Celebrating 12 Years of Entrepreneurship!

I started READY, SET, LAUNCH, LLC 12 years ago. Wow.?As I sit and write that statement, I almost cannot believe where the time has gone. I feel humbled.?I also feel so happy.?I feel lucky to have worked with organizations, associations, executives, and professionals along the way. The trainings.?The speaking engagements. The individual and group coaching sessions.?The consulting projects.?Celebrating client wins and supporting clients through rough patches.

I also feel incredibly?blessed to have had the support of family, friends, past colleagues and clients?throughout this journey?and?would not trade this 12 years?for anything.?Today, I want?to share the top 12 things I have learned in my 12 years as an entrepreneur.?Here is my list:

1) Believe?-?I love the Ted Lasso mantra. (Ted Lasso would likely be also be fan of the classic?Journey's Don't Stop Believin .)?Mindset is everything in entrepreneurship.?When you work for an organization, you have supervisors, colleagues and staff.?There is a structure already set for you.?In?entrepreneurship?there is no structure.?You own your structure.?You create it for yourself.?To create this structure, you need to know in your heart and mind that?this idea, concept, service and/or product belongs out in the universe.?You need to believe?in yourself.?Believe?in your strengths.?Believe?in what you have learned from your mistakes and failures.?Believe that YOU are the person ready to create something new.??In my work as an entrepreneur, this belief has allowed me to grow and develop as a human.?To listen to myself better. To be able to?respond to changes in the market.??

2) Treat People Kindly -?Businesses do not purchase services or products from businesses.?People buy from people.?Be?kind to people, regardless of their background or where they sit inside an organization.?Kindness is just good business.?Whether they have the capacity to hire you or not, treating people with kindness should be a foundational value.

3) The Bottom Line is the Top Line?- I was an accounting major at Rowan University and have an MBA from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business .?I have led sales teams.??We often forget that the term "Bottom Line" comes from accounting.?It is the last line of the income statement when you have subtracted all your costs, expenses, depreciation, amortization and taxes.?It is the final number.?In entrepreneurship, it is critical to think about the top line, which is the first number.?It is the line that begins the income statement.?The line of the income state has a name.?It is called sales / revenue.?Understanding your activities and intentions revolve around ensuring this number is going in the direction you want. Top line thinking needs to drive how you think about strategy, tactics and execution of your business.?There is no entrepreneurial venture without the top line.

4)?No is a Moment In Time?- No.?It is a fascinating word.?A concise word.?It is hard to be on the receiving end of this word.?In your hopes and dreams as an entrepreneur,?each potential client would?say yes.?Yes is the aspiration.?However, the word No just happens more often than the word yes.?It is only human to take it personally, but I have come to see No?as a moment in time.?Organizational priorities change.?Budgets change.?People's roles and responsibilities change.?Recognize No just means not now.

5)?Track?Sources of Referral and Thank Them?- When I started my business,?a very successful entrepreneur advised me, "Jason, if you are not getting 80% of your work from referrals in your first year, then you are doing something wrong." That advice was sound and is something I actually look at daily, weekly and monthly.?Too often, we forget or do not show gratitude to those who thought of us. If someone was kind enough to pass your name along as a potential resource, then that referral is worthy of your appreciation.??Having a reminder system by simply writing down how the person found you is a wonderful way to identify who is being kind to you and your work.

6)?Ideal Client Profile - The Woman I Love?- When I was a brand manager at 联合利华 , I worked on the Dove brand.?My category was anti-aging face care.?Cleanse, moisturize, repeat. While working on the Dove brand, my senior executives would often talk about "the woman we loved."?A Dove woman had a specific personality.?Buying pattern.?Way of living.?In our entrepreneurial ventures, we also have a "woman we love".?The more you can understand the needs of your ideal clients, the more you are?able to respond to them in their voice, their language and where they make purchase decisions.?

7)?Your Business is Shifting?-?Versioning and Pivoting?- In 2023, I am in version number five of my business.?When the market shifts, so does your ability to solve problems in the market.?When I started my business, I could not have dreamt?of all the different types of things I do now.?This likely means you are also coming up with new services and products to meet your ideal client profile.??Notice?changes in the market?and be?open to change how you service that market.

8)?Self-Care and Investing in Yourself?- Highs are higher and lows and lower in entrepreneurship.?You cannot succeed alone.?Full stop.?The moment you leave an organization where there is infrastructure, you need to begin to build your own team comprised of functional team members such as lawyers, accountants and IT support.?You also need to take care of your self.?Continuing to evolve who is on your team is a good use of time.?Make the effort to seek?out your peers so you have?people to confide in and brainstorm ideas with.

9)?Appreciation is Currency?- Thank others early and often.?Do not EVER forget those who have helped you along the way.?A kind word.?A friendly gesture.?A client introduction.?All of these wonderful things that have come your way are worthy of your appreciation.?Let people know what they have meant to you.?

10)?Follow Up, Follow Up and Follow Up?- I wrote a piece on how?Sam I Am

from Dr. Seuss'?Green Eggs and Ham?can be a great inspiration for your own business development. Nothing interesting in your business will advance in just one conversation:?EVER.?Anything important will likely need?clarification.?Proposals and drafts.?Multiple decision makers. Follow Up is a mindset. It is a battle against the sounds of silence.?What are you doing to think through the multitude of conversations and stakeholders to get your proposed product or service across the finish line??

11)?Keep Your Word??- My mom and dad always said, "All you have is your word." Do what you say you will do.?It is refreshing when people know they can trust what comes out of your mouth.

12)?Have a Cheerleader?- Back to point number 1.?You need to believe.?However, there will be times when you question yourself.?A low point.?A period of self-doubt.?This is normal. Not everyone can have a Lori Mihalich-Levin .?I do.?I feel lucky.?She has been married to me for 15 years.?And 12 of those years have been while I have been?an entrepreneur.?She is kind.?She is a great listener.?And she is fierce supporter of what I have done.?

Here is another 12 years of entrepreneurship!

#getstarted #coach #speaker #trainer #juststart