My top 10 recommendations for starting a business whilst embracing your unique purpose, passion & life!

I was inspired to write this after my fiancée (and love of my life) reminded me that; with a raised eyebrow and a tone that only he can deliver in such a way..that I didn’t have an awful lot of spare time to be starting yet another business and that there would be a lot of hard work and graft to come...

So whilst placing my foot firmly into the base of the largest mountain in sight to climb (or business in the case of this metaphor) I thought it rather an opportune time to put pen to paper and scribe my top 10 tips for entrepreneurs wishing to embark on their next business venture; or climb a very large mountain in our case..

Cheers ?? to embarking on the next adventure and global social business - DIAL Global! ?? ??

These “top 10” are dedicated to the love of my life @Costa Delis and my new work wife and future business partner @Minaxi Mistry:

1. Make sure you love and enjoy what you do.. work should have purpose and meaning

Building a business is incredibly hard work. Such hard work that you must love it or you’ll want to throw the towel in when the going gets tough. If you don’t love what you do you’ll be unwilling to put in the long hours and graft required to get it off the ground. Find something that you would enjoy doing for free because you love it so much.

2. Be kind and endorse humanity

Being kind is free and being nice will increase the chances of people wanting to work with and for you. Anything that does not cost and has massive positive effects should be used frequently and in abundance!

3. Work smarter not harder

Working hard is a given to me it seems to have been in my DNA since birth, however this alone doesn’t equal success. Working smarter is key and building strategic alliances whilst opening the door to foster collaborative working partnerships is the way forward in the modern world we live in today.

4. Saying no and focusing efforts                                     

As success increases and your business grows, there will be many distractions and people offering you opportunities that are likely to distract you from doing the day job and what is required to get you to where you are right now. Like the squirrel from the ice age film don’t always be districted by the shiny nut! ??

Learn how to say no (politely) and to focus your precious pearls of energy into the areas that truly deserve your time and focus. Time will become more and more precious to you as your business starts to snowball.

5. Be a hunter and gatherer as opposed to a farmer

I was told in basic sales training once upon a time that you have 2 types of beast.. hunters and farmers. Farmers look after that what is there already, usually the same thing as they did the year before to ensure the crop is harvested. Hunters are always looking for new territory to harvest to ensure survival for the future and longevity of the business. Make sure you continue to hunt and gather those pearls of wisdom along the way so that you don’t run out of fertile farmland with which to grow your business.

6. Believe in yourself & our mind over matter

You and your mind are the key to future happiness! The mind is the most powerful organ in the body and really is the secret to unlocking the success you desire. My mum always told me to try and put mind over matter and to believe in myself and I’ve tied my best to abide by this in both my business and personal life over the years. Not always easy but something to try and strive towards at all times.

7. Heed advice wisely

Take advice from leaders who have arrived at a destination you find inspiring or believe to be admirable. There are a lot of people out there trying to impart a lot of “not so great” advice which may not always be the best for what you and your business need personally. Each individual and business has unique needs and wants and so following those that you wish to emulate or that you admire I have found though previous experience is usually the best port of call. You wouldn’t follow someone you didn’t believe in so make sure the same is true of those you choose to seek your advice from.

8.   Don’t fear failure

There is a book I love called “feel the fear and do it anyway”. If everything went wrong it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Things have gone wrong for me on number of occasions and despite feeling like I’d hit rock bottom I did manage to bounce back each time and each subsequent time stronger than the last. If you lost everything tomorrow you would still have the precious gift of life and you can always start again, it’s never too late! The knowledge I’ve gleaned from failure over the years has been more valuable than the learnings from the success I’ve experienced. Feeling the fear and pushing through this allows us to take more calculated risks and hopefully reap higher rewards in the future.

9. There will never be a “perfect time” to start anything in life

There will always be something getting in the way of starting a business or trying something new. Things don’t have to be “perfect” before you embark on a new business or a new adventure. There will always be an excuse as to why not to do something.. so no matter the reasons why you shouldn’t.. how about considering the reasons why you should!

Sometime the best time is right now! ??

10. Be your true and authentic self! Life really is too short not to. Embrace your authenticity and be happy and grateful for who you are and what you stand for.

“Who told you it was too late? And more importantly, why did you choose to believe them?” - Richelle E. Goodrich

Get in touch with the team and I via:

[email protected] or [email protected]

www.leilamckenzie.com

www.dialglobal,org

Look forward to hearing from you soon!

Love, Leila x