Tips to Thrive as a Business Owner

The first title for this blog that came to my mind was “All the Things Business Owners Experience.” I quickly realized this could be a book title I’m sure of it. So, for now I am going to begin with a simple blog post with a few tips. If you are a business owner or thinking of owning a business this is for you! You are seen and you are heard and I'm proud of you! First and foremost, take time to network, reach out and build a team of people around you to support you.

Just yesterday I stood in awe of how supportive, collaborate and empathetic my colleagues are in my office. We listen, help, support, encourage, challenge, and celebrate one another very well. I am truly blessed to say the least. As a business owner, it is invaluable to not feel like you are on an island all by yourself.

These past few days my mind has been flooding with “all the things” I as a business owner get to experience from behind-the-scenes work, to being out in the field with Clients to everything in between. It can feel like a lot, but I have learned over the years is to take things in chunks. We are all in process, which means our businesses are in process as well. I have been working since last October on switching my business over to an S-Corp. I took the leap of faith trusting it would be beneficial for me in many ways I quite frankly at the time didn’t fully understand. But because I have trusted advisors in my life helping me along this business road, I made the switch and have been checking off one box at a time. At first that was hard for me because I don’t like things stacked up on my “still need to do list” but it has taught be to be patient, wait, ask good questions and then wait some more. Because of the process, I am learning more and starting to understand the benefits and why this is the next best step for my business. Tip: Be willing to go through the process. Be patient. Take the time needed to make decisions. Seek wise counsel. Ask good questions.

Another example from this morning. I had blocked out a time on my calendar for writing. But when my Monday plans for bookkeeping got pushed back, I plopped that into my writing slot. Upon more reflection this morning, I decided I can and want to keep my commitment to writing, something I really love and enjoy doing. I had a quick conversation with myself and decided I can stay focused after writing to accomplish the bookkeeping tasks necessary to end this month well. Tip: Time Block. Be flexible but keep things you enjoy on your calendar. Make time!

I don’t know about you, but when I know where money is going and what the big picture looks like at the end of a month, I have so much more freedom and peace moving forward. It helps me to steward my money well and adjust along the way. If I just think about it or try to do figures in my head or when I let months go by without taking the time to dial in, it often causes me anxiety or stress or even paralyzes me, because I don’t have all the information to make wise decisions or conclusions. Tip: Take time each month to budget, business plan and reflect. And ask someone to hold you accountable.

I sat down with my Managing Broker about a month ago to talk through my 2022 goals to see how I was tracking. I was honestly feeling a little behind in what I had set out to do this year and would you believe it, once everything was written down and talked about, I was so much more confident moving forward. I was on track more than I even thought or realized in my head. Tip: Write it down. Talk it out. Take time to review. Loop others in.

I hope these tips and “real” experiences of mine are an encouragement to you. Please feel free to share any that have helped you along the way. Let’s learn from each other.

Final Fun Tip: Do something that makes you feel confident for the day. Put fun lipstick on. Wear your fun pants. For me it’s penciling in my eyebrows. Here’s to keeping it real. Hence the cover photo! It's my Hmmm... thinking face! Until next blog…

~Blessings my friends,

Andrea