Things You Wish You Knew Before Starting Your Business

They say regret always comes at the end of the day, which makes it too late to even regret things now. Just like when my brother used to undergo web design study in university only to find out that he was not passionate about it after 3 years. Some people thought it was such a waste of time, but when we look from a different perspective, you can either be depressed about it or learn from it. Thinking of this reminds me of my client last year. He made a business in a hurry and asked for help from my team, so we have helped him grow his business for years. While the business was okay, there were still things he wished he knew before starting his business recklessly like a shotgun wedding. If you are looking to start your own business, perhaps you should read this article before you make the same mistake as him.

Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you are not going to be busy

Say, you quit your job to become an entrepreneur. You might think you would escape from a 9 to 5 routine because you are not an employee. The truth is; you are going to be busier. You are not only focusing on your passion, you are also going to spend your whole day developing business strategies, marketing, selling and interacting with your customers. Aside from that, you are also going to do some administrative tasks like bookkeeping, invoicing, and payroll. If anything bad happens, you will be the first one responsible for that.

Having a business is about helping others, not merely about getting a profit

Yes, we all need money. We can’t deny that fact. However, having a business is not only about getting money. If you solely focus on getting money, sadly, I have to tell you this; your business is not a business if it doesn’t help people solve what they need. You could be an extremely knowledgeable consultant, but if you're just focused on making money, what will your customers or clients get from your services?

Once you realise that it's not about you, or how much money is flowing into your bank, you will start delivering a superior product or service, which will attract more customers and when you have more customers, the more income you'll generate.

Being an entrepreneur doesn’t always mean having free time

Well, sure, it is partially true, but not always. By ‘not always’, I meant once you are in a ‘busy season’, you will not have time at all. If you are a part of community of entrepreneurs, you will have to attend many events and meet many people. You will also have to socialise to grow your network. It seems like fun, but really, it is not that simple. Being an entrepreneur is not always about having and managing your own business, there are other aspects that need to be arranged in order to grow your business. Networking is important; that’s why some entrepreneurs are busy.

If you think entrepreneurs are the one sitting behind their employees’ backs, while enjoying their time on their private jet; think again. The truth is; they are the ones working on bigger things behind their employees’ backs. The life they have is not something that is easy to earn. They have to pull through many things in order to achieve their goals. Therefore, if you are looking to becoming an entrepreneur, here’s what should be your first mindset; don’t be an entrepreneur just because you want free time; be one because you want to solve people’s problems so you won’t have problems living your life.