I've been working as an 'entrepreneur' for six months now, and it's been tough.
There's so much uncertainty about everything—from how well my product will sell to what kinds of things I have to do each day to make Mindsetter a success. So, I wanted to talk about a few things that surprised me about entrepreneurship so far that no one generally talks about:
The first six months of starting a new business are intense. I'm completely drained.
I'm still getting used to the idea that it's not a hobby. It feels weird when people ask me what I do for work and I say, "I sell clothing for mental health awareness online." Even though it's true, it doesn't sound real. The first few months I have been just setting up systems and processes, making my first few sales, and getting a feel for how I want my company to run. I've spent every waking hour of my free time building this thing from scratch and learning how to operate everything myself.
There's a lot less certainty when you're running your own business. I knew exactly what my pay would be each month when I was working a 9-5 job for someone else, now I have to wait and see how sales go each month. This makes life budgeting SO hard.
It can also take its toll on your mental health as well as personal relationships with friends and family members who don't understand why you aren't happy working a 9-5 job like they do. It can be so isolating too, you will want to work on your business 24/7 and not many people can relate to it.
But even with all these challenges, I'm still so glad that I started my own thing. It feels great to be free from corporate life and working for myself. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I've learned some important lessons over these past six months:
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I feel like I'm doing something that I'm good at and passionate about. There are definitely challenges in opening your own business—but there are also opportunities for things to go right. For example, when you work for yourself and only have one boss (yourself), your responsibilities aren't always clear-cut or well-defined—but this can actually help foster creativity and innovation because no one is telling you how things should be done.
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I feel like I'm making a difference in the world and our community. When was the last time someone told you "thanks" because they liked what you did? It happened to me so much after my first collection release and all the beautiful comments people have given me, makes it so worth while. If we don't take risks now on our own terms then what will change?
Entrepreneurship is challenging and can be stressful, but it's definitely worth it. You get the opportunity to make your own schedule, set your own goals and achieve them. When I first started my business I was working in a corporate job that I wasn't passionate about. The company culture was toxic and there were no real opportunities for growth within the company, especially as a 27 year old woman, I feel like no one would ever take me seriously.
Starting your own biz means taking risks on yourself every day by spending money out of pocket (and mostly, losing some) while trying to build up enough momentum so that those investments will yield results later on down the road when they start paying off financially.
Its damn hard, but I'm glad I made the decision to go out on my own. It's been a really exciting journey so far, and I know there's more to come. I'm so grateful for all the love I have received, and I can't wait to keep people smiling and adopting positive mindsets into their daily lives.
Keep smiling,
Sarah xx