Celebrating 10 Years in Business Lessons Learned

This August I started my 10th year of being in biz for myself. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned thus far:

1) When you are a solopreneur remember that you are the business. Take care of yourself. Health, fitness and balance — they add up to a fuller and more resilient you which is good for you and good for biz.

2) People hire people. Your brand must be authentic and credible. Make sure you are clear on who you are - otherwise how can others truly get to know and trust who you are?

3) Your work-life must reflect your values and your priorities. Make sure you know what is most important to you and regularly monitor if your work life reflects that.

4) If you build it - will they come? Wrong. You must build AND promote. Don’t confuse the two.

5) Expect that there will be ebbs and flows to the business. Some days are feast while others may feel like famine. Trust that if you do all you can, the slow periods will pick-up.

6) Networking is very important. For biz building and also for your overall personal growth. It can be lonely on your own. Get out there!

7) Figure out your boundaries and respect them. Know your boundaries, communicate them and respect them. If you don’t – who will?

8 ) Review and reflect regularly on your biz …not just how the biz is doing but also how you are doing in it. Still working for you? If not, make some adjustments.

9) Build a team of professionals (and/or others) who will support you. A coach, accountant, financial planner, tech person and others – they can help you navigate the challenges, opportunities and complexities involved in running your own biz.

10) Celebrate success along the way…..but make sure you define success on your terms. Financial success and clients are important measures but what else is important to you? Name it, claim it and celebrate it!

NOTE: a longer version of this article can be found on my TGIMWORKLIFE blog where it was first published.



Celebrating 10 Years in Business Lessons Learned - To learn more about this author, visit Eileen Chadnick's Website.

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