1. It's all a lie.
The idea that you have to be or do or have anything in particular in order to create your success is nothing but BS. YOU get to decide what's important. Yes you are also the one who has to screw up when you choose something that doesn't work out but better to do so on your terms and by figuring things out your way.
2. You can't avoid the screw-ups.
You're going to fail. You're going to fail again. You're going to fail again and again and AGAIN. Can't handle that? Don't get into business.
3. There is no solution.
Stop looking for it. There's no point at which you will become a complete and perfect human and be able to ascend into the heavens in order to lead the rest of us. The solution is to embody the daily actions that allow you to BE the you who you want to be. Based on the ACTIONS yeah? Not the outcome. Okay so I said there wasn't a solution and there is. But definitely it's not the one you thought.
4. You have to be ruthless.
Entrepreneurialism is tough, but often not so much for the reasons you thought (such as figuring out how to make money) but instead because it will consume every fiber of your being and eat you alive if you allow it. Business doesn't care about your family. Your health. Your sleep. The holidays. Business cares about nothing but itself and if you allow it? It will make you do the same. Whether or not that's an issue is up to you, but be aware that if you want to foster a relationship with your own kids and partner let alone anybody else it's going to take some serious boundary setting. Because the reality is...
5. The list will never run out.
I don't care how many hours you work, how much you do there will always be more. You will never feel complete. If you can choose to be okay with that and accept it, you can make it as a HAPPY entrepreneur. If you can't, you can't.
6. Nobody cares about your big dream but you.
You will be pushed and pulled in a million directions and the way to make sure you make progress on the stuff that matters to YOU is simply to make it a must. Do your stuff first. Ignore everything else. Be okay with coming across as rude, disorganized, unprofessional, whatever if in doing so it allows you to put YOU first and to prioritize what's truly important (and often the real reason you got into business in the first place).
7. Never stop creating.
You're never done. There is always something more to serve your customers with and to grow your brand with and ultimately to feed your soul with. And that last part is what it's really about. Yes, you might have a signature program or product that you want to be known for but even then there will be peripheral stuff you can do -- will want to do. I'm not just talking about paid stuff. Creation is communication as well and communication is the heart and soul of growing a business of loyal and raving fans. Speaking of which...
8. Become a cult.
Don't churn out mindless lists of how-tos that are simply educational. Nobody is interested in learning from you if they're not also being inspired, transformed by you. It's not what you have to teach, it's your unique slant on that thing that people really want to listen to. Give the people what they want! And you'll never have an issue with growing your list OR selling your stuff.
9. You have to get over your stuff around sales.
Selling something you are PROUD of? That you know gets results? If so, then why would you even consider having an issue about asking for money for it? Honor your value and your worth! Of course if you're not proud of your stuff - don't sell it!
10. Your clients want to be led.
They want you to tell them what to do, to show them the way. Yes they want inspiration and motivation but they also want to be told - 'this is what you need'. 'This is why'. 'Here is how to do it'. 'Here is where to start'. Bring your voice and your message to what you do but don't forget to actually provide a solution for people as well. Even though there is no solution :)
11. What is going to make you money today?
There are a ton of things you could, should be doing. Do your first things first, meaning the stuff that makes YOU come alive. But after that - what is going to make you money? What is going to grow your business today? Do that. Ignore the rest until the end of your workday. Give it 20 minutes, as it's not worth more than that. Are you really telling me your busy work and notification/email checking is worth more than the time you spend playing with your kids or being still and just being you each day? No. It's not.
12. Most things you think will make you money, won't.
Most stuff fails. That's simply how it works. That person with the million dollar idea? Do you really think they just woke up with it, did it, and it worked? Of course not! To succeed as an entrepreneur you need to be the duck that appears to be doing nothing and then suddenly arrives on the other side. When all the while you were churning your little legs (do ducks have legs? you know what I mean :)) under the surface almost frantically, wondering if it would ever pay off. And then it does.
13. Tear up your business plan.
Better still, save time and don't write it. Everything changes too quickly. Don't plan more than a month ahead. Even then, don't plan down to detail. Instead, simply write down what you want from the month (financially and in other areas). Write down some ways to get it. And then move on. Never ever look back because the actions you thought you needed to take are not at all true and if they are? You'll figure them out as you go.
14. You have to be able to think and adapt on the fly.
Or risk becoming irrelevant, out of date, out of tune with your own ideas and wants let alone anybody else's.
15. Be selfish to your dream.
Nobody else gets it. Even if they support you, even if they too are an entrepreneur they STILL don't really get it. The worst thing you can do is look for somebody's acceptance of your dream, even if it's your coach or partner. Probably especially if it's your partner. And even if they are supportive they will think you are crazy. They will doubt you. They will question everything, 'just to make sure you've thought things through'. That's the good side of it. The worst case is they don't support you and they tear you down deliberately and try to crush your dream. Either way is actually equally bad as ultimately nobody else has power over your ability to succeed except you.
16. Be in it for the long haul, or not at all.
Business is not a hobby, not an idea, not something to try. This is do or die. Either you want it, or you don't.
17. Most of the stuff that you think matters, doesn't. Like a pretty website.
Like being organized. Like ticking everything off your list. Like networking. Like the perfect About page. Like properly styled graphics. Like attending the conferences. What does matter?
a) Being the you who you want to be NOW - i.e. doing the stuff you got into this for whether the writing, creating, coaching, speaking, whatever.
b) What will make you money today?
That is all.
