In the early part of 2022, a new client said, “I’ve spent almost 20 years building up someone else’s business – I now realise that no one has taught me how to build my own business, it’s tough, really tough.”
If you are starting out in building your business, whether you are looking to build a business just for you or to build it up to have other consultants in it, here’s the best advice that I can give you.
Understand the outcomes – I’ve talked about this in recent blog posts, get clarity on the outcomes of the services that you are going to offer.
Whilst we are talking about clarity, be clear on who you want to work with. Bring them to life in your mind. This will also help you to spend time in the right networks on and offline.
Find and build peer-to-peer relationships with other business owners, preferably those who are slightly ahead of you and will be willing to give you advice. Be coachable, they’ve probably made more mistakes than you, if they are willing to share these with you, learn from them.
Coaching, another great way to expedite your growth as a business owner and soft skills required to continuously evolve with your business.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable and that also means getting comfortable turning work away which isn’t always easy to do in the beginning. Working with the wrong clients who don’t value you or your services can be financially and emotionally draining.
Learn fast – and that includes, what you aren’t good at and don’t like doing. Once you’ve identified these areas and the revenue starts to flow in, outsource these activities as soon as you can.
Track everything you do, how many leads it takes to convert to business, what networking events or posts seem to work well for you and focus on these areas.
None of this would be possible without putting personal boundaries in place to look after you. If you burn yourself out, then your business is at risk if it’s wholly reliant on you. Be ruthless with your personal wellbeing and development. Ultimately, YOU are the key to your own success.
