The B.Y.O.B. (be your own boss) movement has taken the internet by storm and rightfully so. Since the start of 2019, over 500,000 businesses have launched every month with the number one motivation reported by these new business owners being the desire to become their own boss. Some of you may have gotten caught up in the hype of starting your own brand or business, but there are a few secrets that internet CEOs won’t tell you about becoming your own boss. Luckily for you, Girl CEO, Ronne Brown has your covered.
You Will Cry In The Car
Nearly a decade ago, Ronne decided to become her own boss. Today, she states there are several things about entrepreneurship that she wishes she had known before launching her first business. The first being that some days you will find yourself crying in your car. “There will be days when you feel like you can’t handle it all and you will cry in your car. A lot! Being your own boss comes with a lot of responsibility and even though things may appear to be going great there will always be moments when the weight of the world that you carry on your shoulders get to be a little too much. Sometimes it gets overwhelming trying to make sure everything goes as planned and even though you know it will all work out it doesn’t stop the tears from flowing. I had to learn that there’s nothing wrong with a good cry.”
You Can’t Be A One-Woman Show
Because valuable information like this wasn’t readily available to Ronne when she began her business, this fueled the creation of her latest 6 figure brand, Girl CEO, where she provides everyday women all over the globe with resources to build their business that otherwise they may not have had access to. Since the inception of Girl CEO, Ronne has helped thousands of women launch and scale their brands, graced several stages as a marketing and social media expert, as well as scratch several items off of her dream board. Now, many would say that Ronne is living her best life, but even amid her ongoing success, Brown shares that she quickly realized you can’t be a one-woman show! Like most new business owners, Brown shares that she attempted to do everything alone in the early stages of her entrepreneurial journey and it turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes she made. “Social media will have you thinking that you can build a business alone, but that’s simply impossible. If you want to go further faster you have to learn to let go and create a team. As difficult as it was for me, I had to learn to take my hands off of certain things which were far from easy,” she admits.
Your Profit Isn’t Your Profit
Although attempting to build solo slowed Ronne down for a brief moment, it did not stop her. She has launched several successful companies over the years and created 3 six-figure brands using social media. Most influencers will allude to the fact that their rolling in the dough, but Brown states that it’s important to know that your profit isn’t your profit. “So many people get excited about the amount of income made from product sells, but the truth is that’s not really your profit; it’s your profit minus your expenses. Most people forget that you still have to factor in what you sent on ads, product creation, platform usage, marketing, shipping if you have a physical product, and so forth. Once you subtract all of your expenses then you have what you made. That’s your profit. Never forget that.”
You Have To Miss Out To Save Up
With newfound financial freedom from creating a successful brand comes several luxuries, but it also comes with newfound responsibilities. Contrary to popular belief, Ronne informs us that sometimes you have to miss out to save up. “When you’re building a brand from scratch and you’re the primary source of funding, you can’t always go on the exotic trips with your friends. There have been times I’ve had to miss out on the fun because I knew that going would make me feel irresponsible being that I’m nowhere close to where I want to be,” she shares.
Failure Is A Part Of The Process
Though Brown seems to have it all– the money, the career, the influence, along with everything else a girl could want, it’s important to note that her success didn’t happen overnight. Over the years Ronne has launched several businesses before building the digital empire you see today. As she navigated her own journey to entrepreneurship, Ronne says that one of the biggest lessons she’s learned is that failure is a part of the process. “I want to stress that there’s nothing wrong with failing. Failure is wisdom! When I look back over every part of my life when I thought I was failing, I was learning. These experiences are what shapes you and help you to become better. Failure is where the real wisdom lies. Don’t run from it.”
Regardless of what lies ahead, Ronne is passionate about educating and empowering female entrepreneurs. She wants you to know that if she can build the life of her dreams and a 7 figure digital empire you can too. Interested in learning more about her story and the Girl CEO community? Connect with Ronne on ig @ronnebrown | @girlceoinc