Reflections on 3 years in business/self-employment land
Originally published on November 12, 2020
Hey team! To celebrate reaching a milestone of THREE YEARS (!) in business and self-employed land I reflected on and want to share some of the key lessons I’ve learned.
With the wonderful BioGro team after delivering a team development day based around connection and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals :)
It’s been part of my working philosophy since day 1 to be open about the journey: the highlights, lowlights and learnings. There’s a lot shared online about #YOLO and #laptoplifestyle and #freedompreneur, so I wanted to and intend to keep sharing the reality – beyond the marketing spiel. If you’re also self-employed or a business owner, I hope these reflections bring comfort and support to you. If you’re thinking of following your own path, I hope these reflections inspire you to also consider taking the leap to follow your dreams.
Creating something out of nothing, serving a mindblowing number of people, organisations and groups over the last 3 years has been one of the most meaningful, challenging and fulfilling things I’ve ever done. It’s simultaneously been the biggest period of personal and professional growth and has tested and built my resilience, adaptability, self worth and trust in my capabilities.
I’d love to hear whether any of these reflections resonate with you.
1. Every day is different. Ride the adaptation wave
When you first start you’re wearing 100 hats. You’ll spend part of your time ‘delivering/doing the work’ that you started out in business to do and the rest of the time running (and learning how to run) the business. The work isn’t necessarily challenging but it does take a lot of time and energy to learn all of it. Making all the decisions is also challenging and takes time to get used to. The transition from being an employee to self-employed should not be underestimated. Yes, there are huge benefits to having full autonomy over your schedule, but with this comes a whole new level of self leadership. After the first 1 to 1.5 years, the experience becomes easier and less energy intensive.
2. Relationships matter
Even if you’re an introvert this part is important. Two key quotes: “You are the average of the 10 people you spend the most time with” and “your network is your networth” apply here. Find advisors, mentors, coaches, trusted confidants and people who will cheer you on no matter what state you’re in. These people are golden and are so appreciated. It’s so easy to get caught in doing the work and forget about connecting with the outside world and people in the early days of business. However, you never know where a connection will lead. Have patience with relationships and work. Some work happens immediately, other work will happen 6 months, 1 year, 2 years down the track. Keep at it. People need to know, like and trust you to invest their precious time and money in you .
3. Learn to trust in your abilities and your vision
Learn to trust in your abilities and your vision AND be open to growth, help and advice. The greatest growth truly does come outside the comfort zone, HOWEVER it’s unsustainable to consistently be in high growth and/or stress. Build in rest, recovery and reflection time. A recommended read is HBR’s ‘The Makings of a Corporate Athlete’.
4. Your first idea does not have to be your ‘forever idea’
Jen Y Insights was initially only supposed to be a blog about the experiments I put myself through (including ’40 Days of Facing Fear’ and ‘40 Days of Growth’). When I came back from 3 months of overseas travelling I realised I couldn’t and didn’t want to go back to the corporate world. So, I decided to go out on my own with the idea of open sourcing for younger generations all that I’d learned in senior leader leadership development. I called Jen Y Insights a project/experiment for the first year to (1) see if it’d work (2) lessen my recovering-perfectionistic tendencies. Plus, running a ‘business/company’ didn’t align with my desire to serve and seemed too serious/corporate-like. My first offerings were only 1:1 coaching and teaching introduction to mindfulness courses in organisations. Things have truly evolved since then with Intentional Generations delivering a whole range of people development and wellbeing services plus employing part time contractors! :)
Below is a little slideshow of the journey of Jen Y Insights and Intentional Generations
5. Practice authenticity and vulnerability everyday
This practice is uncomfortable AF yet also incredibly important – especially if you are the brand. Don’t be afraid to let people get to know you and your story and journey. You never know who you’ll inspire along the way (or someone’s life). Know that perfection isn’t real and that no one has it 100% sorted. Embrace the messiness and impermanence of life. Two key personal reminders I have are: “does this need to be perfect?” and “you’re human: will anyone die if this doesn’t get done?”. These help me as a recovering perfectionist! :)
6. Your mindset matters, as does your wellbeing
Realise that learning new things takes extra energy, as does decision making. Running a business isn’t impossible – making all the decision can initially be exhausting. Invest time daily to grounding/centreing yourself. I cannot state this enough. Understanding your own wellbeing and personal psychology is one of the best time investments you can make. When you first start reflect on: is this a failure vs. a learning opportunity/data? When you’re in a new territory your body will feel stress – know that experiencing the discomfort and excitement of growth feels very similar to stress and anxiety in the body. Harness the excitement!
7. Comparison is the thief of joy
Everyone’s running their own race at different speeds. When I volunteered at a Women in Public Sector conference one of the speakers said “no one knows who’s swimming naked until the tide goes out”. It’s true. We all at times think people are doing better than us and that we must be the only one that’s struggling. It’s not true. Social media, in particular, paints a picture of everyone constantly doing exciting things. It doesn’t show the mundane life activities or the late nights, early mornings, occasional weekend work or being in front of a laptop for hours (intermingled with walking and dance breaks). Stay in your own lane, keep going and remember why you started doing what you’re doing.
8. Spending time building your own dream and vision is incredible meaningful and makes the effort worthwhile
I consistently reflect when times get challenging: would I rather spend time building someone else’s dream that I don’t believe in or in building my own that makes a positive impact in the world? Then, the choice to keep on going is easy. The self-leadership and personal development involved in this is more than you’d ever learn in a degree, seminar or book. Experience often trumps information. Having said this: always be open to having your perspectives shifted and be open to new information. As is often quoted “leaders are readers”. Your continual education is part of your lifelong journey.
Supporting the integration, wellbeing and leadership development of girls into a previously all-boys-school has been a highlight of 2020 :)
9. The to-do list never ends
Truth. Learning to switch off is critical. A creative brain is a double-edge sword – learn to calm it, to harness it and to capture it’s brilliance. Find practices that help you to calm your mind, relax, release stress and utilise your most productive times of day. Learn about your chronobiology (about your natural energy rhythms) and when it’s best to do different types of activities. Take little mindful and fresh air breaks throughout the day. If you’re tired, take a nap or drink some water or move your body. Dancing is life changing. Know that the work will always be there and that it’s important to balance it with enjoying life.
10. What you say YES and NO to creates your life
Your time and energy are non- renewable resources. What are your non-negotiables for protecting these? People will want your time, and often for free. Have a decision-making criteria for this. Building your reputation, brand, experience at the beginning is important and doing some free stuff is great… but you still have to pay the bills. Your time and energy are worth investment/money and it’s not greedy to ask for remuneration – this is an especially important lesson for female entrepreneurs.
A final word: thank YOU!
No person is an island. I couldn’t have done the last 3 years of going massively outside my comfort zone without the help and support of so many people – including whanau, friends, colleagues, advisors, mentors and followers cheering me on. I’m beyond grateful for all of your support. Thank you for allowing me to be open and vulnerable with sharing my own journey. As always, thank you for being in my corner. Thank you, THANK YOU!
Finally, to one of my inspirations: Alex, my older brother who passed away when I was 8 but who inspires me every day to something beyond myself and to be aware of the privilege of life. Your memory guides me every day.
I’d love to hear whether any of these reflections resonate with you.
If you’ve been inspired by any of the ideas in this blog post, I’d love to hear from you! You’re more than welcome to reach out to me here, connect on social media (links in footer) or email me at hello@intentionalgenerations.com.
Always in your corner,
Jen Y
Intentional Generations & Jen Y Insights Founder
