FIFTEEN TODAY.

(Obvs. Not me. Thank EVERYTHING. I remember being 15 all too well and it was not great. Got chicken pox. FFS. At 15. Can you imagine it? I don’t wanna go back there again. )

Nope, not me, but my beloved BUSINESS has a birthday today.

15 years of dat hustle and grind ting.

So, as I have done in previous years, let me lay down some of the good things I’ve learnt about being in business over this glorious period of time.

15 good things, if you will. (Because, 15.)

1. First up, Not everyone is gonna like you. I KNOW RIGHT, GROSS BUT LISTEN. THIS IS A GOOD THING. It can be the toughest pill to swallow but an important one. You are doing your thing for YOU and for YOUR PEOPLE. There will be nay-sayers, there will be trollies, there will be general dickery aimed at you. YO to the LO. Crack on and be you because your people will flippingwell love you for it and we all know Dr Seuss’ thoughts on those who mind but don’t matter, I’m not sure but I *think* it was something like ‘eff em’.

2. Get your big girl / boy pants on and get yourself out there. If you’re in business and you want to get known for what you do and who you do it for, you NEED to put your head above the parapet. No one will do it for you. Rude, but true.

3. You can’t fast-track your way to ‘success’ and anyone that tells you otherwise is full of brown, stinky stuff. Success is whatever YOU define it to be. Don’t get side tracked by get-rich-quick schemes. Just love what you do and let that be the driver. It will happen. Trust the process.

4. You must must MUST find your people. Your tribe. Those who GET you, get your weird quirky shit and love you for it - fiercely. Once you’ve found them, keep them close; look after them like they look after you and allow that circle to grow. It’s lush. Extra important these days.

5. Your family and friends might not get it. ’It’ being what you do. This is cool. They still adore you and are mega proud of you. They just don’t get it. Don’t force it. Stay true to WHY you’re doing what you’re doing and just get excited about how proud they will be as they keep seeing you do the things. (That they don’t get.)

6. Be vulnerable. Admit when you’ve ballsed up. We all do it. Ask for help when you need it. Sharing is caring and I’m telling you now, there are people out there that have done worse. (Apart from YOU, you savage I mean, what even was that?! )

7. Exposure for your business is awesome an all, but be mindful of what you’re giving OUT for said ‘exposure’. Harsh but true: Exposure does not and will not pay ya mortgage payments ?????♀? The early days are the days to be extra mindful of this.

8. If you can’t explain what you do easily, you don’t understand it well enough yourself. Have some of THAT truth in your face.

9. If you’re not ENJOYING running your business, chances are it’s running YOU. That’s nuts. That’s not why you signed up for this life, amirite? Sort that shit out.

10. You gotta be clear on WHO you want to be working with and get a bit ghetto on who you DON’T. Trust me on that.

11. There are probably billions of people out there doing what you do. And what? They’re NOT YOU. They will NEVER do it like you do. Stop looking at them, stop being so JEL. Don’t ever let fear of them others’ hold you back from doing your thing. Ever.

12. Social media is free and it’s amazing. We are in the most exciting time ever for running online businesses and you need to get yourself all over this and make full use of it, pronto.

13. You can’t be a success AND a secret. This tho.

14. You need to get over this fear you have of SELLING. You are here to HELP, to SERVE, to be YOU! Make it icky and it’s icky. Make it real and stuff gets magical. Remember WHY you’re doing it, you’re HELPING.

15. Give yourself regular high fives, back pats and credit. You need to be your own biggest fan so that you can go on to do great things and help as many people in your world as you can.

15a. Don’t be afraid to break your own rules. If you feel like going rogue on your own maverick ass, then by JINGO, do it.

15b. Try to avoid using phrases like by JINGO. Or if you DO, embrace them.

15c. Repurposing your own content from previous years is ok. I’ve totally hashed this lot together from last years post when I was 14. And what? My business, my rules. See 15a.

15d. Finally, Bats are fascinating creatures. Leave them be. Don’t eat them. Like, ever. Causes fucking chaos.

Happy Business Birthday to Me.

Yay.

DMx