New year, new vision
Happy New Year! We are officially in the 20s and what a journey it has been to get here. January tends to be filled with a lot of chat about New Year’s resolutions, annual planning and new habits. Although I’m somewhat jumping on that bandwagon, I still think it is a great time to get started on something new. Let’s face it, 2020 was a hard year, whichever way you look at it, and 2021 has already proved itself to be a force to be reckoned with! Now we’re back at our desks and wondering ‘what’s next?’ So, whether you’re considering shaking up a business you already own, stepping up a side hustle, or even making the leap into self-employment for the first time, here are my top tips on how to make 2021 your year in spite of the world being on fire!
Us and them
Before I started my own business, I used to see freelancers and contractors absolutely living this kind of ideal life where they raked in the money for 6 months and then spent 6 months swanning around Europe smoking gallouise cigarettes wearing a beret. Real talk: that was pure fiction! The reality is that starting your own business is like deciding to have a child: it’s not for the faint-hearted. I’m not saying you have to hustle 24/7, but you absolutely have to be committed to making it work. According to the FSB, SMEs account for 99.99% of the business population, so why do so many fail in their first year? Here are my top tips to avoid the potential pitfalls and smash 2021:
Believe in yourself but be prepared to fail. Confidence is great, but it needs to come from a place of open-mindedness to ensure your business survives. Human beings learn from failure, not success. If you fail, take a moment to work out why, then adjust your plan. Remember: the road to success is paved with broken slabs!
Invest in your strategy over your plan. Look around you: the businesses that are struggling now were not the ones flying before. A solid business strategy (the right product/service, the right audience, the right message) can be adapted when a bomb drops overnight, even the best plan cannnot. Have solid answers to the big questions and you will find a way through even the worst crisis.
Go networking to research, not sell. So many people go to networking with a short-term transactional mindset and wonder why they don’t make sales. The reality is: people by from people, and relationships take TIME. You’ll learn more about your audience and what you should be offering them if you ask questions, make connections and LISTEN. The real trick is, the more you focus on that, the more sales you’ll make without even trying. Trust me!
Sell it before you build it. The fastest route to a successful product or service is to leave the notion of ‘perfect’ at the door. Get a minimum viable product out into market ASAP and let your audience tell you what they want from it. This will help you avoid building something that no one actually needs or wants!
Every day is a school day, but you don’t have to do it all. I get it, you want to try all the things, learn all the things and do all the things. Shiny Object Syndrome is REAL. Although there are lots of opportunities to learn things - sometimes even just through a conversation with a new contact - it doesn’t mean you need to implement them right away. Keep a list of your great ideas but be ruthless about which ones you prioritise taking action on. You are only human, after all!
Hard work, not hustle
So there are my top tips on how to get the most out of your precious time and energy this year. Real talk: building and growing a business does not have to “hustle”. You can have the life you want AND the business you want, but you do need to find ways to ignore the noise out there and trust in your gut.
Need some help?
If you’re wondering where to start and this year is looking a bit daunting already, download my six strategy hacks to short-cut the shit and make 2021 your bitch. You’re so welcome!