What I’d Tell Myself If I Were Starting My Business All Over Again
What would I tell myself if I were starting my business from scratch? After nearly 8 years in business (and a whole lot of trial and error), I’ve learned a thing or two about what actually makes a business sustainable... and what doesn’t.
In this video, I’m sharing the lessons I wish I’d known earlier, from setting boundaries to building the right systems, to learning to let your business evolve with you. If you’re in the early stages of your business or going through a season of change, I hope this offers you some clarity and encouragement.
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Transcript below!
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00:00 What I would tell myself if I were starting my business all over again. I've been doing this for almost eight years, um, and if you don't know me, my name is Ellie.
00:11 I'm the founder of Calibrated Concepts. I talk all about systems, technology, um, as it pertains to business, the right software and tools, strategy, uh, websites with a pinch of coaching thrown in.
00:29 And this video is a mix of hindsight, tough lessons, and the actual things that have made a difference in making my business feel sustainable and, um, something I can do for long, a long, long, long time.
00:39 I don't foresee stopping any time soon and here we are almost eight years in. So, let's start with my first lesson or tip.
00:48 Uhm, I might refer to them interchangeably throughout the video. Uhm, start with boundaries, not burnout. You can always scale your business up, but rebuilding yourself, your business, your, uhm, systems after burnout is so, so much harder.
01:09 I've never been in the throes of, like, deep burnout, but I have constantly come on the border of it so many times, even once pretty recently, and it can be so difficult to, like, see clearly, to get off the hamster wheel, to give yourself the time to recover, and you don't ever want to get anywhere
01:28 near there if you can avoid it. Set your working hours early, turn off notifications, have good contracts. in place. Do not feel like you need to reply to messages, uhm, immediately.
01:43 Just really treat it like you would, like, you are the boss business owner. You do not need to be at people's beck and call, and that makes a big difference.
01:54 Do not try to match a hustle culture or hustle energy in your business, if what you really want, is sustainability.
02:02 If what you really want are, is a business that supports your life, if you're looking for flexibility and spaciousness, start from there wherever you can.
02:13 Now I know that in the early days of building a business, it does require a little more grit, it does require a little bit more taking jobs that you're not sure about because you're still trying to figure things out, but that does not mean you need to be doing everything, which we're going to hit on
02:29 that topic a few times throughout this. Just before we get into any more, I should say that I have an anxiety condition, uhm, I was diagnosed as a teenager, I think I've had it probably my whole life and what one of my biggest coping mechanisms is creating strength.
02:48 Structure, creating organization, creating pretty things around me that, and that's how I've built my business. It's helped me to, that inner tool of mine has helped me build this, but I didn't get it all right from the start.
03:06 And there was a lot of overwhelm and definitely times of tears and times of sleep deprivation and times of not holding that boundary or trusting myself.
03:13 Trusting my gut and we're going to talk so much through all those lessons now. The first thing is you do not need all the tools, especially at the start.
03:24 I started my business with like a PDF contract and like some emails that I had sent out and an accounting software and that was it.
03:35 Now, I love tools so much. But they can be so overwhelming. It's really difficult to know where to start. And when you're first starting, it's really less important that you're using software or feeling proper than that you're keeping your bottom line and your accounting, um, fairly cheap and that you
03:57 are making your business viable before going in. And perfecting it, because it's so much throwing spaghetti at the wall when you're first starting, um, unless you've ran a business before and really have a lot of that experience behind you.
04:15 Once you do start implementing software, it's not about finding the coolest software. There's a lot of software that comes out all the time.
04:22 Like, there's just so many new things. and then there's, it's not necessarily about what's newest, what's latest on the market, what's hot at the moment.
04:30 It's about finding the thing that is actually going to support you, your workflow, and the way your brain and your business works.
04:38 So, usually the way that I would do this is start looking, like, deep into the feature pages of a software.
04:45 That's my, like, top tip there. Um, there's a lot to it, but also, you know, just, if you're asking, like, feel free to drop a comment, I can help you out.
04:52 The third thing I want to talk about is document as you go. When I first started my business, um, it was very much a, oh, I'll remember how to do that really repetitive process.
05:06 And the thing is, is even as detail oriented as I am, I didn't, and you won't either. Start building your SOPs or Standard Operating Procedures as soon as you can, even if you're just a team of one.
05:20 Um, it stops you from dropping the ball, it makes you really consistent, um, and especially with your client processes, so you don't forget anything.
05:31 You don't forget to ask for that testimonial, you don't forget to check, um, buttons or something like that on a website.
05:37 That your customer service and customer delivery is always at such a high level because you have a checklist and you don't miss a thing, ever.
05:47 Um, the other thing is, even when you're a team of one, it makes hiring so much easier, it makes, if your partner or friend needs to step in for a minute because you get really sick, it makes it easier because everything is documented.
