3 things I've learnt from starting a business.

There is no argument over the technological advances we have made as a human race with the internet and its capabilities in the last decade or two. Over the last few years, side hustles have become increasingly popular, so I figured I would share the 3 values I have learnt since starting a small business 3 years ago. Since August 2016, I have had a lot of people ask what I’ve learnt from starting and running a business and although I have learnt a lot about analysis, business details such as logistics and also E-Commerce, I’ve learnt 3 values that have been instrumental in putting me on the right path.

The 3 critical values I’ve learnt over the last 3 years are patience, art of listening and direction.

The first value is Patience. Patience is key when starting a business, as everything takes time to evolve. Be patient with customers, if you are releasing the right content and right product, they will buy, but be patient and consistent in your own process. It is only after 3 years my business has started to have a steady rate of growth in the right direction after the release of pink and black hoodies. There’s been many times where I could have easily packed up everything and stopped, but I was able to hear people around me reinforce the value of patience onto me, and I’m so glad I listened because I absolutely love running this brand, no matter how small it may be or how large it may get.

Following from the first value, the second is the art of listening. As just stated if I hadn’t listened to people, the brand wouldn’t be existent today. Listening to your seniors, who have lived through small businesses and different technological eras is critical, but what is more critical is to listen to your inner voice, you own intuition. Listening to your seniors and other’s opinions to see what resonates is great, but what is a company worth having if you haven’t curated it from your intuition or created it from your heart. Listening to experience is a guide for you to convert into your business, your way.

Finally, the third value is direction, and how I’ve only just started to establish mine. I think finding the right direction can be hard, and although I can say I have found my direction, it could change at any time. To find my direction I had to release a variety of products and different content to finally figure out where I need to take my company, but with every move you make you should establish what direction you’d like to move in, and how you should do it. Direction must be transformed into a business plan to ensure we grow in the right direction. It becomes our business game plan.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I hope you can take something away from this, and from the lessons and values I’ve been able to learn and apply for a positive situation throughout your own endeavours.