I took a moment to look back at the images I captured on my phone circa October, 2016. It’s the time I made the leap from the corporate world into Entrepreneurship.
What I found was a mix of joy (ok it felt like a holiday) and fierce determination.. (OK, why so serious?!)
Yep… I’m looking on a mission in this one:
I remember what it was like. I had zero idea how to run a business. I had an ABN, a handful of local contacts after only being back in Australia for under 2 years.
I can look back and wonder – WTF.
So yes, I do remember what it was like to make the leap – and it wasn’t all at once.
I spent time running my own business, then juggled part time contract work, and very briefly a 5-day per week job. After that experience, I realised I was never going back and I had to make Entrepreneurship work.
I can’t claim I’ve got the whole Entrepreneurship thing figured out, but I have learnt a lot.
My best advice?
- Align yourself with other Entrepreneurs – because your corporate buddies won’t get it.
- Embrace massive imperfect action. You never feel ready – so take that leap now.
- Keep learning. Read, consume, network.
- Remember it’s not all about work. Take a walk. Go to the shops at 10am.
- Figure out the schedule that works for you. For me it’s flexible mornings with family, and I’m a night owl, so I embrace the flow and creative juices that often flow late at night.
Start building your personal brand right away
I used to be completely audience-focused, and while audience is extremely important, you and what you represent is actually fundamental.
Why? Understanding who you are and what is most important to you, allows you to:
- Live a life in line with your purpose and values
- Grow your business or career more easily
- Attract opportunities aligned to you
- Embrace confidence to show up as the best version of yourself, on track to reach your goals
Getting your personal brand off the ground
While we all naturally have a personal brand, becoming intentional about what we put out into the world, ends up translating into what we receive in return.
To become intentional about your personal brand, it’s important to think of yourself as a brand. (Think Nike, Apple, Coca Cola – or a brand that resonates more with you). This means, assessing your purpose, mission, vision and values – just as a company would.
It’s about establishing your market position and your unique selling proposition.
If all that sound too daunting, I can help!
It’s about taking action
Establishing your personal brand, and giving Entrepreneurship a red-hot go is all about taking action.
You can read, consume and continue to learn, but take action too. It’s the best way to achieve breakthroughs – and remember you have a potential customer base who need you and your unique talents!
What are the first things you can do to create your personal brand?
- Create or update your LinkedIn profile.
- Consider your tone of voice and approach – will you share personal stories, or would you prefer to take a more formal thought-leadership approach
- Sign up to an email marketing platform (Mailchimp is a good place to start) and begin to build your email list
- It’s also a good idea to build a basic website so you have somewhere to send new clients, build your authority and build brand SEO.
If you’d like some support I’d love to help. You can find a time in my calendar here.
Keen to get a basic website built without breaking the bank when you’re starting out? Check out this simple website offer. Feel free to get in touch with me to discuss, or simply book it in here.
Keep going! You’ve got this.
