What helps me, what inspires me and what motivates me as a modern day entrepreneur...
When people ask me what do I do for work, it used to be so easy to answer. “Me? Oh, I work in advertising”. For almost ten years I account managed some of the biggest advertising accounts in the world for various magazines and websites. Then, when I switched to pursue my blog full time, I became a ‘blogger’.
These days though, it’s not that simple.
Today I’m definitely more of an entrepreneur with two businesses (my marketing consultancy and my blog/verified Insta) and my fingers in a few pies (investing, mentoring and business building). I also participate in industry panel talks and work closely with High Net Worth Individuals on various projects. I’ve also owned two small online stores and still continue to trade on Not On The High Street (more as a hobby than anything). Revenue streams are everywhere and I guess by nature I am, well, an entrepreneur.
For me though, an entrepreneur is usually what I’d call the likes of Richard Branson… Alan Sugar… anyone on Dragon’s Den. But me? I don’t know, I don’t like it. I guess it comes from years of stability, working in an office for an employer and having that as my identity. It’s difficult to define my work today because I feel the title doesn’t carry a weight of success. The only one I compete with now, is… myself. And who wins there?
To be an entrepreneur, you need certain skills. So, feeling inspired, I drew up a little list of what helps me, what inspires me and what motivates me. If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I can be a complete workaholic so I must caveat that here; I work whenever I can.
Nothing is a success, until it's a success...
A typical consequence of modern day entrepreneurship is spreading yourself thin. That doesn’t necessarily always have to be a bad thing. For me, I have several plates spinning but right now but none of them will make me an overnight millionaire. And that’s ok. It’s all about trial, testing, evolving and tweaking. I truly believe I am yet to find or work on the one thing that is going to catapult me into early retirement. And that’s ok. I’m 37. That’s the fun of being an entrepreneur.
Quit, don't keep making the same mistake over and over...
Just don’t be afraid to close the door or quit something if it’s not working.
Practice and celebrate your resilience...
You need this in abundance and this is one of the main traits of an entrepreneur. Celebrate failures and learn from mistakes. This is the currency that you will rely on in later life when it comes to figuring out your next moves.
Every success started with the decision to try...
If I get an idea, I go with it and usually by the next day there’s a whole page covered in ideas and steps on how to get to the end result. Being able to strategise without taking a second thought is a unique skill but one that can be achieved with practice. Stop thinking “what if ?”and instead, “how?”. Start, don’t ponder.
Network, communicate and talk...
By nature I am very talkative and confident around large groups of people. This doesn’t always come easy to some but the beauty of online means more often than not you can reach out digitally, avoiding any face to face awkwardness. Use online to your advantage and create considered, appropriate messages without pressure.
Make time for self care...
I learned this the hard way after multiple burn-out periods around having my children. I worked during labour with my first daughter and I regret it massively. Self care is the bare minimum we should offer ourselves. I love taking some time out with a cup of tea and admiring my garden view, watching Real Housewives or even having a nice soak in the bath. Reading, massages and yoga also helps. Getting the balance is key to creativity.
Keep abreast of software & helpful apps...
I have an Adobe subscription for Lightroom (picture editing) and Illustrator as well as various other apps like Unfold, Dropbox, Cloud Storage and Cafeyn. I used to have triple the volume but found it to be so overwhelming (and expensive) so now I keep just what I need for my workflow.
Research the process...
It’s been a dream to own a health food bar on the beach in Costa Rica but I recently adapted this to understand how this would translate as a place in London. Researching the process towards the end goal will show you how realistic the concept is, how profitable it can be but ultimately, how happy it could make you. Knowing the process before starting any investor conversations is important for time management.
Go for it...
What’s stopping you? Life is short, go for it.
