10 Things I learned my first year of Entrepreneurship

My work station aka our living room 😉

It’s been 1 round around the sun since I started on this wild journey called entrepreneurship, and I’ve been reflecting a lot over the last year. The trials and errors, small victories and the failures. To celebrate and honor all the moments in between I wanted to share the top 10 things I learned that I think not only help in the world of business, but can help you grow as a person in many parts of life..

1.) Small Business Owner VS entrepreneurship

There is a big difference between a small business owner and entrepreneur. Learn and understand how these differ, choose what you are and own it. There will be many that doubt and judge you on this path. If you can develop the thick skin to push through that, it’s worth it.

2.) Mindset Matters

Discipline, motivation and organization are essential in this world. But the most important thing every mentor and book will tell you, is mindset. What you believe WILL manifest into the physical world. No one will believe in you the way you believe in yourself. Ditch the word victim mentality from your mindset permanently. If you need help with this on your journey there are countless resources to assist (my favorite 3 listed here). Mentors, therapists, and mindfulness practices. Research is showing us time and again if meditation is done consistently, it physically changes the way your brain structures itself and how you react to emotions. Fitness, yoga, and intention setting are all mind assisting shifters. Start with small habits and build towards a new way of being.

3.) Networking is your best friend

You should be meeting and talking to at least 1 new person a week. You have no idea the people and organizations that exists just within your community that can help you save time, money and the heartache from many painful mistakes. If you don’t know where to start, ask a friend for a connection, look up people you aspire to be like on LinkedIn and ask for 15 minutes of their time and wisdom. Humans inherently love to help each other. Don’t be scared to ask. These people will be your greatest allies.

4.) Join a mastermind group

Seek to learn from others that are further along in the process or have some experience in what you are interested in. Get very comfortable with feedback. These are the people that you should learn from and that should be a support system in helping you build the best version of yourself in your endeavors. You can learn something from everyone. Bonus, joining a Mastermind groups greatly helps with accountability.

5.) Join a bookclub

It’s no secret that the most influential leaders and people you meet, read a lot. Another great way to keep yourself accountable is joining one of these and increasing the amount of books you read each year. We are students of life. If you want to be the best in your field and stay relevant, never stop learning. Knowledge is power.

6.) Get ready to be vulnerable and very uncomfortable daily

One of the hardest things to about standing apart is to get honest and real about what makes you, you. People connect with the realness of life, our experiences, the good and the bad. Sharing surface level things will only get you surface level results. Nothing happens in the comfort zone. When we step out and try something that makes our voice shake, that’s when real growth and honest results come out. Risk is everything in life. It’s true that in these moments of rawness we can start to honor who we are, step away from the surface ideals we created for ourselves, and understand both what it is that we have to offer and where people connect with us most. 

7.) Prioritize risk and speed over perfection.

I find this one of the hardest and most important concepts to follow. We are so caught up in fear and perfection, being judged by others and judging ourselves that we sit on decisions forever. The most successful leaders are ones that are able to make decisions quickly and act on them. Don’t sit on an idea, concept or decision for weeks or years. Go out there and try, make the mistakes, course correct and keep moving forward. This can go for so many things in life aside from business and careers, it can even show up in relationships. Perfection doesn’t exist, practices makes progress. Life is just a blip, we have only so much time to learn, experience and understand. Speak up even if it feels jumbled and awkward at the next meeting you have been wanting to make a stand in. Try the next 3 things on your list you have been too scared to do with all the well crafted excuses you’ve made. Who cares if you make a mistake? Remember everyone is so caught up in their own lives, and their own worries. Don’t live with regret. The more we do and try the more clarity we gain.

8.) Work smart, not hard

What I mean here is invest, delegate and outsource. You can’t do everything in life, nor should you. Find friends or connections to exchange services or someone looking for experience. Don’t be caught in the addiction of bragging over your exhaustion. The goal in life is to love what you do and be in the flow.

9.) Your top 5 friends matter most

Many success and self help books as well as the most influential people in the world, will say that who you surround yourself with, is who you reflect. The 5 closest people in your life show you how you are showing up in the world and who you strive to become. Don’t like who you are? Change these people, change your energy. They say if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. Strive to be by those that inspire you to be greater.

10.) Rituals = Consistency

It sounds cheesy, and you’ll hear it from wellness leaders like Oprah, Jay Shetty, Simon Sinek, etc. how critical these are. Your mental health MATTERS. Fill your cup, find time each day to do 1 thing that brings you joy. Have a ritual in the morning and at night to give you meaning and keep you accountable to structure and your time. (I.e. journal, read, workout, cook, meditate, go on a walk) You can’t put out your best work into the world if you don’t give to yourself first and bookend your time with intention.

There are so many other things to learn and continue to practice on this journey, but I am grateful for the opportunity of self growth and discovery this year has brought. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks for a balanced and well-lived life of growth, abundance and peace!

The light in me sees the light in you 🙂

Karina