Reboot: 3 Things I Wish I Started Doing Earlier In My Business

by on August 15, 2013

Reboot: 3 Things I Wish I Started Doing Earlier In My BusinessThis is a guest post by Ekaterina Ramirez of Energy Match.

Entrepreneurship isn’t a high school course. It’s the real-world pursuit where your each and every move is momentous.

Like most of us, I learned to fly when I jumped off the cliff.

Frankly, no regrets at all.

You want it or not, but we don’t make progress when resting in our comfort zone. And the only way to actually create something meaningful is to begin doing it.

Recently I’ve been thinking about what I consider as my mistakes and what changes I made after my not-so-pleasant experiences.

I’m sure you have a lot to recount too. So after reading this post, share it in the comments below. It would be beneficial for you to reflect on the past and for all of us to learn from you.

Thing I did wrong #1: Too much bravado with my husband

I wish I didn’t try to “sell” my jumbo vision to my husband. I did at the beginning but quickly learned that was a blunder. Later on when it didn’t come into reality as fast as I intended, he asked me: “So where is your XYZ? You said you’d have it by now.”

Ouch! That hurts. Why did I talk about that with such bravado?

I wish I did this earlier:

I realized that my husband isn’t the one I need to over-inspire or impress. More than anything he wants me to be humanly vulnerable. He doesn’t need my bravado. And more than anything I want to be humanly real with him.

So I changed the way I communicate. Now I say, “XYZ by 2014 is what I’m aiming for. You know me, I truly believe I can. But until I get there, I can’t be 100% sure. What do you think about it?”

This little shift gave us space to breathe and instantly refreshed our relationship. It might sound like not a big deal but having strong support from family does make a difference when you already have enough pressure to deal with.

Questions for you to think about: Do you feel extra pressure in your family dynamics? If yes, what can you do about it?

Thing I did wrong #2: Threw away my background

One of my mistakes was abandoning my IT background. I was so thrilled about mindset that I completely refused to include the analytical part of me in my marketing. It got back to me in lost opportunities, weak brand positioning and extra anxiety.

I got it when one experienced entrepreneur told me, “What the heck are you doing? Why are you hiding it? You need to use it to your advantage.”

I wish I did this earlier:

I wish my analytical skills and IT background were integrated into my marketing way earlier. Now I understand that’s the right way to go about it.

Another thing that I’m starting to realize is that I should have focused specifically on targeting online entrepreneurs. It makes so much sense because (1) there is a natural connection – I get them; (2) I’m providing extra expertise to them; and (3) I’m building an online business myself – I can add value in numerous ways.

Could I see it right from the beginning? Maybe. But I didn’t. Now I look at it as a valuable learning experience.

Questions for you to think about: What is it that you aren’t using to your advantage? How can you exploit it in your small business?

Thing I did wrong #3: Didn’t knuckle down to blogging

I’ve been writing even before starting my business. But until this year I didn’t do it regularly enough and didn’t strive to create outstanding content.

My content was ok but not close to being outstanding. My gaffe!

I wish I did this earlier:

Now I’m blogging every week with an intention to produce very good content. But if I’d done it from the get-go:

  • My google ranking would be way better

  • I’d have more content and a bigger audience

Martina talked about the importance of blogging. I so agree. Not blogging enough is what I’d say I certainly regret.

Blogging regularly is a huge commitment. It takes a lot of time and effort. Payback? In the long run it pays off handsomely cause once your content is created, it becomes evergreen.

Questions for you to think about: Do you have a content marketing strategy? How do you see it impacting your bottom line in the future?

Now it’s your turn. Please share your thoughts. What do you consider as your mistakes? What do you wish you’d start doing much earlier in your business?

Energy MatchEkaterina Ramirez is a pro when it comes to mindset. She writes about it on her blog and vigorously researches how mentality influences our experiences in business, including performance, creativity and profitability. She loves helping entrepreneurs upgrade their mindsets so they can make progress in business with ease.

 

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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Martina August 15, 2013 at 8:18 am

Thanks so much for your post Ekaterina! I’m thrilled to have you share your experience with us. I also have a laundry list of things I wish I had started on earlier, but I think I’ll have to save those for another post 🙂

You’re spot on with your blogging comment. I started my blog pretty early on in my business and I’m so glad that I did. It was a little disheartening at first with virtually no traffic or activity. But the benefits in the long run have been huge in terms of helping me grow my audience and get search traffic to my site. So if you’re blogging, keep at ‘er. And if you’re not, might be time to get on it!

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Ekaterina Ramirez August 15, 2013 at 10:03 am

Martina, I’d love to take a look at your scroll of things you learned as a marketing consultant. You should definitely make a blog post about it!

I’ve heard from many people similar comments on blogging. Those who started a while ago and kept writing consistently usually say, “I’m so happy I did it.” Folks who didn’t begin that early have big regrets about it.

Thank you, Martina, for the opportunity to share my two cents on your blog!

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