In my previous blog post, I gave 3 Do’s when starting out in business.
In this blog post, I give you 3 ‘Dont’s’.
(The video has 3 Do’s and 3 Don’ts. I’ve separated them on the blog post.
You can find the 3 Do’s here)
1. Don’t get stuck in the comparison cycle.
Getting stuck in the comparison cycle can cause you to lose your belief in yourself.
What actually happens is that we often compare someone’s middle to our beginning.
When you’re starting out, and you see people that are further along in their journey with you – remember, you don’t know the heartache that they’ve been through.
You don’t know all the pain, all the times that they’ve failed.
For me, it was running seminars where only a few people showed up.
Or running webinars and having technology issues.
There has been so many doubts, fears or the tears.
I’ve been in business 16 years and it’s been a roller coaster of emotions.
Negative comparison is when you look at people that are further along than you with envy, jealousy or shame around where you’re at.
We just don’t have time for all that negative energy.
We’ve got businesses to build, we’ve got lives to change, including our own. We cannot waste time in comparison.
So, when you look at people further behind it in the journey, you don’t want to think “I’m better”.
And when you look at people further along you don’t want to think ”I’ve got so far to go how depressing”.
Only look at others to support them and to feel encouraged.
Look at people further along and think, “Wow, they can do it, I can do it!”
I’m so grateful that I’ve got people that I can glean from. People who have gone before me. We can stand on the shoulders of these giants, and learn so much from them.
So people that have figured it out along the way – see it as a blessing. You get to enjoy their success, you get to enjoy learning from them.
And don’t ever think that anyone is better than you.
No one is better than you. We’ve all got different gifts, different types of intelligence, different strengths. So don’t ever think of people in that way.
You have priceless value. You could never be paid what you’re worth. You’re worth so much more than you’re charging, I guarantee.
So, don’t get stuck in that comparison trap.
Okay, number two don’t. And This is a big one.
2. Don’t let people with different dreams, determine yours
Sometimes people will say things to you, and you can’t listen to it, because they don’t understand your dreams.
They don’t have the same dreams as you.
People might encourage you to go a different way.
You’ve got to trust your dreams, you’ve got to trust in yourself.
You have an instinct, you have intuition for your life that no one else has.
Yes, seek wise counsel – for SURE!
Seek advice, seek mentorship from people you respect.
But remember, no one knows you as well as you do.
Don’t let people with different kinds of dreams determine yours, especially people who haven’t done what you want to do.
If you want to get abs, and someone who has a potbelly is telling you what to eat, or how to exercise, it’s probably not a good idea to listen to them. Right?
You wouldn’t listen to someone who’s never had a six-pack before, give you advice on how to get a six-pack.
So, why would you listen to someone give you business advice, unless they have a successful business?
I’m all for receiving feedback. Feedback is a gift. I love getting feedback.
But I like getting qualified feedback.
And I only like getting feedback from people I respect.
So, if someone gives me feedback, and they don’t understand the dreams that I have, to me, it’s a waste of energy.
It can plant seeds of doubt and fear in your mind. And we don’t have time for that. We’ve got things to get on with – we’ve got things to create things to build.
So don’t let comments or disagreements online or little things that people say to you affect you.
Don’t people speak into your life unless you respect them – and they are successful, according to your definition of success. Then they deserve you to consider their opinion.
3. Don’t feel guilty about investing in your business
Feeling guilty about investing could come in the form of time, energy, or money.
All of these things are necessary to invest in business, especially when you’re just starting out.
When I started off, I had to spend SO much time in my business.
I was in my mid-20s and I had to just not have much of a social life for a while. Because I was building, and when you’re in the building stage, you just can’t afford to be going out and partying all the time.
To build your business, it does take time initially.
Once you get through that initial foundation stage and you set up systems, you can pull back a bit.
It’s like you go through a wilderness, and it’s tough, but you come out to the promised land. And it’s amazing. But you’ve got to work for that.
You don’t get that just by putting in a few hours here and there – that is not enough.
There’s no such thing as a get rich quick scheme that lasts.
If this is your dream, you have to invest in it.
If you want the freedom and perks that come with having your own business, if you want to be your own boss, you need to be prepared to put time, money and energy into it. It’s a given.
One of my favorite things about being my own boss is that my boss lets me sleep in. She doesn’t make me force myself up with an alarm.
And most of the time, I’m doing things that I find really rewarding. I’ve learned and invested consistently and I’m reaping the rewards.
But it took a lot of time and work to get here.
Now I can go on a lot of holidays and enjoy myself and have time away from my laptop.
I invested over 100,000 dollars and thousands of hours investing into my business.
People who don’t understand that will think it’s weird.
A lot of people don’t get it. They don’t get that you don’t clock off at 5pm.
If you’re a parent, you might not get to watch every single one of your child’s soccer games. Or pick them up from school every single day.
Sometimes it’s the nature of business.
And it’s your choice. There should be no guilt around that.
There should be no guilt around you investing in a workshop or course that’s going to grow your business.
If having a business is your dream, there is a price to pay.
It’s not about being a workaholic. I’ve been called it before. I’m not a workaholic. I love my job. I’m on purpose. I’m in my calling.
So why would I not invest in it?
When you value something, you invest in it.
So don’t feel guilty for doing that. It’s a requirement of business.
And when you’re starting out, usually you don’t have as much money. So you have to invest time.
If you’ve got some capital behind you, if you’ve got some savings, then you can invest that to save time.
But you’ve either got to put in time or money, usually both.
We don’t have the heartbeats to waste on it.
It doesn’t have a lot of benefits.
So here’s a recap of the three don’ts when starting out in business.
1. Don’t get trapped in the comparison cycle.
2. Don’t let people with different dreams, determine yours.
3. Don’t feel guilty for investing in your business.
If having a business is your dream, remember that it does take time, effort, money, and energy.
But if you know in your heart-of-hearts that this is what you want – it’s worth it.
I’d love to hear which one was your favourite – pop it in the comment section below.
It’s good to not feel alone in business.
If there’s anything else I can do for you, please do reach out businesses too hard to do alone. So please don’t suffer in silence. Reach out and ask for help.
I would love to support you.
Go for your dreams,
Kat
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