10 Business Lessons Learned on My 4 Years in Business

Here are 10 business lessons I promise will help you in the long term:

1. Alignment – Create a business that is aligned to you, and NOT what you see scrolling online. This past summer I’ve had weekly conversations with folks who are frustrated they are not “doing enough” online.

Then I ask them this powerful question, “How are you getting clients?”

Their response, “Just referrals.”

And I tell them, “Then focus on what’s working for you, and not what she is doing!”

Remember, that’s her business model. What works for you is going to be different.

2. Focus – Just like an Olympic athlete, stay focused on what is working for you.

I had a 1:1 intensive yesterday with a client. We looked at her client journey and we deleted some programs, and refined her process.

She said, “Ah I feel like I’m slowing down.”

I looked at her and said, “No, you’re not. You are working smarter by not doing the most, and just staying focused on what works for you.”

She responded, “Progress is a process.”

Rather than thinking what else you can do, ask yourself what is working and how can you make it even better? 

Staying focused will help you in the long term to create a successful business.

3. Plan and make room for magic – Let’s be real, we can tell who is not making a steady cash flow online when you see them launch every week with a new product.

How do I know?

Cause that used to be me.

I used to be so reactive — whenever cash flow was down, I would just sell something so I can pay for bills.

I soon learned how important it is to make a plan.

But don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a detailed plan where I have to follow each deadline, I am still open and flexible if something doesn’t work.

Putting plans together has provided me more room for creativity and fun.

4. Numbers are spiritual – I know that people don’t think numbers are spiritual, but I have found numbers to be spiritual after I got out of debt.

I was $55k.

As my debt got bigger, I told myself, “I’ll just work harder and manifest it.”

But that’s not how manifestation works. Manifestation works when you actually look at your problems (in this case it was my cash flow), and start creating a plan to get out of it.

I started analyzing all my expenses, the pricing of my programs and a simple client journey to create recurring cash flow. I also had to be honest with myself, “Were certain programs aligned to me? And if they weren’t, should I delete them or tweak them? How can I cost-effectively create this program?”

It was the hardest thing to do, but doing that allowed me to get out of debt and have a real, profitable business.

Now I have weekly Generational Wealth Dates looking at my numbers, while listening to this fun playlist on Spotify I made called Mr. Bear’s Budget Bangers.

What I’ve realized is that numbers do not define you, they tell you where you are at and what you need to work on.

5. To scale, you need to let go of control – Drop the ego and realize that we are human beings. We can’t do things alone.

I’ve had an idea to have a business since 2014 but I didn’t act on it until 2017 when I finally hired a mentor.

But it didn’t stop there.

How I transitioned from being a solopreneur to true, entrepreneur was a result of realizing I can’t do everything on my own. I am so grateful to have an incredible team to support me and my clients.

6. Heal – I’m grateful for therapy. Specifically, EMDR therapy. If you are going to run a business, just know that it will be the hardest personal development journey. You will not be able to get to the next level without healing or it’s just going to take a long time.

Interestingly, what I’ve noticed is that my clients who do well are the ones who have gone to therapy.

7. Community – Don’t forget about your family or chosen family is the #1 reason we show up. In everything we do, don’t forget the sacrifices made before us from our ancestors, and the importance of nurturing the family we’ve chosen.

Remember to build strong relationships that focus on transformational relationships vs. transactional relationships.

8. You are not meant to work with everyone – This was a lesson I’ve actually learned this past year. I’ve learned who I enjoy working with the most, and who I least enjoy.

Choosing your clients is like choosing who you are dating. You are not meant for everyone.

I’ve had more clarity of how I love working with WOC and allies who are seasoned in their life and experiences, and want to create a business that is aligned to them as opposed to a cookie cutter approach.

I am also clear that they need to have gone through therapy or other forms of healing, mission-driven and be open to learning from failures.

9. Rest and Reflect: Our passion for self-care is fueled by the “hustle culture” we were all sold as the key to success. We know that without rest we can’t show up for our clients, and they can’t show up for themselves and their legacy.

We believe that results come with a great deal of reflection. We focus on taking the time to show our clients how to review the powerful numbers in their business that can get them more income and impact than focusing on any individual platform.

10. Color Your Dreams, Create Your Legacy: As we go on to the next thing it’s important to ground ourselves and remind ourselves what’s the legacy we are honoring before us, and the new legacy we want to create for future generations.

I am proud to be a small business owner and a business coach for female entrepreneurs for WOC and allies. There’s been tough times, but each time I was able to learn and grow. And I’m here for the long run.

If you would like further support in your career, business, or leadership, my team and I would love to support you in creating a sustainable life! You can schedule a 30-minute legacy business or career review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together, and you’ll receive 3 action-items from me.