Each year, I set my sights on one major objective. In 2018, I gave notice to quit my full-time military career against (just about) all advice. In 2019, I went part-time in the military and enrolled in college full-time. In 2020, I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in business management. In 2021, I wanted to obtain a new skill that could help me in business, so I bought my first camera; I also ended my part-time military career. In 2022, I worked hard to figure out what niche I wanted to cater to through my photography business and found that I love working with entrepreneurs and businesses. In 2023, my focus was on connecting with the people I wanted to work with as a freelancer to better understand what their needs are. As you can imagine, each major objective involved working through several smaller objectives. None of them happened overnight. All of them came at a cost. And the process taught me many lessons.
Below are some important lessons learned that might help you in your entrepreneurial journey:
Not all advice is good advice.
Some advice comes from the insecurities of others. Take it with a grain of salt AND lean into God when in doubt. You are fully capable of discerning what you should and should not do.
You must take the first step.
No one else can do it for you. Waiting for the right time more than likely means that you will never actually do it. If it’s important to you, make it a priority now and start walking in it.
You don’t have to have it all figured out.
When you are first getting started, it is okay to take one step at a time until you know what your strongest offer is. In the military, we train for operations in phases which we refer to as “crawl, walk, run.” These same phases can and should be applied as an entrepreneur; start out slow in the beginning while you explore new ideas and gain some experience, move a little faster as you grow through trial and error, and once you know the way, trust your gut and create a plan that will streamline the process by which you will achieve your mission. Even with a plan in place, you are not exempt from trial and error, but having one and following it closely (with some flexibility to make improvements along the way) will help you achieve your desired results and accomplish them faster.
Working hard will only take you so far.
God created each of us with the ability to work hard, to learn new skills, and to love one another. He was very generous in the way he made us. Don’t neglect your faith and rely solely on yourself and your ability to work hard to accomplish everything. Seek Him daily. Invite people and/or resources in to help you as needed.
Sometimes closing doors is necessary to open new ones.
This could mean breaking the chain to bad habits and replacing them with good ones. It could also involve ending or pausing certain relationships, including those with family, friends, and clients who are not in alignment with your values and intentions.
You cannot be everything to everyone.
We can be good at A LOT of different things, but in order to do them with excellence, we have to focus on just one at a time. Apply this idea to your business. Offering too many things can be confusing, especially when it comes to promoting your efforts, but even for you as the entrepreneur. Knowing your top strengths and being able to balance them well is key. Delegating tasks that do not require your attention is not a weakness, in fact, it will help you help more people.
To truly serve others, you must first understand their needs.
You can see things that no one else can see, but until you can see it their way, you will never be on the same page. First understand them, then see where you can provide solutions to the issues they experience. Create helpful offers that relieve their pain points and strengthen their areas of weakness.
Now that I have more insight on what entrepreneurs really need, my major objective for the year is to embrace the pivot into delivering just that, and focus on sharing my process through writing and other forms of content, so that you may feel more equipped to step into your calling.
Continue this in the comments: Can you tell us something you learned in 2023? How can your experience benefit others? Will you be making any improvements? If so, what is one change you will make in 2024 to achieve better results?
Stay tuned for my next post where we will talk about a few things all entrepreneurs should do to set themselves up for success in 2024.
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