute relaxation audios, plus great discounts on my products.