Starting a business comes with a myriad of decisions and obstacles. For entrepreneurs that are new to the scene, part of making sure you stay on course without quitting too soon is to gather the advice from others who have gone before you.
A unique perspective can give you insight and the confidence needed when you face a similar challenge. Knowing what to do in these situations can guide you and keep you on track.
Coworking spaces can be a great place to find mentors and a community that supports you. In honor of today being National Day of Encouragement, we’ve compiled some advice from seasoned entrepreneurs within the Hera Hub community for those who are just starting or considering entrepreneurship.
Take action.
“Action brings the feedback needed to course correct at any moment!” Jolynn Van Asten, Transformational Artist
“Just start. Do something that makes it financially difficult to stall any longer. Many people put off starting their businesses because they haven’t perfected their business plan. Plans are good, but they are roadmaps and can be a form of procrastination, from what I’ve observed.” Keri Lijinsky, Sweet Crimes
“My best advice is to make a decision and move on to the next thing. I think it’s natural to want to make the best decision on everything you do in your business. However, perfection is the enemy of progress.” Nannette Kamien, Inspiration Financial Planning
Trust your instincts.
“Trust yourself. Everyone and their uncle will try to give you advice. It’s all well-meant and a lot of it is probably good advice, but that doesn’t mean it’s good advice FOR YOU.” Eva Jannotta, Simply Put Strategies
Don’t over plan, but have a backup plan.
“Don’t quit your day job unless you have Plan B and seed money. Never put your home up as collateral.” – Anita Miranda, Miranda’s Creatives
“Don’t over plan, jump into it, find someone to mentor and guide you. There are a lot of resources at our disposal and you will always find people to cheer you on.” – Carla Murillo, DeMur Consulting
Embrace failure and learn from it.
Trying is better than not trying. All your failures and mistakes are learning lessons. Nothing is wasted time; the only wasted time is time deliberating about the decision whether to move forward or not. -Kim Lim, Ultimate Labs
Be willing to make mistakes, and see every mistake or failure or unforeseen issue as a learning and growth opportunity. Adapt your plans. pitch, services as needed to incorporate these lessons learned. Also, be patient and trust your instincts. – Alex Suchman, AIS Collaborations
Work hard.
Do the work. It’s that simple. -Katee Van Horn, Bar the Door
Do the work. Whatever it takes and even if you do the work for free or a ridiculously reduced rate. And be prepared to do the work that way for years. The only way to combat insecurity, inexperience, imposter-complex is to do the work. Be hungry to work. Be humble and grateful for every little project, every referral, every proposal – even if they don’t sign. Each of these is simply calisthenics in preparing you for the eternal marathon that is running your own business. – Rebecca Tall-Brown, Office of Awesome
Don’t give up. Put in as much time as you can that works for you. Not every entrepreneur needs to stretch themselves so thin to make it work. There is so much talk about the constant hustle but I find it more important to find a flow that works for you and your life. – Bri Geeski, Blogger & Graphic Designer
Do your homework.
Get comfortable with the lean startup approach so you focus on your customer and build your product or service to meet their needs, testing and iterating before you invest gobs of $$ in something that has a fatal flaw. Though numbers can be super scary, if you want to run a business, you gotta know your numbers! Nancy Chorpenning, CEO School for Women
Figure out the “why”! Everything starts with the why. At your core, what do you want to accomplish? Stay loyal to those roots as you grow, checking in frequently. Financial reward alone is a hollow goal and will eventually leave you empty during the long hours and/or trials that will inevitably come your way. To get over those hills, you have to have something else in your tank besides a desire to make money. – Heather Orr, HSO Law
Find a niche.
“Don’t feel like you have to master it all. Internally, you may be overwhelmed with filing for a business name for the first time, taking on your retirement, paying for your healthcare, learning to invoice, and so on. Externally, you may be tempted to say “yes” to every job — even jobs you don’t specialize in. I’m not completely out of “yes” land, but I’m learning to focus on what I’m good at and let others do what they’re good at. -April Harter Enriquez, WordPop PR
“Don’t try to be an expert in everything. I’m learning that it’s OK to invest in my business so I can focus on my strengths and let others do something for me that I don’t want to do. – Amanda Hirko, College Admissions Consultant
