Which boat are you in?

• You’ve daydreamed about quitting your 9-5 job and stepping into the world of online business.
• Or you’ve already made the leap and you’re currently building your own venture.

No matter what – It’s always different than what you’d expect.

Here are 5 ways growing my own business from the ground up has surprised me and how I’ve responded in each situation. Your favorite YouTube and Twitter/X gurus won’t tell you these 🤫

1) Solopreneurship is really lonely

I ran my business completely alone for more than a year and a half. That might not sound like a long time, but when you’re isolated for that long, it is.

I thought the harder I worked, the better my business would do. That’s hardly the reality though.

Learn from those who’ve done what you’re trying to do.
Hire and outsource faster than you think you should.
Start working on the business, instead of just in it.
Meet friends and peers at your same level.
Document your learnings along the way.
Partner with others in your industry.

I used to think I’d learn everything by doing it myself. But you can save a ton of time by doing the above.

Running a solo business is still better than lining someone else’s pocket in a 9-5 job. But don’t isolate yourself like I did.

2) Treat your clients better than you treat your family

Referrals are the most important marketing tool in your belt. You get customers without having to lift a finger.

Ideal.

But referrals aren’t free. You first have to provide “excellent service” to your current clients, so they recommend you to their friends.

“Excellent service” is one thing and one thing only: You provide results above-and-beyond what your clients expected.

Nobody cares if you’re fun to work with nor if you cared about their business.

They have to feel as if they received more value than what they paid for. It’s simple.

Honestly, the bar is low. Do a really good job at what you do. Results will follow. And make sure your customers feel valued.

3) Balancing work & life is hard

My business is now my baby. And it’s up to me (and only me) to keep it alive and well.

Side note: The goal is to make sure my business can function without my involvement. That’s true freedom – Being able to control your own time while you make money in the background.

So it’s been hard to take trips with my friends, get a drink with my girl and even workout when I have pressing needs in my business.

It’s been easy, on the other hand, to let my business consume my life.

In 2023 I’ve set clearer boundaries around when I’m working and when I’m not. The routine has been a savior for my relationships and well-being.

4) Success is just a series of good decisions

In the grand scheme of things, business is just a series of decisions – however small, however significant.

Whenever you’re faced with another, it’s up to you to be smart about it.

Bad decisions aren’t the end of the world. You just get sent back a peg or two. The important thing is to recognize and learn from them.

Success is based a lot on luck. I admit that. But in order to receive good fortune, you first have to put yourself in the position to benefit from it.

Decide today to do hard stuff. Decide today to push yourself. Decide today to take a bigger risk than yesterday.

5) Comfort is the enemy

I’m not going to lie. I got complacent about a year into running my own business.

Although a year prior I would’ve been thrilled to make what I was making, my income had stagnated.

The problem was – I was doing the work, so I didn’t even have time to take sales meetings. I wanted simplicity, so I refused to hire or outsource.

I was stuck at that revenue number. A few months later, this bit me in the butt.

Some clients ended our relationships, and revenue dipped.

I got complacent. I got comfortable with what I had. And I ignored the obvious signs to keep growing, keep scaling.

Decline isn’t the enemy. Standing still is.

If you haven’t started your online business yet, is this what you thought it’d be like? And if you are in the startup phase, how’s it going?

DM or email me. I respond to literally every single message.