11 business lessons I have learned by being a solopreneur

Entrepreneurship, like anything in life, involves quite a lot of trial and error. It starts with passion, curiosity and a vision. It requires a leap of faith, jumping into the void, experimenting, listening, adjusting. It takes a lot of motivation, patience and - yes - even a bit of luck.

It is rewarding, empowering, frustrating, liberating, discouraging, maddening, inspiring, head-consuming, thrilling and doubt-provoking. Entrepreneurship is often a journey involving many risks and resilience, a path that curves through unexpected but beautiful territory, a collection of several rights and many wrongs. 

When I launched my travel art shop, I initially didn't even realize that I was launching a business. I was a full-time scientist and had never ventured into entrepreneurship in any form, aside from selling lemonade like your average five year-old.

​I learned by doing, by being and by meeting inspiring individuals along the way.

What advice would I give now to my inexperienced self who was just starting out?

Here are 11 of the most valuable lessons I learned in business.

1. Be yourself

It's easier said than done when we are consumed with hundreds of other voices each day. But, this remains the golden rule. Just be you. That is when you can be most consistent, most unique and most magnetic. No one else is you, so no one else can quite offer what you offer, in the way that you offer it. In the overwhelming face of competition, learn to shift your focus back onto who YOU are and how that fuels what you create. There is a place for everyone, because everyone has their own unique twist. It seems rather basic, but it takes mental training to hold onto this mindset in the business world.

2. Stories are special

We are storytellers. We gather, we tell, we live by sharing and consuming stories. It's only natural, then, that stories help people connect with us and what we offer. Stories allow your voice and your personality to shine through. They help people get to know you and want to keep you in their life - whether you are half a block or half a world away from them. It helps them relate to you and trust you. On your website, in your social media posts, in your tutorials, share the stories behind your brand.

3. Listen

When we first create our businesses, we base ourselves on our vision, our talents, our training and our values. We work SO hard before launching our special offering (whether it's a new collection or a new course), it's tempting to just shout out, "Here it finally is! Go get it!" and to want to sink back into our chairs and wait for the rest to take care of itself. But if you speak to very successful entrepreneurs, they will confess that it was not an overnight success. The key for many business owners has been to, simply put, give the people what they want, even if their first launch was something completely different (and often a true flop). 

It's really key to welcome and use feedback from your ideal customers to fine-tune what you offer. Be attentive to how others' react to your work and how they describe your business.

If you sell physical products like I do, this is what is so great about being present at pop-up shops or shows. Who are you connecting with? What words are they consistently using? Which products spark conversation or evokes an emotive response in them? If you mostly sell online, consider sending a short survey to your customers or encourage them to leave you a review. Listen to the traits they focus on when they describe you. Then, work to amplify those traits in everything you create and the way you present your creations. 

4. Social media marketing is vital

Whether we like it or not, this is how we roll. Social media with a strategy is vital to getting our message out there, interacting with our target audience, and sharing our story. Without a strategy, social media is ineffective at best and actually harmful to the brand at worst. It can suck up a HUGE amount of time, energy and motivation. To avoid feeling stuck on a hamster wheel, it takes thinking, planning and consistent execution. It is better to create content with a purpose in mind then to spread yourself thin by pouring effort into showing up just for the sake of showing up. 

5. Repeat

Some of us might really hate putting ourselves out there online. It's one thing to put together a website or Etsy shop with descriptions about ourselves, our story, our business and our work, but the worst part is that once it is all out there, we still have to repeat it! It took me a while to realize that not everyone would know the text on my website by heart (ha ha!) and shoppers landing on my Etsy shop would probably not even read the product descriptions! It's important to repeat ourselves now and then, so that people who just stumble upon us have a sense of what we are all about. You'll notice that even your Facebook friends (who follow your personal page and regularly see your shares from your business page) may take time to become familiar with you and buy from you!

6. Trust your gut

Trust yourself, what you offer, what your brand is all about and what your price-point is. It's easy to feel imposture syndrome now and then, not only when you are just starting out. But, at the end of the day, trusting your value and expertise will attract others to trust you as well. You are doing this because you believe in its mission. When something happens to shake that belief up, don't let it derail you.

7. Expertise develops continuously

You may not be an expert in ALL the facets related to your work, your craft and your business. That is okay. Actually, it's GREAT! You don't have to wait until you are an expert in order to be successful. It's better to start, dive in and learn by doing. You'll invest in yourself to develop those areas that are further outside of your comfort zone, or you'll collaborate with someone whose strengths are your weaknesses. As sole owners of our businesses, we have to wear so many different hats and do so many different tasks, so we come to expect ourselves to be good at all of them. But, that false belief can be paralyzing and can lead to a whole lot of procrastination. 

8. Say no

It's good to say no. Did I just say that? It took me SO LONG to learn this, in all areas of my life! If something is not sitting well with you, if it is causing you to want to vent, it means it is not aligned with your essence, your priorities, your values or your vision.

Ask yourself: Is this going to bring me closer to my goals? Is this something that will be brand affirming? Will it take me in a direction I'll be happy about? Do I have time for it without burning out or compromising my other priorities? 

Pay close attention when the answer to any one of these questions is NO. And, if it is, please remember that you have your reasons and your reasons are always valid. Although you may be tempted to express them as a justification to the person you are turning down, you don't really need to justify your choices. 

9. Take everything as a constructive learning experience

We are constantly learning. That is the beauty (and curse) of life! Train yourself to look at every circumstance, success and failure as constructive, as fluid and as a blessing. Adjusting as you go along is part of the process. Feeling proud of little milestones - even negative ones, like your first bad review or first refund request - is important. Growth is never all positive, all the time. 

10. Invest in yourself

Invest in your professional development. Schedule it in. Create opportunities for learning. It is daunting but necessary to take up opportunities that are outside of our comfort zone and that involve a certain degree of risk. Sadly, there cannot be growth without risk. When you don't risk anything, you get too comfortable. If you take a risk to invest in yourself financially or with respect to your time commitment, you naturally strive to succeed to pay back that investment. It helps to add a little extra fire up your butt! 

11. Take time to revise and revisit

It's important to leave breathing room in your schedule to create empty spaces for reflection and re-alignment. Carve out the time to revisit some approaches and practices - even the content on your website. Either schedule this time regularly or give yourself mini hiatus every year to systematically evaluate what worked, what worked less and where to go from here. 

So there you have it - all the things I wish I knew when I launched Veni Etiam! Don't get me wrong, I'm still learning. Every single day. And that, I really believe, is the beauty of it.

​Fellow entrepreneurs, TELL ME: Which one of these tips resonates most with you? Leave a comment below!