7 lessons from my first year in business
This past spring marked the one year birthday of Collective Inner Garden! I definitely celebrated myself in everything I’ve created, done, showed up for and felt inspired by. I did a happy dance to my favorite music and took myself out for a beautiful meal at my favorite place in the city! As usual, I also reflected on what my first year running CIG has taught me. There have definitely been some tough love lessons!
Below, I share from my journal to your eyes the most important lessons I learned in year one. If you are a small business owner in your first year, or you’re thinking of starting a business, I hope they support you!
Just start. Even if you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing
Because starting is the first step.
Once you start, you can generate experience, feedback and movement. This will help you get to where you want to go. Let your business and the building experience become your vehicle for healing yourself.
Embrace beginner’s mindset
Along with just starting, know that there is a difference in building confidence in a skillset versus actually having self - confidence to step up. This is where trying on a beginner’s mindset comes into play. A beginner’s mindset allows you to look at all the endless possibilities of what you’ll create and who it could impact versus fearing possible failure. Someone with a beginner’s mindset might tell themselves “it’s okay if I make a mistake because it won’t really be a mistake but a lesson I can learn and grow from”. They would look at the starting stage as a beautiful blank canvas to be painted instead of seeing it as a burden or a scary hurdle to jump over.
Having a beginner’s mindset will give you permission to play and learn vs. wrecking how you feel about yourself.
Embody your own process
Resist comparing yourself to others and how others do, perform, execute or show up in their business. Learn from those that came before you AND break the mould to find your own rhythm and creative process that works for you. Embodiment is what building a business is all about.
Your business doesn’t have to be you
Although it might be true that your business is an entity with your values, energy and passions and talents, your business is not you. So, it’s okay to feel separate from it. It’s okay to have boundaries and limits with it and remember that you only have to share what you want with the world around you as a public figure. People aren’t entitled to all of your vulnerability just because you have a business and a brand.
Create what you want and understand your intention
Take time to reflect on what your intention is with what you’re creating. Your intention is your why and what will drive you. When things get hard or you feel like you’re failing, if you remember your why you’ll fight for your creation because your why is how you’ll pour love into yourself and the world around you.
Be patient with yourself
Like building anything, building a business takes time. It’s a process that takes courage to show up, confidence to create and a willingness to be seen. All things that can take time, especially as you heal any related wounding that comes up during the initial stages. When you find yourself getting concerned about your progress and if your business is actually working or not, remember that building takes time and nothing sustainable arrives to success overnight. Keep finding the inspiration to stay with it and be patient with yourself.
Practice self - awareness + self - compassion
This is a process that teaches us the most. Know that building a business is a direct line to your energy and your self - awareness : what you like, don’t like, how you want to express yourself, be seen and what your needs are. All things that can change and evolve as you learn and grow through building. Self - compassion is a necessary gift in this practice. Being present with what your building and how you’re building it ( your why ) while taking a bird’s eye view is helpful. This perspective teaches learning moments as opportunities for growth vs. mistakes made. Self - awareness and self - compassion will support you in the long term and keep you engaged, well resourced and growing.