Three Insights From Year Three of Being An Entrepreneur

I recently co-led a series of workshops in Brussels and Amsterdam to train leaders on a blended model of mentoring and coaching.  I could hardly believe I was facilitating workshops in Europe and at times, I had to pinch myself to check if I was dreaming!  It made me pause to reflect the third year of my journey as an entrepreneur.  Here are some highlights of what I’ve learned this year.  

1. Everything looks better in the morning

I arrived at a train station in Amsterdam at 8 pm on a rainy night with a broken umbrella and no Wi-Fi on my phone.  I was completely disoriented in the dark and the 5-minute walk to my hotel felt like hours.  By the time I arrived, I was cold, wet, hungry and miserable.  I was sure I had ended up in a sketchy neighbourhood and everything was going to go downhill.

But the next morning, I had an amazing breakfast, stepped out of the hotel into bright sunshine, found a beautiful park across the street, another one to my right, restaurants, shops and more!

This reminded me of the times where I’ve been frustrated with challenges I couldn’t figure out, with amazing opportunities disappearing, or even with clients ghosting me (yes, it happens in business too!).  Yet after a good night’s sleep, things always look different.  My perspective shifts and suddenly new doors open.   

This leads me to my next insight…

2. Inspiration time has to be part of my day

As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to get swept up in the mindset that success is only achieved by spending a lot of hours working on your business.  

A fellow entrepreneur shared that she divides her time into three chunks:  1/3 working with existing clients, 1/3 working on the business (administrative work, sales, marketing etc.) and 1/3 inspiration time.  For her, inspiration time includes exercising, reading and even napping!  

What I love about the idea of scheduled “Inspiration Time” is the realization that my best ideas often come when I’m taking a walk or practicing my music.  

Turns out, there is a reason for this and it has to do with the Task Positive Network (TPN) and the Default Mode Network (DMN) in our brains.  A quick Google search will tell you more about this but the bottom line appears to be that the TPN is active when you are focused on a specific task or external information.  The DMN is active when you are not paying attention to anything in particular, that is your brain is awake but at rest.  

It makes sense then that when I take a break from focusing intently on finding the solution to an issue, the answer magically appears.  I seem to get more creative, more resourceful. 

I’m really good at the task side of things so this year I’ve become more intentional about disconnecting from my laptop.  I make time for exercise, daydreaming, visioning, walks etc. to allow my DMN to kick in and fill me up with inspiration!

How much inspiration time do you give yourself?

3. “My” way works for me 

When I started out, I was overwhelmed with what I read about what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.  Messaging about how often one should post on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and every other form of social media, the importance of having a huge mailing list, the marketing I should do, the sales funnel I should have, the videos I should make, the types of programs I should offer, the courses I should take etc.  

All of these are great ways to build a business and if you’re doing them, kudos to you! 

I chose to ignore all of the “advice”.  

I don’t have a mailing list.  I don’t set monthly targets.  I’ve never done a Facebook live video and I don’t even have a Facebook business page.  I occasionally write blogs because I just like to share things I’ve learned. I’m an ex-marketer and I don’t do any form of traditional marketing, really (unless you count having an active LinkedIn page and a website that always seems to need updating!).  

I’m also happy, healthy, balanced, and successful at the things that matter to me.  I’m in love with every one of my clients.  I know what I enjoy doing and what I’m good at.  I live with an abundance mindset so I don’t chase after business.  I trust that the people I'm most meant to serve will work with me. I do “vibrational marketing” (if you’re curious about this, reach out and I’m happy to share more!).   I connect with people easily.  I’m good at listening to them and the challenges they face.  I’m awesome at developing and maintaining relationships.  So that’s what I focus on.  

I’ve learned there are countless ways to work, build a business, lead an organization or manage a team.  There is always more I can do.  I like learning how others do things and ultimately, I do what works for me and what makes me happy.  

Who are you when you give yourself permission to do it "your" way?