Most want to work less and have more freedom and free time if they want to retire and start a business. But it often happens that before you know it, you end up back on a hamster wheel, even though you didn’t want that anymore. How do you avoid that from the start and still be successful?
Most people who start a business are initially alone – a typical solopreneur. This means that you can – and must – take care of everything yourself.
Building a business means breaking new ground
There are many tasks ahead of you, most of which you have no idea about. Finance, accounting, controlling, taxes, insurance, contracts, online marketing, social media, etc. We all have our skills, but we cannot cover all areas – especially not in-depth and in detail. Maybe this list scares you off.
And no, you don’t have any employees who can take over this directly. And it makes sense to have understood everything yourself at the beginning. But it’s a lot – no question.
Building a business means becoming visible in the market
Visibility is also a very popular topic among many founders. There is no getting around the fact that your potential customers somehow have to notice and get to know you. Many have great inhibitions about doing this.
Among other things, you have to write texts, and maybe record videos. And do online marketing.
For anyone who wants to start a business, there is endless information out there about business ideas, lucrative markets, social media, great marketing measures, tools and techniques, Google, funnels, lead magnets, newsletters, blogs, podcasts, Youtube…
It just doesn’t stop – it’s like in Cockaigne on the one hand. And leads – no wonder – to being overwhelmed on the other hand.
You have no idea what’s right for you, what you don’t need, what order you should do it in, and how it all works in detail.
This is completely normal and I felt the same way.
Building a business means testing and adapting
There’s also the risk that you’ll do something that doesn’t produce the results you expected. That leads to doubts.
Didn’t you do it right? Is it perhaps fundamentally wrong? And very quickly you’re about to try something new because you’ve heard that it works better. This leads deeper and deeper into the hamster wheel.
Maybe your strategy doesn’t quite fit and your measures are actually not optimal. But maybe your result is not so bad after all. You just don’t know because you have no way of comparing it. Perhaps it takes an adjustment and improvement of your actions rather than something completely different that you then start from scratch.
You don’t have to dance at every wedding. And you CAN’T do everything if you want to build a business.
You should take these three things to heart if you want to build your business without getting caught in a hamster wheel
1. Start with you.
Don’t look outside for your business idea. Not FIRST. Especially not if you are self-employed and are looking for something that is easy for you and fulfills you. It doesn’t really matter that it’s something you’re good at. Having fun is much more relevant.
What’s inside you and wants out?
what are you not living yet?
2. Start with the obvious.
With what you can and like to do. It doesn’t necessarily have to be what you did in your job. Maybe you have to first accept that THAT is no longer right for you. Maybe you just don’t feel like it anymore and have to admit it to yourself. Don’t worry: You are not giving away your decades of expertise – you transform it and can use it in other contexts. AND you gain new opportunities.
I would like to give you exactly the same advice on the subject of marketing. Start with the obvious. With what you already have – your contacts. You don’t need a website or technology to win the first customers.
3. Start with a pad.
When you’re under financial pressure, you also have to take on jobs and clients that don’t exactly fit your ideal profile. This leads to excessive demands because it means more effort and more energy for you. If you urgently need customers, you quickly find yourself in a situation where you have to do more and more and more.
It helps if, for example, you start a part-time job or have reserves for a year to overcome existential fears.
If you are interested in building a business with ease and without the hamster wheel, then let’s just call each other. Maybe I can support you. All you have to do is make an appointment in my online booking calendar.
