There is nothing more thrilling than waking up every morning excited to work. Life is too short to be doing something every day that we don’t love with all of our mind and body! For me, working for someone else was exhausting and draining; I was helping other people live their dreams and my own were being pushed aside. This year, I decided to change that and build my own business and live my own dream!
Starting a business is very hard work. There is no guarantee of success and building a reputation for yourself as an entrepreneur takes a lot of dedication and energy. Six months ago I decided that I wanted to be in charge of my life and that meant deciding on my own work schedule, the work I do, the people I meet, and how I spend my time. I didn’t want to waste any energy doing something that didn’t excite me and challenge me every day. So I started my own business and became my own boss!
Holistic Happening creates interactive wellness events in New York City and is making a name for itself as the healthy after work happy hour. My business partner and I formulated a concept that works — 45 minutes of yoga followed by an anti-inflammatory, gluten-free, dairy-free delicious dinner. Attendees get to meet new people, share, interact and feel happy and well. I know when I was working full-time, these types of events after work are what energized me and brought joy to my day, so I wanted to create that feeling for others. I took what I knew about events and wellness and built a successful business model. I incorporate my love for holistic wellness and cooking with my partners fitness abilities to build the dream job.
But not every day is filled with success and happiness. It is a lot of hard work to stay motivated and focused. Building a business takes patience and perseverance and I have learned so much in such a short amount of time. Below are 3 things I learned from starting my own business!
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Collaborate With Others
When I left my corporate job, I began working from home. I enjoyed setting my own schedule for work, being able to fit everything in without the restrictions of a 9–5 work day. But I also found myself feeling very isolated. I no longer had co-workers to socialize with, bounce ideas off of, or turn to when I needed a lunch break. I was my own boss, employee and co-worker. As each month passed, I realized that I needed to get out the house and interact with other people in the health and wellness industry so that I could successfully create a health and wellness business. Collaboration has been key to my own success. I have found an appreciation for being able to share my ideas with others and receive beneficial feedback, good or bad, before moving forward with an idea. My business partner has become an amazing friend who balances my spiritual and holistic approach to business with her own creative and ‘go-getter’ attitude. We have met some amazing people in the industry and are even creating events with them in order to share our own business ideas. There is room for everyone and there is no need to leave anyone out. It is also the collaboration that keeps me going every day because I know other people are counting on me — otherwise I would have thrown in the towel a long time ago! -
It’s Okay To Not Know Everything
Creating my own business is a new experience for me. It is something I have never done before so everything I do, I am doing for the first time. It is okay to not know everything whether that comes to hosting an event, creating a budget and business plan, posting on social media, etc. It is scary to not be good at everything, but it’s comforting to know that I will get better with time and all of this is a learning experience. It’s okay to say no, it’s okay to adjust if something doesn’t seem to be working, it’s okay to be unprepared and feel lost. I just remind myself that every event, every presentation and every meeting is teaching me something and I am learning from all of them! And that leads me into the third lesson… -
It’s Okay to Fail
Failure always sounds like a scary word. We don’t want to let anyone down, especially ourselves. When I left my corporate job to build my business, I realized that I had a lot of people counting on me to succeed, and I had a lot of people cheering me on. I didn’t want to let them down or think that I couldn’t follow this dream. But with every event I put on, I realize that I still have a lot to learn and it’s okay to not be good at everything. I knew I needed to leave my corporate job when I felt safe — when I felt like I knew how to do my job perfectly without feeling challenged. Now I am in a position where I am pushing myself harder than ever before and nothing is safe. It’s okay to not sell out every event, impress every person I meet, or make an income every month. This is part of the struggle of starting out on your own and living a life you dreamed about. You can’t let go of that dream and starting your own business will teach you to work the hardest you ever have before, but ultimately you will never be happier. Stop worrying about letting anyone down and focus on yourself and your happiness and excitement for this new adventure. Don’t be afraid of criticism and resistance — appreciate your hard work and the journey you are creating.
At the end of the day, I have never been happier, never worked harder and never felt more alive. I have one life to live and it’s about time I started living!
Originally published at medium.com