5 things I've learned about being an entrepreneur...well, I've actually learned about 10000 but we'll start with five here ;)
When I started to pursue this photography deal as a real business, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I'm not only a photographer, but I'm an entrepreneur, and being an entrepreneur of any sorts comes with a lot of things I didn't realize at first, but QUICKLY learned.
My whole life I said my biggest fear was graduating college and settling for a 9-5 job where I worked at a desk and hated my job, and I'm a big enthusiast for loving life and creating a lifestyle that works for you. While for some people that kind of job might be just fine, or even necessary, I wanted to give every effort that I could to not be in that situation.
I didn't grow up in a family that had that routine or schedule in life, and that's never been a normal lifestyle for me. I also watched both of my parents do what they absolutely loved, and knew that there were too many things that I love in this life to settle I wasn't excited to do everyday.
I've know this, my personality type, and an idea of what I wanted as a lifestyle and career for myself longer than I ever knew what I actually wanted to do, and it is probably why I was so torn in picking a major in college. I switched majors like 26.5 times yet still managed to graduate on time!
I was always so concerned with picking the right one so that I wouldn't end up in a job I hated. What's even more hilarious is that I then graduated, and BEGAN TO APPLY TO ALL THE 9-5 DESK JOBS WHEN I KNEW WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO BE DOING. Like what the heck Nicole. But it just seemed like the next step.
Thank goodness for the people in my life, the universe for showing me what's up and for hearing the quote that you can either work to build someone else's dreams, or you can work on building yours. Spend your 20's building yours, and if you fail, you can recouporate in your 30's. ADVICE TAKEN. So here I am, chasing my own dreams and learning a heck of a lot along the way, trying to run a successful business so that I don't have to recoup in my 30's ;)
SELF CONTROL + SELF DISCIPLE
This comes in to play in many ways, big and small. Have self control in not going downstairs for snacks every 30 minutes because your kitchen is only a flight of stairs away, and have self control in scheduling your hours and putting in the time that you need to. You are your own boss. No one is above you telling you when things are due, what time you should start working, when you need to stop working and live your life, when to say yes and when to say no. Not having self control or discipline can make it really easy to procrastinate, get caught up in projects, and go downstairs for snacks every 30 minutes. I'm still a work in progress but working on that balance everyday.
YOU LEARN TO RIDE THE WAVES
Man is this true. This probably applies to all entrepreneurs, but especially those in the creative field. This world is a literal emotional rollercoaster every day, every week, every season. And I've had to seriously learn how to ride the waves. One moment you feel like you've got it all together, you're doing great, then you see some elses work and you feel like you're the worst, and you should just give up now, but then you start editing a shoot and you're like wow these are so beautiful this is great I love my job, but then the next minute you realize that your to do list is 3.4 miles long and you're drowning, but then you tackle the first 5 things and you feel like a rockstar. Whew. Every darn day. Then there are seasonal waves, where you're feeling super inspirited, and on top of the world, and then you create something that you don't love, or don't get much interaction on a post and question everything. Man, it's ROUGH! But we all experience it and learning that the good feelings will come just as quickly as the bad ones is reassuring and gives you confidence to ride the wave and know that nothing lasts forever.
MANY HATS ARE WORN
Heck yeah. The time I spent actually photographing is probably about 5% of my month. Maybe 10% if I'm feeling crazy. The rest is culling, editing, blogging, emailing, marketing, accounting, planning, phone calls, website updating, social media planning, strategizing, collaborating, delivering, album creating...the list is endless!
YOU'RE GOING TO BE REJECTED
The truth of the matter is that you can't please everyone. You're going to be rejected, some people just aren't going to like your work, some people are going to disagree with the way you do things. But that's just life. You have to focus your energy on being exactly who you want to be, and believing that the right clients will come.
FAITH AND TRUST ARE A MUST
You never really know what the future holds or if you're going to get inquiries. A few days will go by and I won't get an inquiry, and I'll convince myself that my whole business is crumbling. But it seems that the next day, an inquiry will come in and it'll be from an incredible client and I'll be so excited and all of that faith will be restored. Have faith and trust in the process.
ONE MORE FOR GOOD MEASURE
This is an extra one but probably the most important. IT'S THE BEST! Getting to watch all of your hard work come to fruition, see the happy faces of your clients when everything is said and done, getting to work with incredible people, making my own schedule, doing what I love. It's truly the best and I wouldn't change it for the world. So THANK YOU to all of the people who make it possible for this to be my everyday reality!
Are you an entrepreneur? Comment below with something you've learned about your title since living it!