As 2015 is coming to a close, I decided to take a few minutes to reflect on my first (partial) year as a business owner. Here are 5 things that owning a business has taught me:
Do it all with Passion. To me, this is very important as a business owner. You hear of so many who start businesses only looking at what profit they will make. While yes, I run a business as a way to provide for myself, money is not the root of why I started Everyday Helper. Honestly, I get annoyed when others ask me profit related questions. I started the business because I wanted to help others. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to provide a service that has a growing demand yet doesn’t commonly exist yet in our area. I truly believe that if you are not passionate about your work, you will never be satisfied. You will never be happy with the work that you are about. If you are passionate about your business and work, it will show and success and money will follow. We all have our unique talents and interests and we are meant to utilize those to help others. That should be the focus of building a business.
Balance is the key to life. This is one that I constantly have to remind myself of! The first year of anything is always the hardest. Whether it’s going to school, starting a new job, or owning a business, you have to put in a lot of extra effort. Owning a business requires a lot of organization to stay well balanced with the many commitments. I was never one for using a planner, but let me tell you, now I rely on it every day. I have also learned this year that even if I have to schedule time for myself, then so be it. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of others.
Communication. Need I say more? As with everything in life, communication is vital. Owning a business requires strong communication skills. No matter how much I have going on in a particular day, I have to make time for the emails, phone calls, and texts. I have to stay on top of communication with current clients, potential clients, community engagements, and those I’m working with to develop partnerships.
You get what you give. I have found that the more time I put into my business, the more I gain in return. You can’t simply run a business putting in minimal effort and expect to achieve great success. If you want your business to be successful, you’re going to have to put in the work. One of the cool things about my business is that often times, I feel that I receive more than I give. For example, this holiday season I have been doing “31 Days of Everyday Helping” which involves going out and about in the community doing 31 days of random acts of kindness. I have also been helping out others in the community by collecting winter gloves for kids in need as well as Christmas presents for the seniors of Crestview Care Center. What I have found is that I take away more from these encounters than those who I am giving to. It has been a very heartwarming experience and I am thankful for it.
Never stop learning and growing. This is easily one of my favorite aspects of being a business owner. In my free time I am constantly learning and striving to grow not only my business, but myself as a business owner as well. I may not have enjoyed being in school, but now I love learning. I wrote a whole blog called “How Owning a Business is Like Being a Student in School” check it out! “Never stop learning because life never stops teaching.” How true that quote is. There is always something new to learn!
2015 has been an incredible year for me, and for Everyday Helper. I have learned so much and yet I’m just getting started! As always, thank you to all of you who have been a part of the journey!
Kelly
