Learn, Grow, and Pivot
Launching a business comes with many highs and lows but it is all about the pivot. The beginning is always like the dating phase, you are excited to market your business, create content, package your offer and tell the world, learn as many systems as necessary, and go above and beyond to meet the client’s expectations.
Around the year to the two-year mark, things start to settle in, your offer becomes solidified, the type of clients you wish to work with is clear, and you can choose to market your brand or continue to go after referrals. However, this is also the time when you evaluate what it means to run a business.
To understand what it means to run a business, you must first know why you started and when to pivot in business. Your why will change with time and depending on the season of life you are in. Maybe you’re relocating, getting engaged or married, starting a family, going through a divorce, the list goes on, but all of the factors that make up your life, determine your why and pivot.
When I started my business, I was in a toxic work culture and needed an escape plan. I knew I could work my business part-time and freelance while working in the evenings or weekends. My why then was to free myself mentally from a toxic environment by making enough money to cover certain expenses, and be more present with our son, while also focusing on my physical health.
While my why is no longer the same, running my business with the mindset of “we (I) do everything in excellence", remains.
You may wonder why I keep mentioning the word pivot, it is because business can take you on a roller coaster. When my son left pre-school and started regular school, I had to pivot in my working hours. I needed to be able to pick him up and take him to after-school activities. When referrals slowed down, I had to learn how to market my business and follow the new trends. While client scope creep can be a headache, I had to pivot my service offerings because I gained new skills in operations and project management.
Who knows, someday my pivot may be to close my business altogether and launch something completely new.
But as of now, I try to stay in the mindset of a new business owner so that I do not lose my foundation and get ahead of myself.
So what does it mean to run a business in its simple form?
Get to know more about yourself and your transferable skills. Learn your target market and industry, learn the trends, know who your customers are and where to find them, and focus on how to package your service or product. There will be seasons of balance and seasons where either life or business will take a back seat. There will be days and nights of simply perfecting your craft, there will be conferences and networking events, and also, days where you sit down and review your income and expenses (P&L). Not if but when you find yourself in tears or struggling how to move forward, go back to your why or rewrite it altogether.
Running a business is not what you see on social media, but it does have its rewards if you are willing to put in the work.
Grab my Launch Your Business Checklist today to start brainstorming what service or product you have to offer to the world!
Remember launching a business is and should be exciting, but be intentional in your offerings, understand your market and industry pricing, do your research, pivot when necessary, and launch the S.M.A.R.T. way!
✌🏽See you in the next blog!
…business mixed with life
-Dalynn
