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I made a lot of mistakes when I started this entrepreneur life, and it caused me a lot of sleepless nights, frustration, and just plain unhappiness. Don't fall into these 3 traps:
"EXPERT" SYNDROME
We all look up to the people who are leading in our space and think, oh if I'm not near their level of success then I should sit down and be quiet. That expert syndrome has robbed many of their dreams. Deconstruct every thought that's holding you back from taking action.
Why are you comparing your year 1 with another person's 30 years in that space? It's ludicrous! Stop it.
Did this group of people just wake up one day as experts? Not possible! They too started at the very bottom. They too had a year 1 that would probably make your year 1 look like arriving. We have so many more resources than someone who started pre-internet. #Facts Use the advantage.
Who will listen to a nobody? Celebrities aren't the only people with valuable points of view. If you don't believe me, scroll to the bottom of your favourite influencers' social pages. Are you surprised that they're regular people that took a bet on themselves? #BetOnYou
How do I make myself look like an expert? You don't! Marketing Guru, Gary Vee has the best advice on this: Never ever fake it till you make it. Replace the "expert" mindset with ENTHUSIAST. The secret weapon every newbie entrepreneur has is that contagious enthusiasm.
I really want to give credit to where I saw this, but I can't remember. The speaker said, some leaders lead from the front (perhaps "experts"), some leaders lead alongside (perhaps enthusiasts on a journey with their tribe), and some leaders lead from behind (where the mission is too big for a personality, it needs everyone to be a leader, Can you see Nelson Mandela on this one?). #Perspective
Which one do you think suits you and your mission?
It all begins with your WHY.
Check out the latest Leaders Are Readers podcast episode based on Simon Sinek's best-seller, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action
SHOWING UP AS A CLONE
Naturally, when we start out we use what's out there as a compass on what to do, and of course, getting started is WAY better than never starting at all. We imitate before we get our own style. Just make sure to not get stuck in the imitation.
What happens when we imitate as our M.O? We lose inspiration. Remember, enthusiasm is our superpower newbie entrepreneurs. The moment we're going through the motions, it's a recreation of that job we hated and left because we wanted to create and bring our own ideas to life.
You may not be a podcaster like me, but this sentence will ring true with whatever you do. Just replace podcast with your own line of work.
"Bored podcasters produce bored audiences." ~ Buzzsprout
Bored people can't attract anyone to their work. Create a routine that reinforces excited energy. There are a lot of things in your business that won't be anywhere near fun, but you work for yourself now. Sprinkle the must be done with all seriousness with the stuff you enjoy, that led you to start the business in the first place. For some people who sell products, it may be creating more client-facing experiences, if chatting it up with the people you serve gives your energy.
The ONLY rule is that there are NO RULES #EntrepreneurshipHasNoRules
The real reason we operate as clones is that we don't trust our own ideas. This is a huge mistake!
That differentiation in the market you keep hearing about, starts with you. Your own take on things. If you have an idea, try it out for long enough to see if it's a better way of doing things. Notice I didn't say good way of doing things.
Forget good. We're on a journey to GREAT! And we can only get to great by focusing on that 1% better every day.
HAVING A CHECKLIST MENTALITY
If you're anything like me you love to check off that item as done and dusted, but in the world of newbie entrepreneurship, nothing is ever done and dusted. There are two things to always keep in mind:
Everything is an experiment, and
It can always be better (continuous improvement)
When you approach things as an experiment to get better, it's freeing and it will save you time. Don't labour over the mundane. For instance, taking hours to craft the perfect email is not a wise investment of your time. Send the email, let it say what it should and move on. Keep that same format and then assess the rate of email opens and clicks over a period. Now there's a basis to ask: how can we do this better? Things are moving.
There's got to be as, the host of Social Proof podcast, David Shands says, "ACTIVITY."
A bee hive with no activity isn't going to have any honey.
Embrace the learning curve. Think, if this doesn't work, I will try it a different way. Let go of perfection.
You already have what it takes to be a WINNER. #TapIntoYourWin
Stay encouraged.
Stay focused.
Have some fun with it.
It's a journey, not a sprint.
HAPPY DAY!
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