What I Learned In My First Year of Business

I said I would give it a year.

That was my goal. 

Today is one year. It's like the birthday of my third baby.

Happy Birthday, Suppa Media Inc.

Before starting my company, I wrote a business plan, brainstormed goals and forecasted finances. (None of which, I thought I was good at, btw) What I was good at, was setting deadlines. I love deadlines, and, with my television and journalistic background, I thrive with the rush of beating the clock.

So, I said, "let's see how the first year goes."

And here we are.

It has been probably the fastest, most gratifying, scariest year of my life. More terrifying than having kids and surviving an emergency c-section (and premature baby at 30 weeks). Faster than the year we planned our wedding.

And it's also the year I worked the absolute hardest, and smartest.

I've learned a lot this year, and these lessons often came at the expense of my family, my stress level, my sanity. While I'm an entrepreneur, I'm also a solopreneur, which means I don't have anyone working with me or for me -- yet. Perhaps this will be my goal for Year 2. This means I need to do all the work: the exciting work, the boring and tedious work, the work at 2 am, the work when you don't feel like working, the invoicing, the scheduling, the following up, the client calls, etc. 

I learned that there are no days off. While I certainly have great flexibility in the daytime to schedule appointments or volunteer at my kids' school, it also means I'm working day and night, evenings and weekends. I've forced myself to unplug and enjoy my surroundings on many occasions, but I also learned to work efficiently, set priorities and goals, so I have the ability take an afternoon or evening off. 

I learned that there are no rules. I could take on any client I wanted, or any job I felt I needed. I could (and would) be doing a medley of projects and assignments. I could try new things, start collaborations and be creative with the types of work with which I was filling my time. (I also learned that if I don't like the work, I don't have to take it -- and that's OK, too!)

I learned that there ARE people who have your back and want to see you succeed -- no, they HELP you succeed. Friends and acquaintances who took chances on me, and trusted my vision to create something for their business. And when I felt that there was no one around, I went out and networked and introduced myself to others. And I met new friends.

I learned to take care of myself because if I went down, the business went down (See above). I go for regular massages and self-care appointments (hair, nails, etc). And I shop for myself, even though I work from my couch. I put on make-up and dress up; I do things that make me happy. And I don't feel guilty about it.

Most importantly, I learned to believe in myself. When I look back at the year, there were many times I was frustrated, depressed, and even crying in self-doubt. I couldn't see the future, I couldn't believe it. Thing is, I still can't see the future, but now, I believe it's possible. And I would do it all again. I just might.

So, let's see where the next year takes me...