It was just four years ago that I started my social media management business on a whim. I had no idea if it would work, but as a mother of a child with epilepsy, I needed to do something where I could work from home. I remember telling my friend, ‘If I could make $5K a month in revenue that would be amazing.’ I surpassed that number by the end of my first year in business and looked around for my next goal to achieve. For some, entrepreneurial success can be scary. It is at this point that you must figure out what your next move is.
For instance, now I am closing in on the second goal I set and in reviewing my accomplishments, I now must figure out how to take things to the next level. Part of that assessment is figuring out how to get out of my own way.
For many business owners, success comes as a surprise. You’ve put your head down, rolled your sleeves up, done the work to get there, and you get lost in the work. You’ve reached a goal, and then the next goal and the next and you find yourself standing on this plateau going “OK, now how do I take this further up the mountain?”
The First Hurdle is YOU
Growing your business means adding more people; trusting more people with your dream and vision. To some extent, you must let go and open yourself up to others. Until now, all of it depended on you and your work ethic, something that you and you alone control.
Inviting people to help you grow is not always easy. The fear of failure can lie heavily upon you. It is this fear that either drives you or holds you back. The need to be perfect because now you have an audience keeps many entrepreneurs from being the true success they want to be.
You must believe in the journey you are on and be willing to bring people along for the ride. When you believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing, others will want to join in and help you achieve it. Success doesn’t happen on a straight and narrow path. It has hills and valleys and sometimes mountains to walk and climb over. Taking others with you on that path is part of attaining success.
Remember these key points when assessing your success and your future:
- Failure is a learning opportunity
- Trust in your vision for your company
- Understand that no one is perfect
Trust In What You Are Doing
When I started my social media management company, my one goal—besides making money—was to create a service that my clients value. I genuinely believe in giving excellent service, and that customer service is what would make me successful. Today, as I look back on how things began, I realized that by providing a valuable service to my clients and being consistent and accessible I have built relationships that have allowed me to keep them as customers and as friends for all these years. Success doesn’t happen overnight, but with planning and hard work, it can be yours!
Black Enterprise Contributors Network