Why You Need to Create Your Own Path to Success

Today I’m talking about the things I've learned over the past few years of running my business. As a business owner, I’ve seen it all and a lot of that includes the struggles and challenges of being an entrepreneur. I’ll cover the ups and downs of owning a business, why life circumstances can prevent you from growing your business faster than others, dealing with burnout, and why you need to treat your business like a business from the onset. 

My Journey Becoming a Business Owner

When I started my business, I never expected to be where I am today. I started it as a side hustle while working part time for my parents and being a stay-at-home mom, and it’s grown so much since then! It is absolutely the best and I’m so blessed to be able to grow and do what I love. Outside looking in, or the view on social media it may look like all sunshine and roses. But you don’t see the late nights and sleep deprivation as I try to grow my biz and manage my team.

There’s things I’ve learned along the way and put into place that have helped. Read on to hear about it!

Comparing Your Rate of Growth and Success to Others 

When you’re starting your own business, you cannot compare your growth or success to others. Some people have more time or resources to spend that others. I have two young kids, and I don’t have a solid 8 hours to spend. I work in the mornings or at night, and have days where someone watches the kids while I’m working. Maybe you have another job, or other responsibilities. Whatever your situation is and whoever you’re tempted to compare yourself to, their situation is different. Who they ARE is different than you, so your businesses are gonna look different as well.

Everyone is on their own journey, and you don’t have the whole picture of someone’s life. Especially in the world of social media, you’re mostly getting the highlight reel and seeing people’s successes. For every 10k month or 10k followers posts, behind the scenes there’s staying up late crying trying to figure everything out! 

My Own Struggle with Burnout

With entrepreneurship, your business is always on your mind and there’s going to be highs and lows. I started my business in September 2020, and in February 2021 I found out I was pregnant. Surprise! I was in shock, and didn’t know how I was going to keep running my business. He was born in November and I lost an assistant bookkeeper around that time, so there I was with a newborn and taking care of year end. If you’re in the finance world, you know how crazy that is even WITHOUT a newborn 🥴 I had clients that needed cleanup done, and all the prep getting ready for tax season.

Come February/March 2022 I was feeling really burned out. I felt the need to take the summer slow, focus on the backend of my business and spend time with my kids. Taking that time to rest was the best thing I could’ve done, because now I am feeling revived. I started a podcast and have some big visions and exciting things coming next year.

Success Looks Different to Different People

The definition of success looks different for different people. Some people might want to build a billion dollar empire. That’s not personally for me. I don’t want that. I’d be fine getting to 7 figures but I don’t want more than that. The more you have coming in, the more you have to manage and are responsible for. I want to be able to focus on being present. My success looks like working a few hours here and there, being able to spend time with my kids, and I can go out in the field with my husband during harvest season.

Going back to the comparison I mentioned earlier, your idea of success might look different than theirs and that’s ok! Financial success even looks different depending on where you live. 5k in California or New York City isn’t the same as 5k in a lower cost area. 

Push Yourself Beyond the Zone of Comfort 

I cannot tell you enough that whenever I start feeling comfortable in my business, it doesn’t grow as much. Why? Because things are stagnant and I’m not pushing myself. Get comfortable being uncomfortable 😉 I personally don’t believe in the phrase “fake it till you make it”. You can’t fake it with numbers, and especially if you’re working with other peoples’ numbers… please don’t be out there faking it till you “make it” if you don’t know what you’re doing. Get in there and learn it, work with a mentor, get uncomfortable and be honest with yourself and give yourself room to GROW. 

Treat Your Business Like a Business from the Onset

This is so important. You’ve heard me talk about separating biz and personal finances but treating your business like a business from the get go goes beyond that. Have SOPs (standard operating procedures) and documentation of what you do and what’s happening in your business. Honestly I did these too late. I kind of had systems in place but as my team grew, it became apparent that I needed to have clear, in depth systems in place. This summer I started using ClickUp and I will never go back. It is THE best thing.

Basically just make sure you have systems for everything. Onboarding, off-boarding, content creation, I mean everything. It has made my business feel SO much more stable knowing that if a team member is sick or whatever happens, I have things documented and I know everything will be taken care of. 

Make Time for Yourself and the People You Love

I’m sure you’ve heard this before but it’s been so important for me to focus on self care and focus on the people I care about. My “non-negotiables” are waking up before the kids, getting a workout in and having my coffee to start my day. I’m not perfect at it and it’s a work in progress, but everything in my day goes smoother if I start the day spending that time for me. Everyone needs time for themselves, especially me as an enneagram 3. I’m always go go go, so having that time to recharge is really important. 

I have so much more to learn, and you can learn so much from others. Stay humble, learn from others, and watch your business flourish. Creating a business for YOU and making it work with your life, goals, dreams, is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Follow my journey over on Instagram and don’t be afraid to DM me questions or share your experience! I absolutely love helping business owners feel empowered with their finances. If you’re ready for help and support hitting your financial goals, head on over here to learn about our monthly bookkeeping services!