8 Tips for Entrepreneurs
Most entrepreneurs start their business with an audience composed mostly of friends and family. When I started my business, I didn’t know how to introduce it, how often to post, or what to say so I wasn’t annoying my friends.
In fact, the one thing that held me back, or limited my growth, was the fear of what other people would think - that they would think I was stupid for starting a business or that they were waiting for me to fail.
If you are struggling with the same fears, here are 8 helpful reminders:
1. Their thoughts are not paying your bills. The biggest revelation I had was realizing my family was depending on me to make this business successful. I have bills to pay and mouths to feed. There is no shame in paying your bills through a legitimate, legal business!
2. Is this true? I ask myself this daily. It’s a good exercise to sort out fabricated assumptions from actual criticism. Did someone actually say this or are you making it up in your head?
3. If they don’t support you, they’re not a true friend. I don’t like to say, “Oh they’re just jealous” because it goes much deeper than that. Who knows what issues your critic is struggling with. A confident, happy person will be cheering you on. If they’re not, don’t waste your energy worrying about it.
4. They’re small minded. A successful person will not judge you so why do you care what someone less successful thinks? Some like to surround themselves with other people who are exactly like them, doing the exact same thing. When you want to change or grow, they become defensive because they feel like they’re being left behind or their status (career/financial) is inadequate.
5. They’re not ready yet. Very rarely does someone become successful over night. Gary Vaynerchuk and Rachel Hollis put out content for nearly 10 years before they became well known. We are in an infant age in social media, voice recognition, and other apps. Meaning, some may not understand the benefit of your product/service quite yet. Keep advertising your business and serving your audience because they will get it eventually and may come back.
6. Live your values. What is most important to you? Your spouse and children? I doubt it’s others’ opinions. Let your daily decisions reflect your values and don’t let opinions stop you.
7. Don’t be slimy. While an old-fashioned cardinal rule states a consumer has to see your advertisement 7 times before they buy, you shouldn’t always be in sale mode. You should be serving your audience 80% of the time and selling 20% of the time. Even if you’re launching a product or service, try to mix up your advertisements. For example, you could show a picture of your product without a call to action.
8. YOU have to live with your decisions, not them. As Rachel Hollis says, “Don’t let someone in the cheap seats have an expensive opinion on your life.”
As you know, 50% of start-ups fail after 5 years. So being an entrepreneur is supposed to be hard! You must be confident and have thick skin. Stay consistent, keep putting yourself out there, and believe in yourself!