Becoming an entrepreneur is one of the most exciting things you can do. It’s also one of the scariest things you can do. Looking back on my decision to quit corporate and become an entrepreneur, It’s been a heck of a journey.
In this blog, I’m going to highlight 6 areas that I wish I knew when I started to help you if you are thinking about jumping into entrepreneurship.
1) Be Prepared to Struggle Your First Year or Two
Your first year in business will be a challenge. Looking back at my first year in business, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I didn’t know how to sell my marketing services. In your first year, you’ll learn an abundance about your expertise, how to run your business, and perhaps even more about yourself.
2) Make a Mental Decision to Go All Out
If you’re a human, you’ll most likely second guess your decision to quit your cozy job with a guaranteed salary, 401k, and insurance. For about 6 months I kept 1 foot in the entrepreneurship door and another looking for positions. About 6 months into my journey, I decided mentally to commit to only my entrepreneurship journey.
3) Expect to Work Harder Than at Your Current Job
As an entrepreneur, you can expect to work 10 times harder than when you worked at your previous job. The first few years, you’re going to have to put in the time building what does not exist yet. This takes a tremendous amount of effort. Many people think entrepreneurship will be easy because you can choose your schedule and take off as much as you want. While true, if you take too much time off, you won’t make money!
4) Choose a Customer Before You Start
At first, you’ll be tempted to target everyone. I certainly did. But it’s true what they say in marketing, if you target everyone, you target no one. I’d highly recommend thinking very hard about who it is that you want to work with. That’s right, you get to choose your customers. Set the intention as soon as you can, and build out all of your marketing to reflect that you serve that person. For me, I started out getting who I could get. After working with an assortment of different businesses, I ended up working with a client I loved, a psychologist. I decided that the lion’s share of my efforts would be to build a brand targeting these individuals.
5) Be Resilient
This is a difficult one. You’re most assuredly going to face setbacks. For me, several clients stole websites from me without paying because I did not have a contract in place. This is especially frustrating in the early years of entrepreneurship when you don’t have lots of resources flowing in. It’s important to focus on the good and not harp on the tough times.
6) Set Your Eyes On The Prize
The first year in business, you’re going to be struggling most likely. It’s important to keep your eye on the prize, that is, trying to obtain the goal(s) you set. If your goal is to make more than you were working at your old job, then put in the work to do that.
Final Thoughts
Becoming an entrepreneur is tough. But it’s rewarding after you put in the work. I’d recommend you get a mentor and surround yourself with like-minded entrepreneurs. You can find these people in every city by researching business events online. These people will help you cope with starting your business and will have valuable advice for you to thrive as an entrepreneur.
My name is Anthony Bart, I’m the owner of BartX Digital. We operate DentalX, TherapistX, and Therapybypro. I’ve been an entrepreneur since 2017. I’m a huge small business advocate and enjoy working with small business owners.
I wish you the best of luck in your journey!