06:01 Number four, DIY is not always the smartest investment. Now, in the very early days, you are trying to do everything out yourself.
06:14 You're probably creating your initial first logo and brand and website. You're creating your own processes and you're setting up your accounting software and any other tools you're using.
06:21 And it is well more than okay for you to DIY everything at first, but know your limits. There are going to be things that, even out the gate, you are not going to be able to do yourself.
06:35 And hiring help is so important. Even if it's just a one-off thing, it can save so much time, so much stress.
06:45 And really, because someone who knows what they're doing is doing the job, it's going to probably be cheaper in the long run.
06:54 Number five, your network is everything. Running your own business can feel so freaking lonely. And I found out that they say, you know, there's that quote, uh, your net work is your net worth.
07:09 And I've found that to be really, really true, not just monetarily. And like, how much money I can bring in, which obviously networking makes a big difference as far as how much reach my business gets, where people referring me, those kinds of things.
07:24 But it's also just that emotional and mental support of being able to get in a room with a small group of people that you really trust, that you know get it, and that they can, you can say, oh, this part of my business today was pretty shit, or I'm really struggling against this issue in my business
07:42 and I'm not sure what to do, or hey, I've had this confrontation, I'm not really sure how to proceed, do you guys have any ideas, or even celebrating the wins, being able to say, oh my gosh, this thing went really well, and having people who get how hard those types of things are, celebrating with you
07:57 , makes a big difference. Uhm, I think that if you're you don't, can't find these communities, because there's a lot of big, sort of impersonal networking groups around most of us, build it.
08:08 I've built two now, I built, and, and been on a committee for a third, so I was on the Lean In Circle committee for, ah, Belfast, back when I lived there.
08:19 I also, when I lived in Belfast, started a group specifically for women entrepreneurs without kids. Or who had started their business before they had kids, uhm, because I think, I just felt so lonely in that space, uhm, here I moved back and I started, I realized that, well, the network wasn't going
08:40 to be the same, I really wanted to start something for millennial entrepreneurs, and we've started that circle, and then we have a bigger networking group as well here in town, and, end.
08:52 It just makes you feel so much less alone, it just means the world, uhm, so, a tip for that is to show up consistently, give generously, and don't wait until you need help to connect, start when you're, as early as you can, start as early as you can.
09:10 Alright, tip number six, And this is a biggie for me because. Because, again, I really have, had to learn over my years and maturity to let go of control.
09:20 And so, number six is, your business will evolve, let it, actually encourage it. Uhm, my business has shifted, Calibrated Concepts, we have shifted over the years from being a tech VA to being a website designer to doing that plus strategic sales.
09:38 And, that wouldn't have happened if I didn't trust my gut, follow the data, uhm, and let my work grow with me and, uh, grow with my community.
09:50 Uhm, constantly checking in with my people to make sure that my offers are meeting their needs, that, uhm, I'm checking in with how the online world is evolving.
10:02 Staying top of mind, uhm, it just makes a big deal. You've got to be willing to keep pivoting over and over and over again.
10:10 Uh, maybe not in your services all the time, but it might be that your lead magnet's changing or your website needs updated or your pricing needs changed or you need to think, yeah, it's just constantly.
10:23 Maybe you need a rebrand. In business, if you are not not pivoting, evolving, your business will die. So keep realigning at, keep up with the times in your own personal growth and make your business fit, but trust your gut and do it as nicely for yourself as you can.
10:42 Which leads me into my bonus tip, which is to be kind to yourself. Starting a business is voluntary. Vulnerable work, it is emotional, it is mentally taxing, it's obviously financially taxing.
10:55 Uhm, I often say it's like intensive therapy. You have to confront your money things, any visibility problems you're having, cause you have to show up and be the face of your business.
11:05 You have to really face your money issues to make sure you're actually making money. You are, it's okay not to have it all figured out, but invest in relationships that are coaching, therapy, whatever it is to help you really be kind to yourself through this.
11:18 Uhm, remember that you don't have to be perfect, your lunch doesn't have to be perfect, your services don't have to be perfect, but you have to start, keep, uh, iterating, and keep learning.
11:34 So, thank you for hanging out here, just to quickly recap. We're going to talk about starting with boundaries, not burnout, you don't need all the tools, document as you go, DIY is not always the smartest investment, your network is everything, and I mean that, everything.
11:56 Your business will evolve, let it, encourage it, and be kind to yourself. Now, if you have been in business for a while, what would you tell yourself if you were starting over?
12:08 I want to know, and if you're just getting started, which one of these resonated with you most? If you found this video useful, go ahead, like, comment, subscribe, and, uhm, there's always a bunch more videos here around this type of stuff, I also have so many free resources over on my website.
12:26 So, uhm, really happy if this helped you out, and have a
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