3 Mistakes That Hurt Your Businesses

1. Not Being Focused

The number one mistake I see is business owners not being focused. They're not focused here, but they're also not focused on the right things. A lot of times, new business owners get distracted. They see their social media presence, their website, and their business cards, and they spend hours and hours working on those things when really, those aren’t the needle movers in their business. I have been in business for over seven years now. I started out part-time, side hustling, and went full-time a couple of years ago. To this day, not a single one—not one—of my clients has gone to my website and said, "Oh no, you’re not very professional." Most of them say, “Oh, I didn't even check out your website; I should have done that before I booked.” So just know that your website is not going to make or break you. The same goes for social media. Get on, and make the mistakes, especially early when nobody is really looking. That way, you are prepared, polished, and comfortable by the time you get a bigger following. 

The primary way I've gotten clients has been through networking. So to make your first networking foray—whether it's a digital, virtual Zoom networking event or an in-person event—a success, I want you to be prepared with four things that you're going to know the answer to when people ask you. I want you to be able to answer those four Ps for yourself as well. Who are the people that you serve? What are the problems that they have that somebody can listen for? What are the products that you offer—whatever solution, whether a service or physical products—that you offer to solve that problem? And who are people that they can connect you with that are not their direct competitors, but their ideal market is probably similar to yours? So, get focused. Focus on nailing down your niche and talking to live, actual people. Don't be afraid of it. It's not that hard, it’s not that scary. I promise, most of us are pretty nice.

2. Shiny Object Syndrome

I am 110% guilty of this, and so is every single business owner I know, and that is the shiny objects: “Oh, this next thing will be the thing that gets me all the clients. This next tactic or this next course. Watching YouTube for 5 hours learning how to be a copywriterso you can start your newsletter.”

I don’t think I need 10 hours on YouTube to figure out how to write like a decent human. Things like that, I call them precrastination tactics. They are task-adjacent things. You spend time researching and learning and trying to just figure out how to do a thing or do the thing better instead of just doing it. Don’t obsess over making the perfect sales pitch, the perfect call, or the perfect ‘I help’ statement. Don’t focus on the perfection of them; focus on actually just doing them. Get really clear on what the needle movers are in your business. Whenever you get some traction, double down, exclude everything else, and just focus on the needle mover. Commit to a project.

3. Not Sticking It Out

They think they're committed, they are ready, they want to get out of the hustle and grind of the nine-to-five. They kind of give up if things don’t work in six months. The first year of business is rough and you’ll learn so much about yourself. Being an entrepreneur, a side hustler, or full-time is one of the biggest personal discovery journeys you will ever go on. So make sure you are ready to take on all of that personal work. Because nine times out of ten, the only thing—I literally mean the only thing—standing in the way of you getting all the clients that you want and having the success that you desire is you. So I want you to give yourself some grace with all of the issues that are going to come up, all of the inevitable frustrations and emotions. Life is a practice, so it's never going to be 100% perfect or how you want it to be. I also want you to commit to having the grit to stick it out. Figure out what works, and what doesn't. Learn how to fail fast while also committing to the long haul.

Wrap Up

Avoid these common pitfalls by staying focused on what truly matters, resisting the allure of quick fixes, and committing fully to your business journey. Stay focused, very, very focused. No shiny objects, no research rabbit holes. Give yourself the grit and grace to run your business successfully, and know that you can.