It’s recently been my 10 year business anniversary! That’s a long time and a lot of water under the bridge. I’ve learned a lot and wanted to share some of those lessons today. Going from empty community halls to sell out tours and sharing stages with celebrities the last 10 years has been one hell of a ride. I’m forever grateful this gets to be my job and I have the privilege of sharing work I’m passionate about with the world.
There’s certainly been some highlights and of course there’s also been some challenges; a global pandemic being one. I remember sitting in my lounge with a note pad brainstorming ‘what now’ when all 12 bookings for Q1 in 2020 disappeared within a 24 hour period. There’s been times in the early days I’ve launched programmes and no one has turned up. Times I’ve danced on the edge of burnout trying to keep up with my own expectations and the workload of being the only one in my team. Finding out I had enough of a profile to generate trolls was also a new challenge! Times I’ve got on stage and forgot my lines because of early stage nerves, and times I’ve got stuck in the comparison trap of all those around me who seem to be doing this better!
With that, there’s been some incredible highlights too. Getting TV and magazine coverage always makes you feel special. Going on book tours and connecting with people who see why this works matters. Signing with Celebrity Speakers and taking the big stages across the world has been something I’ve loved. Writing eight books and learning more about the process each time. Building my local team of amazing people that help make this happen has also been a privilege.
The biggest highlight though is always the feedback I get from you. People who take the time to tell me what I’ve written or said has made a difference to their life in some way. The knowledge that this mahi has a positive impact and makes a difference is the reason I keep doing it and what makes the challenges surmountable.
From the early days of being known for supporting women leaders to overcome their imposter syndrome, through the success of Burnout to Brilliance, to the modern day inclusion work, this year's Calmony launch, and focus on cultivating contentment and a life well lived. There’s been a lot of ground covered and I’ve seen my business offerings shift with the needs of the market and what’s been happening in the world around us.
So after writing eight books, coaching hundreds of leaders and learning a lot about myself in the process, what has being in business for 10 years taught me?
Just because you’ve never done it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. This was a big lesson. When you start out in business or anything new there’s so much you don’t know. I’ve been on such a learning curve and each time I face something I don’t know, I know it’s something I can learn (or delegate!). This takes the pressure off us having to have all the answers or feeling like a failure because we can’t be the head of accounts, marketing, business development and IT all at once as well as do the job we’re here to do!
You don’t have to have all the answers, in fact you never will. Don’t let this make you doubt yourself. You can be a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously and the secret is none of us really know what we’re doing here either! It’s a constant journey and we’re always learning - we’re a beginner even when we’re an expert.
Balance is critical. There’s always more work than hours in the day and your state becomes even more critical when you’re in business for yourself, spend time on you, manage your energy and in turn it will help you manage your business. I obviously learned this the hard way via burnout and yet that experience has since stood me in good stead for running a sustainable business.
Support is key. My team are integral to my success, this one took me a while to learn. In the early days I had to do it all by myself because of budget and even after that it was hard to ask for help, hard to let go of the control and to also allow others to do my work even though it may not be done like I do it – sound familiar? Yet it’s the only way to avoid burnout and focus our energies on where we add most value – we can’t do it all alone!
This also extends to those who inspire and mentor us too and I’ve been lucky to have some special people in my life who’ve given me so much and made this journey a lot less lonely. People who’ve been there when times get tough and have offered advice and support along the way. These people inspire me to see what’s possible and to keep going even when it gets hard.
Roll with the peaks and troughs – because it does get hard. There’s the saying ‘It’s hard before it is easy’ and I’ve found this to be true. There’s certainly been a snowball effect where the hard work in the early days now makes the business seem easier even though back then it felt like a lot of hard work for little return! Remember when we’re sowing seeds, the flowers don’t bloom immediately – it takes time (and patience).
Even now, there are still peaks and troughs and I know that whichever one I’m in right now, the other will be around the corner so learning to adapt to the seasons and go with the flow has been key. This notion of impermanence that I talk so often about helps me ride these waves and know that nothing lasts so enjoy the peaks and know the troughs too will come and go.
Some other thoughts as I reflect on 10 years in business:
Not everyone will like you – some will troll you. It always says more about them than it does you.
Start small, the small steps compound and you can’t do everything at once (I tried).
Do what you love, it shows, it makes you more magnetic and helps make an impact on the world.
Turning up and sharing my work has been the best form of business development. I believe if we just do great work the work will keep coming and word of mouth is often the best form of advertising.
Be generous, help others and the law of karma suggests it’ll come back to you, it makes you feel good too. I believe those of us in a position of privilege with our business have a responsibility to use that to help others.
There’s so much more we could reflect on here. It’s why I’ve decided to share what I’ve learned with others and launch a new part of my business after 10 years to help others do what I have. Those who want to write books, take the stage and coach others. Those who have a message to share with the world and want to make an impact with the things they’re passionate about.
Contact me for mentoring and learn to build your business as I’ve done over this decade. And a massive thank you to all those who’ve been on this journey with me. Here’s to the next decade!