I started veto. on accident almost two years ago. Since then, running my own business has undoubtedly been one of the best and most fun experiences of my life. But along with the opportunities, innovations, and celebratory high fives have also come tears, doubts, and lessons learned. I now feel very grounded with where I’m at with a clear vision of where I intend to go. Today, I want to look back on the past couple years and share a few lessons I’ve learned as a business owner and entrepreneur.
The 9-5 mindset can be helpful, but isn't the rule.
My work ethic has never typically come during a specific time each day. So with starting my own business, I was quick to let the 9-5 mentality go. Did it lead to irregular working hours? Yes. Did create better, less “forced” work? Hell yes!
Generally, I aim to stick to the same working days each week, but what is done, in what order during those days, is not rigid. What I had to learn was to eliminate the “guilt” that surrounds unmotivated feelings. Since I’m steering the whole ship, there will always be the small voice in my head that says I should be working all the time.
Invest in your own knowledge growth.
I'm super stubborn and a know-it-all so I taught myself some of the skills required to launch: designing my own website & branding, formulating product etc. However, when expert advice and training came my way, I took it! First investing in learning myself, and then finding the people who know more than I did to fill in the gaps does have initial outlay, but saves time overall, as the ongoing costs can be kept in house.
Take time to get the pricing right.
One of the most common struggles for product-based businesses is pricing at a point that’s neither sustainable nor profitable. When pricing your products you need to take into account the ingredients both in small batch quantities, and larger production numbers. If you aren't numbers orientated from the start, pricing can be the biggest challenge. If you would like help with pricing, get in touch.
Things can get lonely.
I’ve been lucky to connect with lots of other business owners, but have still found it hard to find people who are in the same place as I am. When you first start, connecting with other new small businesses is super easy as there's a lot of shared questions, learnings and experiences. Now, I'm in the "middle" which feels very grey, I have a wide variety of questions and options that are specific to the trajectory of veto, so it’s harder for me to find people who really “get it.” But as times goes on, those other small businesses move from "entrepreneurial comrades" to very well informed friends. Its nice!
Celebrate your successes.
Rarely, if ever, do I celebrate those successes. More often than not, I let them pass without considering their significance or achievement. There's no doubt that keeping the train moving is part of what it means to run your own business. You create new goals to replace the old ones and the cycle continues. I’ve found that it’s important to stop every once in awhile and reflect on the moments and achievements that have been important (like right now).
If you have successes either personal or professional, share them below! Let's celebrate together
Thank you for your ongoing support. Bring on the next year!