7 Things I Wish I Had Done Sooner In My Biz

Yes, there are things I wish I had done sooner. Specifically in business.

Recently I was pondering what things I could share with business owners that would help them with their online businesses. I ask myself what wisdom could have blessed me when I first started? What do I wish had known sooner? Well I want to share my nuggets of wisdom with you so that you can accelerate your online transition smoothly and avoid some of the mistakes I made.

Ignore your critics. Get your head game straight because it affects EVERY aspect of your business. Because 80% of your business is made in your mind you have to surround yourself with positive influence to keep those negative thoughts at bay.

Repeat these thoughts to yourself: I AM committed to the notion that what I’m doing is so much MORE important than what those critics are saying. What God has commissioned me to do in my business TRUMPS the opinions of other people. You’re never going to be right for everyone and that’s okay.

Realize early on that your main job IS marketing. It took me almost 4 years to realize I was not a painter but rather a marketer (promotor) of my painting. The best ways to outdo your competitors is to either out price them or out market them. Strong promotion will push you further past your completion than sheer talent. So learn how to market yourself!

Hire help! If you’re trying to do ALL the creating, ALL the marketing, and ALL the errands, then you’re working way too hard! You’re not using your time wisely. Do the parts that only you can do and let others to the rest. In addition to hiring help you also need some good business tools to work more efficiently. I’ve listed a link for mine at the end of the blog for tools I use and recommend.

Set firm boundaries. I don’t respond to texts, emails or messages at all hours of the day. You shouldn’t either. Don’t be overly accessible to your clients. Clients actually respect business owners who have boundaries more than those who respond on demand; those owners seem too needy. Remember also, if they are hounding you relentlessly now, they’ll only be worse once they are clients. Set boundaries. (Read this post I wrote earlier.)

Do info products now! I was terrified no one would buy my first info products on a Black Friday weekend 4 years ago, and then I made $5000! I literally cried, “why didn’t I do this sooner!!!” Sell your info products NOW; Don’t Leave Money on the Table!

Find or start your own tribe ASAP. When I started out, I found a coaching group of like- minded business owners. I then went on to a mastermind business group which was great but still not a tribe specifically for creative business minded people. Now I am coaching my own mastermind group for creatives. Being an entrepreneur can be so lonely, so find your tribe and draw strength from them.

Start branding yourself from day one. Brand yourself NOT a specific talent or service. If I had branded Jennifer Allwood instead of my painting right from get go, I wouldn’t have to had to separate my painting from my business coaching because it would all be ME! Use social media to interact with your followers. Let them see the real you. If all things are equal between you and your competition, people will buy from the person they know, like, and trust first. So let your fans know YOU.

So there’s just a few tips I wanted to share to help you succeed faster and avoid mistakes. Hopefully you will take this wisdom to heart and find value in my words so you can apply them to your business and your life!

Blessings,
Jen

You may also consider joining my Creators Roadmap course when it opens again. You can sign up for my free workshop series  here. This course will put you on the fast-track to learning everything about bringing in diverse revenue streams for your creative business.

Please share my creative business advice pin on Pinterest and follow my Business + Marketing Board.