18. Everything else must suffer.
You can't be superwoman. Who is she anyway? Maybe you CAN be superwoman because I'm pretty sure what she did was basically focused on her superpower and how she could save the world and ultimately herself because of it. What's your superpower? Do that. Everything else can go to hell - the washing, the house, the errands, the catch ups. Okay not your loved ones. But you know what I mean. Stop trying to do it all. Be okay with not being a good housewife, with not being the perfect soccer Mum. Or do all that stuff and DON'T create your dream business. You decide.
19. Don't be prepared.
Yup, you read that correct. What do you have to prepare for, really? You know it all already, you know YOUR stuff and you know how to help people with it. Preparation is procrastination wearing a mask. That shit will kill your dreams. So jump in head first with no idea what's beneath. You will figure it out because you have to.
20. It starts now.
You want to be an author, write your book TODAY. You want to be a speaker, speak TODAY. Create a video! You want to coach, coach somebody TODAY. Or you will find yourself spending every damn day getting ready and never getting there. So again, don't be prepared.
21. Have armor.
Business is war. Going to work each day is going into battle. Often, only against yourself and your own ideas about what you have to be or do or have before you can be or do or have the stuff you really want. Sometimes, you won't feel like it. Sometimes, people (you?!) will try to drag you down. Sometimes, everything will be absolutely horrible and awful and like moving through quicksand. So you have to have armor, a process of preparing for battle. Mine is "journaling" my way into the state I need to be in. Yours might be reading or re-writing your mission or your goals, listening to certain songs.
22. Celebrate the HECK out of any win, small or large.
Do NOT keep forging on. Celebrate what you just did! If you don't acknowledge what you've just done the universe is far less likely to reward you with more good stuff. Why bother since you're so caught up in NOT being enough?!
23. The whoo-whoo stuff is super important.
Like the last point. Like believing in your ability to succeed. Like consciously manifesting the business and life you want. It all matters and you can't get by without it.
24. But the same thing goes for taking action.
If you're not where you want to be maybe you need to stop focusing on attracting it and start bloody well getting down to work. OFF Facebook. OFF your list. AWAY from your strategy. Just real work that is going to help people and draw them into you.
25. Don't freak out when it feels good!
It's natural to think that you must be cheating or doing something wrong if it is suddenly easy. That's not true. You're allowed to have it easy. Business can be effortless. Usually, it's hard work. So be grateful and happy when it does suddenly all slip into place! Chances are it's going to get tough again and you'll be kicking yourself you didn't appreciate what you had and instead worried about what you must be missing.
26. You're going to have FOMO.
Deal with it. Do what matters to YOU. That's all.
27. Watch what you want to grow.
I want my income to grow, so I track it daily. I have a big sheet behind my computer with my monthly money goal on it. Daily, I subtract what I made and cross out the old goal and write down the new. I do the same with things like taking on new clients, or writing stuff on my book, or anything important to me. What you measure, improves. So measure. Be okay with not being where you want to be yet if you're not. But don't put your head in the sand and pretend it will all work out magically by the end of the month. Know your numbers!
28. You can ALWAYS make more money if you really need it.
This is the biggest thing to realize about money and about business. Money is everywhere. If it's an absolute 'must' for you to have, you will find it. If it's not a must or if you choose to play with beliefs telling you that it's bad or evil or selfish to be wealthy, you're going to push it away.
29. Deal with your sh*t.
If you do have stuff around money, happiness, success, getting to do what you want to do? Deal with it. Or it will never go away. I recommend constant PD learning, "journaling", and kinesiology.
30. Be an adult with your money.
You're not going to help anybody, least of all yourself, if you don't take ownership for what you create and what you get in return for it. Face your fear around your finances. Know where you're at. Read your profit and loss. Assess. Review. Plan. And then throw away the plan 'cause you'll change it anyway. But before you do - get some bank accounts set up to start putting money aside for the stuff that you want and need. Give money a home and you'll be amazed at how quickly it grows.
31. Follow your heart.
But do it with strategy. Ultimately, if people don't want to buy your stuff you won't last long as an entrepreneur.
32. Be strategic.
But make sure it has heart. Or you'll just be another cardboard copy of everybody else out there. And you'll never be remembered for anything. Which would majorly suck.
33. You'll never be happy
Not when you keep on projecting it into the future, as something that can and will happen once you've done this, finished that, finally got over that other thing. Happiness can't be found from anything outside of you; you can claim and own it now or you'll never find it.
34. Follow the path of least resistance
We have this thing where we think we need to suffer in order to succeed. So much of the time it's not true. Why take the hard and uncertain and scary route IF you have another option? If you're great at blogging and love writing - write! Why should you make videos if it's not your zone of genius. If you prefer coaching in the evenings rather than the mornings then don't give in to other people's demands around when you should work with them. Those are just 2 examples. How can you follow the path of least resistance in YOUR business today?
35. There is no balance
Life-work balance, it's a myth. There will always be more things demanding your time than what is possible for you to give attention to. Stop trying to find a way to organize or manage it all and get used to just jumping in head first. The way to stay afloat is to know what's truly important to you, and do that first. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. THAT IS ALL; any other method of time management will destroy you and leave you frustrated and with an underlying sense of poor alignment.
And lastly, know -
36. It never stops.
There is always somewhere to improve. And there is always something else you could be doing. The fear will never ever leave you. Uncertainty is going to haunt you every damn day. You'll constantly question yourself. If you can deal with all of that then maybe, just maybe, you can make it as entrepreneur. Because if you CAN deal with all of that know that you will live a more extraordinary and rewarding life than what most could ever begin to image. And ALL of it will be worth it, not when you get there but because really? You're already there. Now is there. Now is all you have. So embrace it. Embody what you want in this moment, today. And always, always, remember...
Life is Now. Press Play.
Kat x