Tomorrow, we’re starting a series of interviews with solo business owners by solo business owners called ‘If I Had to Start Over: Lessons from Solopreneurs’.
(Until I can think up a jazzier title!)
Every Friday (if peeps are ready with their ditty) there will be someone who at one time was just ‘starting out’, someone who has been in your shoes, and with lessons to share.
What’s been really amazing while inviting peeps to contribute is the comments they’ve made:
- ‘Oh, think it’s about time I shared my mistakes’
- ‘Right, I’ll admit my errors, no shame’
- ‘It’s time to expose what I was in denial with!’
- ‘Yep, I can share a few lessons (learned the hard way!)’
So, it should be good, em, fun!
One person’s mistake is another’s lesson.
If you want to know when they’re out (they will be posted here every Friday) follow on twitter, or Facebook.
Now, On Making Mistakes
I didn’t ask for ‘mistakes’, but then I suppose ‘If I Had to Start Over…’ is translated to ‘here’s what I did, and wish I hadn’t!’
Here’s the great news about making mistakes in your little biz: nobody is going to sack you.
Here’s the bad news about making mistakes in your little biz: nobody is going to sack you.
If I ‘d been an ’employee’ of me, I would have had plenty of reasons to boot my very bounc-y-fied butt out the door long before now.
(Singing: Mistakes, I’ve had a few…too many to mention” Oh, no, the right word is regrets, not mistakes! See?)
In business, you’re probably going to make mistakes, nah, you will make mistakes, blunders, screw-ups, bad decisions, or find yourself slapping your forehead a few times saying ‘doh, doh, doh!’
Get used to it.
Over the years I’ve made plenty (and I’m not alone), from the teeny ones that were quickly rectified and probably didn’t really matter anyway.
To the whoppers.
Whopper definition: Something exceptionally big or remarkable.
These have included money whoppers, partner whoppers, mindset whoppers, website whoppers, tactics whoppers, selling whoppers, contract whoppers, marketing whoppers, time whoppers, comment whoppers, networking whoppers — ach, this is going to go on forever!
Whopping is going to happen.
And you know what? Every single solo business owner has whopped at some stage.
Folks are just good at keeping them hidden.
Rest easy, while your bruising your own cranium, there are other doing the same.
Now, there will be certain whoppers you can do without the ones that waste time and money.
One day I’ll tell you about the day I ordered leaflets 250,000 (with dates on), because it was a good ‘deal’! Imagine, 250,000 flyers in one place! (One ream of A4 paper contains 500 sheets!)
I’m still writing my ‘piece’, but without a doubt my biggest lesson so far:
Connection is key.
Going solo is ‘tuff. Wherever you can connect, share, give.
Lesson: it’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay for the person to say no, but the asking is perfectly allowed.
Your Turn:
Before the first of the series is posted tomorrow: what’s your biggest ‘lesson’ you would not do again if you had to start over, feel free leave a comment in the box below.
And if you want to be interviewed please let me know — you can write it, record it, video it! Get me here, or on Twitter
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