The other day I was scrolling through social media watching everyones “all my successes in 2021” and “what my big goals are for 2022”. And to be honest, I became stressed and upset. They tell you to take social media with a grain of salt because people are only showing the highlight reel of their year but as much as I know that, then why does it make it so hard for me to look back on my own small and big wins? As I sat there pondering at my own 2021, I realized – I do have something to talk about that can hopefully motivate and help others instead of making them feel lost and upset.
With that being said, I can’t tell you what its like to make 6 figures in your first year of business, I can’t tell you what it’s like to have solid systems behind doors, I can’t tell you a perfect marketing strategy or how to pick a niche right off the bat. I won’t sit here and tell you how pretty things are, because a lot of the times they’re not. But what I can tell you, is how to get off your ass and start. Because I did, and you can too.
I had to start due to unfortunate reasons of losing my job to Covid and wasn’t receiveing unemployment. And let’s not forget the fact I’ve never designed a website prior in my life. Nor did I ever put Website Design in my arsenal of “all the things I’d wanna be growing up”. But life works in weird ways so whether you stumble across a new career change that you love or maybe you’ve known for years that you wanna quit corporate and run your own business – this advice is for you.
So let’s get into it…
1. If you’re waiting until you feel confident enough, you’ll be waiting a lifetime. People who are 5-10 years into business find themselves lacking confidence in their work, yet their work is great; and so is yours. The only way your work gets better is by taking on pro-bono clients or friends and family needing your services and learning from there. And as you get better and more skilled – you can always go back and offer out your services again.
2. If you’re scared you might fail, that’s the risk you take with anything in life. You can fail at a corporate job, a part time job, a side hustle, and so on. So you might as well take the risk on something you feel passionate about. But let’s be real, you fail as soon as you decide to not go for it and stay in your comfort zone. And who says you can’t start with it as a side job while keeping a stable job in the mean time? See if it evolves over time and then shift while you go.
(As I was deciding to grow my web design business I knew the money wouldn’t be consistent in my first year or two; so I went and got a part time remote job. It NEEDED to be remote and take up less than 15 hours a week and somehow I was able to manifest that. Even though I’m counting the days I don’t have to work it anymore, it’s been a comfort knowing I get X amount of dollars each month).
3. There’s room for everyone to be successful. Before people even start they think they can’t be the best there is because someone else is already out there doing it. But remember, theres 7 billion people on the planet, and one or two successful people in your industry aren’t serving all of them. Be yourself and market the hell out of it – your people will come.
4. Whether you think it or not, people don’t know HALF the knowledge you do. Recognize that. Not everyone can take a stunning photograph, or knows info on nutrition and health, or how to even work a computer…you get the point. When you think people know what you know, you’ll never be confident. Get that outta your head!
5. ALWAYS trust the process and never rush the process. The moment you start following someone else’s journey to success is the moment the process doesn’t work out. Everyone’s idea of success is different and they all didn’t get there through the same journey, wins and losses. Do what feels is right for your business, and always follow your own gut.
At the end of the day, you almost have to black out and literally start. Start by getting an LLC, or by asking a friend or family member to be a client of yours, start a social media page, start making a logo. ANYTHING counts as a first step and once you get that one thing down, the motivation will follow. Cheers to 2022!
