One of the topics my readers ask me the most about is how to prosper by working on your own. Obviously it is a very broad topic to be able to cover it completely in an article, since each type of business is a world. However, I do want to share with you what has worked for me and which is applicable to many cases. This is what has personally helped me prosper by working on my own:
1. Know what you do and where you want to go.
It seems obvious but many people go through life without knowing very well what they want. Working on your own is hard and if you are not clear about what you want to do, why (the most important thing) and how far you want to go, it will be even harder for you. I say this many times, you have to have a great reason to push you through difficult times. For me, the lifestyle that my own business allows me is motivating enough to continue working no matter what. Each one has their own reasons and they are all good; Of course, if your only reason is to have more money, I already tell you that it is not enough, if not at the first exchange you will leave. The first two years are the worst, take it and have your reason, your reason, always present.
It is also important to be clear, at least up to a point, how far you want to go. Do you want a large business with many employees and franchises? Anything smaller, work from home? You decide but until you know exactly what you want you will not be able to focus on what is important and it is easy for you to disperse and waste a lot of time and energy. When you are clear about your goals at all times and also what gives you the most benefits, it is easier for you to focus and get results. It is very easy to waste time, so be sure to review your goals frequently.
2. Learn from people who are where you want to be.
I personally wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for my mentors. I have already had five with whom I have worked in person and many more with whom I have bought a course. Of course, it has been an investment of money but they have saved me time, errors, disappointments and I have recovered the investment by far (and yes I have also thought and rethought whether to spend the money or not because I started with my savings). For me this is essential. Other people may have done it alone, but it probably took longer. It is up to you, I got tired of not knowing what to do and seeing how time went by and that I did not have the results I wanted. So I am clear that every time I want to make a jump in my business I will have a mentor (in fact now I have one).
3. Learn about marketing.
Let's not fool ourselves, marketing and sales scare us and throw us back to those who are foreign to the subject. We are scared, we are ashamed, we associate it with cheating or manipulation and so it cannot. Marketing is nothing more than knowing how to present what you offer in an attractive way and you do not have to lie, cheat or manipulate. It is time for you to get that out of your head because if you do not know how to sell you will not have a business.
I started the same as you, without feeling capable and seeing it as something manipulative and now that I already know enough about the subject and how to apply it to my business, I love it! That is the question we tend to demonize what we do not know and we miss many things, with how easy it is to learn and lose fear. I now really enjoy learning new marketing strategies (especially online), applying them to my business and teaching my clients to apply it to theirs. Just because the neighbor across the street is cheating doesn't mean you have to do the same. You can run your business the way you want and the more honest and upright you are, the better (at least that's my opinion).
If your business is not going well and you want it to be a business instead of a hobby, stop training courses that only fatten your resume and start learning how to get clients, that changes everything. Training is essential but always maintaining a strategic vision, which is not random. That you need to perfect a technique to improve your work, you learn it; that you need to learn to speak in public to go to the next level, you learn; you need to learn marketing, you learn it. But do not hide in courses to avoid taking action, it is useless to have eighty coaching titles, for example, if you do not have any clients. What does your business need now?
4. Be persistent.
This is essential, nothing is given away here and as I said last week to the readers of my newsletter, if I fall down ten times I get up eleven times. I work and I try to be tired or unmotivated (very often when you start) or, on the contrary, more cheerful and relaxed because things are going well (and here it is easy to get confused, loosen up and see the lack of results a few months later). Do not be fooled, you have to work hard and that is why it is essential to have a reason that drives you at all times. But don't be scared either, it is very enriching and if you organize yourself well you will have the freedom and flexibility that, at least for me, make everything worthwhile.
5. Work your mind.
Having your own business is one of the most enriching things there is at the level of personal development. Of course, as you move forward, insecurities and limiting beliefs will come to light that you have to work to avoid getting stuck at the level where you are. Beliefs regarding marketing and sales, money, helping others, living up to something, something will always come out, regardless of the level you are in…
These are the five pillars that have helped me with my business and I consider that they are applicable to all types of entrepreneurship, although more things can be added. What is the most important for you? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to share this article if it has helped you.
