5 Things I’ve Learned While Running a Small Business
Running a small business can be challenging, but it is also rewarding in a sense if you get to establish that flexibility and balance you are aiming for. I started full-time with What Tess Makes in 2020, and I am still doing it. There are ups and downs since. But I learned so many life lessons when running WTM for the past 3 years. Here they are:
1 | Create Boundaries
Having your own space can be two things: physical and mental. I learned that having your own home office is crucial when running a business. It needs boundaries from the home life and the personal life.
I built my creative space from scratch. It started as a corner desk in our guest room, then it became an entire room. Now, I have divided my space into work areas: administration, production and packaging. It looks like a mini assembly line but if it works and genuinely not distracting your everyday home life, so be it.
Mental boundaries are important as well. By having my own space, I can wear my boss lady hat and make me less confuse during the day. It gives me that ease moving from one role to another. Creating boundaries is a good way for making your life smoother and run peacefully.
2 | Taking Breaks
I’ve learned in order to be productive I have to know when to say no and when to go after it again. In other words, plan the days. The 9 to 5 mindset will be challenged here. But planning when to work and when to rest would be the best gift you’ll ever give to yourself. We need to refresh and replenish our energies, because running a business require great attention. Therefore, adjusting our calendar between family and work can enormously help with our healthy way of life.
If I feel overwhelmed, I take a break. If I feel lonely, I take a break. If I feel uninspired, I take a break. These are the situations why we need a holiday from our business. Because we work alone, we get lonely, We wear too many hats, we get tired. When we get tired, we get uninspired to create. So, taking breaks mean being productive in the long run. So, plan your holidays carefully. You owe this to yourself and the family.
3 | It Is Not All About Money
Although earning money is what a business needs to succeed, it is not solely about that. Character is vital. Customer service is key in any transaction. Your way to give value and good service outweighs what money can buy. These two will get you loyalty from customers. That means if you are passionate about your work, your character comes through, your customers will see that and thus, money will come after.
4 | Learn From Your Mistakes
I am scared of making mistakes all the time. This is one thing I need to work on. Perfectionism in a good way is fine, but in a bad way, like you want to be perfect all the time, must be beaten. After a year of running WTM full-time, I realized I have to make changes for every mistake I have done. Be flexible and don’t be hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes but we have to learn from it, make adjustments and do the change for a better outcome. With facing change, we have to keep up with it. Read books that are current and valuable, plus learn from other’s experiences. That way we will learn to be more adaptable to trends and so we can make our own trends.
5 | Believe In Yourself
I have been crushed by self-doubt so many times. But I think believing in oneself is vital for success. I try to get inspiration from everywhere I go and feel motivated to work. If I am not in a good state, I stop and look away. Then, I come back with a fresh mindset. It is important that we are motivated to do things within the business, bring back the passion and trust why you are doing it in the first place.
Hope I help clear up some things with you as well.
What are the lessons you learned from running your own business? Please share.
💗💗💗
Tess
