5 Lessons Learned In My First Year As A Full-Time Entrepreneur

Today marks my one year anniversary of leaving my full-time position to become a full-time entrepreneur. This is a huge milestone for me, and I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by! I’ve done a lot of reflecting on the past year, and while it has been an amazing experience, it was also hard. Harder than I ever thought it would be but its so worth it!

Today I want to share with you all in this post, some tips, and inspiration for any new or aspiring entrepreneurs. These tips are based on the lessons that I learned in my first year as a full-time entrepreneur, so of course, everyone’s experience is different but I want to share mine with you. Hopefully, this post will help make your first year in business easier and less stressful.

I’ve learned so much over the past year about being a full-time entrepreneur and running a business and these tips are just a few, I could go on and on with tips but I wanted to make this short and sweet. I’ve decided to narrow it down to five of the best tips I thought might be most relevant and helpful to new entrepreneurs.

Related: I quit my dream job to pursue my dreams

Entrepreneur Lessons: Systems Save Lives

Set up all your systems before you even need them. Yes, this is a HUGE tip. As an entrepreneur, setting up your systems and automation are lifesavers. Systems are often critical to getting everything done and organized, and it will also help you protect your sanity. I promise you that you will feel less stressed out when you have proper systems set up. Don’t wait too long to set your systems up. Take some time to really sit down and think of what systems you need to put in place to make things run smoothly for you and also your clients. For example, I have a system set up for when someone inquires and wants to set up a discovery call. They visit a link and select the time that works best for them. Then they can schedule on my calendar and I see when the meeting is scheduled for. This saves me SO much time! Think of systems that will help you keep everything organized, efficient, and running like a well-oiled machine.

I completely understand that all of this is hard to figure out when you first get started. I would join helpful Facebook groups so that you are able to talk with other entrepreneurs and also get tips. FB groups have been so helpful to me.

Entrepreneur Lessons: Stick To A Niche

In the beginning, you may feel that everyone is your customer and you want to work with everyone. That was my problem. It wasn’t until I really honed in on what I wanted to offer and who I wanted to offer it to. My specialty is social media strategy, but I don’t want to speak to everyone.

Determining your niche will make you so much happier and things so much easier for your business. For me, I am happy to know that because I know who I want to serve and attract that I am bringing added value to my clients because of my experience with their specific niche. Many of my current clients are beauty and lifestyle businesses which I have a ton of experience in. You might start out not knowing your niche, which is ok. If you don’t that’s fine too, you can make adjustments as you continue to grow. Know that it may take some time, in the beginning, to figure things out but you got this! 

Related: My journey as an entrepreneur one month update

It’s Ok To Take Breaks

As a new entrepreneur, it can be super easy to get overwhelmed quickly. I used to think I didnt have time to sit down. I was really stuck in the 9-5 mentality thinking I HAD to be doing something every second from 9 to 5 pm. This approach does not work well, trust me. You need breaks, your brain needs a break and your body needs rest. Make sure that you are taking breaks throughout the day and not working all the time. 

I took some time to really look at my days and map out what I wanted to do and what I needed to focus on. My days are now more balanced and I feel more productive and less overwhelmed. This is still a work in progress but I keep reminding myself how important breaks and rest are. You will be no good overworked and stressed. 

Remember Your Why

Always remember your why. Why you wanted to start your business, why you chose to leave your full-time job (if you’ve done this) Your why is what motivates you every day to keep going. As an entrepreneur, you’re going to have some tough days,  whew believe me I have especially in your first year of business. Just know that there will be days of doubt, client issues, or unexpected expenses that can all throw you for a loop but trust me just remember your why. It will make you forget all the little nuances. You got this!

Raise Your Prices And Stand On It

In the beginning, it is pretty common to price your products or services really low to gain experience, testimonials, and client feedback. I did this in the beginning and it did help me get testimonials and referrals for new clients. I feel like this approach worked for me well. 

I also realized that I couldn’t continue to use this strategy if I wanted to be profitable in my business. I have a ton of experience being a blogger for 10 years and working for one of the largest beauty brands managing campaigns that garnered sales in the millions. I eventually re-evaluated my pricing and raised my rates to fit my experience and offerings. 

plan. I mean, obviously you may need to make adjustments, but if so, just make sure you’re doing it objectively and not letting fear be the guiding factor. My best advice is to do some market research and create a plan on how you will price your services when you will increase etc. This will help so much! 

I hope this helped you! Remember not to be too hard on yourself when you make mistakes (I am still learning this). You will learn from every mistake and get better as you go. Give yourself grace. 

This has been an amazing first year and I cant wait to see what the next year holds! Thank you all for the support on this journey!