5 Things I Wish Someone Would've Told Me: My First Year as an Entrepreneur

Hindsight is always 20/20. The decision to become an entrepreneur wasn't an easy one for me. I had no one in my family who had started such an audacious career path. Everyone I knew had blue collar jobs. Nurse. Welder. Dental Assistant. You get the picture. And that was my path too.

Whenever someone said they wanted to be an entrepreneur I immediately felt bad for them. I thought they had no real career goals and said that because it sounded fancy.

To me, the word entrepreneur left a bitter taste in my mouth. I imagined life as an entrepreneur as this struggle to success. That you had to have this great idea or new invention and it would take years, if ever, for you to take off. But that when you did, you were an instant millionaire.

Oh how wrong I was. These are 10 things that I wish someone would have told me about becoming an entrepreneur.

1. Don't Reinvent the Wheel.

Just because there are other people doing what you want to do doesn't mean you can't do it as well, if not better.

A lot of times we look at other people's day 100 and compare it to our day 1. We are each on our on journey with perfect timing.

Contrary to popular belief, it is okay to look to other people in your industry for inspiration. Now, this doesn't mean to copy them or steal their ideas. Enter your industry and put your own twist on things.

2. No one cares about your business when you first start.

When I first told people about the ideas and goals I had for my business most people gave me a very generic 'Oh okay, that sounds good!' and brushed me off, taking no real interest in what I was saying.

At first I was upset but think about it, if someone came up to you talking about an idea they had that would make them 100,000 dollars and allow them to be their own boss, you would probably think they were just talking out of their behind too, right?

No one will care about your company as much as you do. No one will see the vision you have for your company. So don't be too upset when the support doesn't flood in immediately.

But dont worry when you start seeing numbers everyone will support you and then claim to have always been there for you from the very beginning :)

3. You need money.

Now here me out, I am not saying that you have to put aside 1,000s of dollars but you must set aside something. Anything. Even if it's just a couple 100 dollars. I know saving is hard especially when you live check to check like I do.

A lot of people advertise that you can even dropship (a method of business where you put no money up for inventory, instead have a third party ship your product directly to your customer and you keep the profit) which technically requires no capitol. But even if you dropship you still need a website to sell from which can cost anywhere from 3.95/month for web hosting to 100s for website fees.

You will need money for test products, shipping, wholesale purchases, marketing & advertising and much more.

Again, you dont need a lot of money but my business would be a lot further along if I had the money to invest in my products and keep them on hand for my launch from the start.

4. You cannot do everything yourself.

You must spend money where you cant spend time. As a growing business, I am learning that there are certain things that I don't need to spend my time doing.

I have two businesses which means two websites to keep up with, a blog, two youtube videos to film, edit and post every week, multiple social media channels for both companies, email marketing, ads, customer service and the list goes on and on.

My life would be so much easier if I could delegate these tasks to other people. I plan on hiring people onto my team in 2021. The first person I'm bringing onboard is a video editor. Video editing takes houuurrrssssssss and that time could be spent elsewhere.

It can feel like you're less authentic because you have people doing certain tasks for you but there is no shame in needing and attaining help.

5. You will be successful.

Speak your dreams into existence. Manifest them. Believe in them. You have to believe and know that your business will be successful. There is no plan b, option 2 or alternative.

You will have a successful company. No matter what setbacks you may face, remember your 'why' and keep pushing. Trust me, I've spent plenty of nights crying out of frustration because it's overwhelming to run two businesses and be a one woman show. But I would so much rather cry about my own company than to cry on someone else's clock in the storage supply closet (ahem).

This will not be easy. It will feel like you're not growing or making the sales you want to, but patience is key here. You started for a reason and your vision will come to life.

What are some things you wish you knew before you started your entrepreneur journey? Or what are some things that you still need to know? Leave a comment down below and let's chat!

P.S- If you'd like to check out my site just head to www.myprettygirlbundles.com <3