Happy New Year lovely people! We’re already 5 days in, can you believe it!
I’m super busy planning out the year and setting my first 90 day goals. As a part of the Conquer Club inner circle we focus on one thing as part of our first 90 sprint and my focus for the start of 2016 will be on setting up systems. Up until now I’ve done pretty much everything in my business, I haven’t outsourced much and to be able to grow I need to start thinking of hiring. So, I’m focused on putting systems, processes and procedures in place that will make hiring and training staff easier.
On top of that I’ll be running two LIVE workshops in February, and I’m so super excited about this! One of my core desired feelings from last year was ‘connection’ and I’m still craving this in 2016 so this year is all about connecting in a LIVE setting.
You’ll definitely hear more about my plans in 2016 as they unfold but for now I wanted to focus on 10 things I love about my business. At the end of 2015 I did a wrap upof the year in which I expressed gratitude and lessons learned, and I want to start the year by expressing the things I love about being in business, the things that drive me and make me smile.
Here’s what I love most about being my own boss:
1. Connecting with amazing clients
Like I mentioned before, one of my core desired feelings is connection, so actually connecting with new people is what makes my heart sing. The amount of absolutely amazing people I have connected with in 2015 was simply phenomenal and I can’t wait to continue this in 2016. So far, so good, we’re off to a great start!
2. Connecting with other entrepreneurs
This one is somewhat related to the first point but more in a sense that I really love connecting with like-minded and like-hearted people. The kind of people who stand by you, who cheer you on, who just get it. I’ve found such a group of ladies through the Conquer Club and my mastermind last year and this year we will have more fun, more brainstorming sessions, more challenges and more success. I have learned that I can’t do this alone and neither do I want to. Connecting is what I love most and my business gives me this in every shape and form.
3. Using my skills and knowledge to help others
I love that I can help entrepreneurs with their business. Teaching is something I never really thought I would do but when I started doing it I realised I love it so much that I simply have to keep doing it. I went to university to study business and marketing, then learned much more by running my own businesses and with that knowledge and those skills I can now help others with online marketing and social media. It’s just perfect for me!
4. Being creative
Creativity is something I crave when I don’t have it, so I’ve made sure that there is plenty of creativity happening in my business. This means writing, designing, creating programs, using beautiful stationery, creating vision boards etc. I need a variety of creative outlets so being in business is perfect because I get to choose what I do myself and what I outsource.
5. Learning new skills
Being in business means that I am constantly learning new skills. Since starting my business I’ve learned how to create a wordpress website, setup and run campaigns in Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor and ConvertKit, how to look after my own books, blogging, designing in Canva and Adobe Creative Suite, use LeadPages, be more strategic, pitch to other blogs, connecting via Facebook groups and the list goes on and on. I love learning so I’m quite open to trying whatever my business throws at me and in its infant stages I’m still doing most of the work myself.
6. Making money doing what I love
We all need to pay our bills, but there’s something extra exciting about being able to do it whilst doing something you love. If money was no issue, I’d still do what I do now, I love it that much!
7. The highs (and sometimes lows)
Being in business can give you super high highs but also pretty low lows. I actually like both. Oh, trust me when I’m having a low I’m not liking it right at that time but looking back I can often see that I needed that low to learn a lesson. The highs are absolutely amazing. They give you a confidence boost and I always celebrate them by doing a little jiggle.
8. Spending time with my puppies
Being in business means that I get to spend time with my puppies whenever I want to. Although I still work a full-time job, this is one of my ‘why’s’. It’s one of my goals to spend a lot more time with my pups. During the times that I do work from home (in holidays) I enjoy taking them to the park when I feel like it, so sometimes that’s during lunch or sometimes at 3 in the afternoon. I love the flexibility and of course they put a smile on my face.
9. Giving back
I’m a giver. It seems that I inherited this trait from my mother who is also an enormous giver. She’s always there for someone when they need her, cleaning houses if they’re in hospital, donating money to causes etc. and I’m proud that this is something she instilled in me. From a young age I gave what I could to causes and now that I have my own business I have made it part of my business to give back. In 2015 I actually won an award for this, how special! I donate monthly to the Smith Family, but also support the Great Cycle Challenge (for which my husband rides to raise money), Uncle Bob’s club, youth homelessness, breast cancer causes and I’ve made Oxfam Unwrapped part of Soulfully Social.
10. Wearing clothes I love
One of the benefits of working for yourself, and in my case at home, is that you can pretty much wear whatever you want. Right now I’m actually still in my pyjamas. It’s not usual for me to work in pj’s but today is an exception and I totally can. Normally I’ll be wearing comfortable clothes that aren’t too formal, just because that’s me. In my day job I couldn’t wear what I wear in my business, so this one is definitely important for me. Time go get dressed now, I hope you enjoyed my top 10.
I’d be curious to hear what you love about your business. Join our conversation on Facebook.
