When I got my first job as a fitness instructor at the tender age of 17 I knew I had found my calling. I loved it! My passion for fitness and my desire to help others sparked something in me that I knew I wanted to pursue. It has led me down an exciting, challenging, and rewarding path of entrepreneurship that I would not have found working in a traditional 9-5 job. As a mom, I pray for my daughters to find the same spark and purpose in their lives that I have been blessed with. If they do decide to follow in my footsteps, there are some things I want my daughters to know about entrepreneurship.
It’s So Freeing!
Entrepreneurs are people who have a spark inside them to fulfil a special purpose. With that spark, you can create, build, or explore literally anything that comes to your mind. Instead of working hard to help somebody else’s dream come true and making them money, you get to do it for yourself. How awesome is that?!
Being an entrepreneur means that YOU are in charge of literally everything in your business. There’s no one telling you what time to be at work or how long to take for lunch. There’s no dress code (hello yoga pants!). No boss is yelling at you to meet a deadline. You are the boss!
You get to decide HOW you earn money and how MUCH money you earn each month. Talk about freedom! You get to mould your day and your life to reflect your priorities.
Parts of your business like the branding, marketing strategy, and client onboarding process are completely up to you. Even client selection is totally at your discretion. Fill your client list with like-minded, kick-ass people and fire those clients who bring you down.
Every Day Is New And Challenging
Working for someone else can become really monotonous. You clock in, work towards making someone else’s dream come true, then clock out and go home. Every day pretty much looks the same. That’s not the case with entrepreneurship. Each day can be different and challenging.
When you start your own business you usually can’t afford to hire someone to help you. Because of this, you must learn how to do literally everything in your business. You’re responsible for every single job within your company. Every. Single. Job. Accounting? You. Sales and marketing? You. Client services? You guessed it- also you!
The beauty of being an entrepreneur is that you can learn at your own pace and will never be bored. Embrace these opportunities to learn and become empowered!
You Will Go Farther By Being Yourself!
If there is one thing about entrepreneurship I want my daughters to learn it is this: do not compare yourself to others in your niche. It’s so easy to fall into that trap but it will only lead to self-doubt. Don’t compare your chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 100.
You will attract more clients by being yourself than you ever will trying to impersonate someone else. People can sense when you’re not being your authentic self and it will turn them away. Besides, pretending to be someone else is exhausting!
Mistakes Are A Big Part Of Success
Repeat after me: it’s ok to make mistakes. In fact, mistakes are a good thing! It means that you are growing and learning! Show me a successful entrepreneur and I will show you someone who made loads of mistakes on their way to prosperity.
Mistakes aren’t what derail your success, it’s how you handle them. Once you can acknowledge your mistakes and learn from them there will be nothing holding you back. Evaluate what went wrong, adjust your strategy, and try again. You’re only a failure if you stop trying.
It Can Be Lonely
This isn’t a widely talked about subject, but entrepreneurship can be a lonely endeavour. Being an entrepreneur is not like a traditional job where you get dressed, leave your house, and talk to your bosses and coworkers all day. Since most entrepreneurs work from the comfort of their home, it’s not uncommon to stay in your pajamas and not leave your house for days at a time.
Since starting and running your own business is so demanding and time-consuming, your social calendar will probably be put on the back burner- at least for a while. You may have to stay home from some girls’ nights or say no to some invitations.
Apart from the physical loneliness that comes with entrepreneurship, there’s also emotional loneliness that can creep in. Odds are, not many of your close family and friends will understand the demands of running a business and the toll that it takes on you.
Nobody Is Going To Do It For You
One of the myths about being an entrepreneur who works from home is that you don’t work as hard. People think you get to watch Netflix, snack all day and take naps whenever you want to. Sounds pretty awesome, right?
While you can certainly do all of those things, your business will not be successful if you do. Running your own business is arguably more work than going to a 9-5 job. If you make excuses or break promises to yourself you won’t get yelled at by a boss, you just won’t make any money. You have to be internally motivated, especially at first before you start bringing in the income.
You Can Change Your Mind
Entrepreneurship is a beautiful thing, but it isn’t for everyone. And that's ok! I always encourage my daughters to pursue their dreams but would never want them to stick with something they didn’t absolutely love.
