Congratulations!
You did it! Well, I did it — I finally turned my side hustle into full fledged business and it has been a Roller Coaster ride ever since. Things have not been easy to say the least, but I never knew they would be this hard. All I remember is that I started with one client and within the space of two months, I have 6 clients. I had no systems in place or any plans or processes that would help me to be successful.
5 Things Nobody Told ME About Starting a Business
I do not want anybody to get things twisted and say I should be grateful for all that I have accomplished in such a short amount of time, because I am. This is what I’ve prayed and hoped for and now that It’s here .. what the hell am I supposed to do?! Here are 5 things Nobody told ME About starting a Business.
Things Can Happen Fast
I resigned from my 9-5 in August and by September I landed my first two clients. I was ecstatic and gave it my all and worked hard to position their brands in the best light. I was anticipating my next clients towards the end of the year or next year, but they came two weeks later. The same way good things can happen fast, bad things can happen just as fast.
Get Everything in Writing
Before you think well “duh”, I do have things in writing such as Contracts, Job Descriptions and Scope of Work as well as Standard Operating Processes but! Always have conversations with clients in writing. If you have a verbal discussion with a client, always follow-up by sending an email with everything that was discussed. This protects you to ensure that whatever the client said was indeed true, as there are some extremely dodgy clients who will say they didn’t say things when they knew they did, so if you have this in writing as proof, things will go alot smoother for you.
Never Settle for Less Than Your Rates
Ok, so this is the actually part where you have all permission to clunk me upside my head! Since I am just starting out, I thought it was ok to accept less than my standard rate just to get started and get my foot in the door. This is the worst decision I have ever made as the clients that paid the least requires the most and it has taken the most out of me as it relates to time, creativity and money. The time I spend on this one client, far outweighs the money I’m actually making.
It’s ok to Fire Clients
Yes! It is 100% ok to fire clients in the initial stages. If you are at the point where you feel the client is not aligning with your values and ethics and you see them of more of a liability, it’s ok to let them go. Not every money is good money and it’s ok to let go of a client that you are not able to resolve issues with. I am a firm believer of the customer is always right, but I’m also a firm believer of
“If you’ve tried your best and give your best and it’s still not enough, let it go”.
Get Help .. If You Can Afford It
I had this belief that I could start building a team only after a few months or years once the business is making a profit. This is not true in most cases as it is important to note the things you are good at from the early stage and also the things you are not good at. This is why there are multiple people in businesses as they all have different skill sets that can be utilised to push the business further. I knew quickly that I needed a Graphics Designer and Video Editor to produce quality content, so I immediately sourced those.
Starting a business has been one of the most rewarding and difficult things I’ve done in my life, and I’m excited to see how the business will grow and how I will grow as a person over the next few years.
Have you started a Business Recently? What are a few things you did not know? Comment below
#5 Things Nobody Told ME About Starting a Business
#5 Things Nobody Told ME About Starting a Business
#5 Things Nobody Told ME About Starting a Business
#5 Things Nobody Told ME About Starting a Business
#5 Things Nobody Told ME About Starting a Business
