If you’re thinking of leaving your 9-5 and starting your own business, you’re probably nervous as hell right now.
We get it. Starting your own business is stepping into the unknown and if you’re like every other entrepreneur out there, you’re bound to make a few mistakes along the way. What’s important is how we learn from them and bounce back.
So, in the spirit of learning from our past mistakes, we asked our members, “What do you wish you knew before you started your business?”
Soak up this great advice from our community of female entrepreneurs who have been there, done that, so you won’t have to…
1. “Keep the big picture in mind. Small steps are just fine.”
–Jacinta McMahon, Learning Fundamentals
2. “Put my family first! Our children are young for a very short period of time, and it flies by!”
–Angela Halkiotis, Garment and Product Solutions
3. “Pay for advice – it may seem a lot at first but it will save a lot of heartache later! Lawyers, accountants, book keepers, business bankers, other business owners of similar operations – their advice from experience is priceless.”
–Ailan Tran, The Hunger Project Australia | Quality Suites Banksia Gardens
4. “Be present and enjoy the process. Often I like the prep more than the event and I feel business is like that. You think, “I want to be there,” but it’s the getting ‘there’ that’s the cool challenge.
Also, it’s hard work to get to 10k on Instagram!”
–Michelle Spotswood, Daffodillar
5. “That your best source of advice is your own intuition. You can go externally for inspiration and professional advice, however the final choice needs to come from within. Check in with the values of those who you allow into your business and make sure they align with your own.
–Kelly Carthy, Kelly Carthy Wellbeing
6. “BRAND IS KEY. Marketing is just as important as the product!”
–Jennie Geisker, The Shirt Muse
7. “That it’s okay to make mistakes, but share your mistakes so others may learn from them.”
–Michelle Pearson, Canberra Podiatry
8. “Don’t give up!”
9. “It’s 10 times harder than I thought it would be. In the excitement of launching a new business it’s easy to forget the not so fun part – that is essential to make it work. Think through the whole process and identify what you don’t enjoy doing and weigh these against the fun things you’ll be doing. If you need to outsource some help, make sure to add this to your budget!”
–Aline Lorieri, The Planner Academy
10. “There are only so many hours in a day to maximise the potential. Don’t sweat the things beyond your control. Always deliver to what you have committed – under promise and over deliver with a smile. If you make a mistake, we all do, apologise, take responsibility and learn from the experience without beating yourself up for the next year or so. Paying fortune forward is added value to personal and professional satisfaction”
–Kerrie Wood, Luxe Unforgettable Events
11. “Making mistakes is actually a really good thing, you learn from each and every one!”
12. “That outside of the corporate institution I was working in, no one knew who I was or cared about what I was capable of. And that queues weren’t going to be formed at my door when I announced I was starting my own business.”
–Shelley Flett, Leadership & Team Development Coach
13. “That I am worthwhile.”
–Kristine Colliver, Design to Fruition
Business Chicks is Australia’s biggest community for women. Learn more about membership here, and join the fun in our private Facebook group here.
Read more:
Cathie Reid: The woman behind the billion-dollar business
Why quitting my 20-year corporate career was the best thing I’ve ever done
