What I’ve learned after 16 years in business

I’m going to tell you a story.

Are you comfortable? Then I’ll begin.

I wasn’t always successful. I know, it’s hard to believe.

I’ve been on quite a journey to get where I am, with so many learnings, so many insights, so many f**k ups. But let’s go back to the beginning.

I started my working life as a data entry clerk for a well known Building Society. MAN that was dull. This is what came next:

• PA
• Powerpoint Creator (in the evenings while I studied for my Psychology Degree — I was ALWAYS tired).
• Marketing Assistant.
• Marketing Manager.
• Marketing Consultant.
• Owner of a Digital Agency.
• Director of Social Media (I was made an offer I couldn’t refuse, so went back to working for OTHER PEOPLE).
• Director of Social Media again.
• Pregnant and founder of THIS business (but more on that story another time).

During that 16 year journey I’ve learnt so much, and THIS is what I want to share with you today. Whether you already have your own business, whether you’re ready to leave the 9–5 and go it alone, or if you’re happily employed. This is for you.

TRUST YOUR GUT

Throughout your life people will have an opinion. Most will readily share it with you (whether you like it or not). But the thing is, we don’t have to listen to them. Our instinct is a very powerful thing, and it takes care of us, yet we’re so easily swayed when others get involved. There were many times in my history that I listened to others instead of myself, and it was wrong. So by all means take advice, but before you make a decision, get back in touch with yourself and trust your gut. It’s normally right.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

We all have dreams. BIG DREAMS. But often they dwindle as we go through life. Whether it’s our own nagging self doubt or the opinion of others, there are so many voices telling us ‘you can’t do that’, ‘it’s not possible’, ‘you’re not good enough’. And it’s all a load of rubbish.

ANYTHING is possible when we put our mind to it. I know this. I’ve been through some tough times when I thought things were pretty useless, but I kept on going, because I truly believe anything is possible. The minute you do that, the world is your lobster my friend.

GIVE YOUR TRUST WISELY

Sadly, there are a lot of people that can’t be trusted. Particularly when it comes to business. I see so many women, in particular, giving their trust so easily, only to have that trust shattered. It hurts, badly.

I made this mistake myself, and now I’m more guarded about what I give to people, what information I share and how I work with people. When I DO trust someone, I’m all in. But they need to earn it.

PERSONAL VISION AND BUSINESS GOALS SHOULD BE BEAUTIFULLY ENTWINED

So many people just focus on their business or career goals when it comes to their professional life. But here’s the thing. This is ONE life. It’s all ONE. Your business goals are what enable your personal vision to come to life. The sooner you realise that, the easier it is to stay focused and achieve your goals — there’s nothing like the shove of a holiday, car, new house to bring you out of procrastination or a down day when you really can’t be bothered to work.

KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE NUMBERS

Ok, so full-on honesty here. I’ve been RUBBISH with money in the past. So when it came to my business, I didn’t keep a close enough eye on the numbers. And this is SO important. If you don’t know how profitable you are. If you don’t know what your running costs are. You have no chance of scaling. So step up, create a financial dashboard and keep a close eye on those numbers.

CONSISTENCY AND ACTION TRUMPS EVERYTHING

I’ve met a lot of successful people and the common trait amongst them all is that they show up. Every. Single. Day. They keep taking action, no matter how small, to move them towards their goal. Being consistent is hard, really hard, so creating a framework to ensure you are is crucial to your business. Be THAT person.

COMPARITIS WILL NEVER MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD

Comparitis, or the act of comparing yourself to your peers, is NEVER a good idea. It makes you feel rubbish. But we easily get so obsessed with the new service, the new product, the new way of marketing … that we lose site of our own plan. Taking a look at your competitive landscape is good, you need to know where you fit into the scheme of things and how you can differentiate. Comparing yourself to others and then feeling bad about, is bad. So stay in your own lane. Stick to your plan. Do your own thing. And thrive.

Originally published at gemmawent.co.uk on February 22, 2017.