Though we have this romanticized mental image of living life as an entrepreneur, it’s not always a cakewalk. There are always challenges, and after dealing with issue after issue, it’s easy to lose your passion. The solution to this issue is much simpler than you’d think: give yourself a salary increase! Though it may seem like an unreasonable and expensive option at first, think about why you became a small business owner to begin with. It’s that sense of autonomy you get from being your own boss, the ability to live abundantly and freely. We sat down with entrepreneur Sarah Petty to discuss how to live an abundant life as a small business owner.
Get Rid of Head Trash
Mentality is everything when it comes to running a small business. Your passion is the driving force behind the entire operation, and without that passion, everything else comes to a stop. Unfortunately, negative experiences and difficult situations are draining, and create what Sarah Petty calls head trash.
Whether it’s impostor syndrome, a hesitance to take an important leap of faith, or a fear of failure, head trash is one of the greatest roadblocks entrepreneurs have to face. If you leave it alone, this head trash just keeps piling up, making you feel burned out, isolated, and completely stuck. To keep everything up and running, you need to get rid of all the dead-weight negative thoughts floating around. Remember that you’re not alone. You haven’t been the first entrepreneur to struggle, and you won’t be the last. Talk to your fellow small business owners, get advice, get help, and you’ll be able to return to your work better than ever!
Skills Aren’t Everything
It goes without saying that you need to be good at what you do if you want to start a business, but learning skills isn’t an instant success button. Head knowledge only goes so far, and while it’ll go a long way in many cases, there comes a time when you need to get down to brass tacks. Don’t wait for customers to come to you, get out there and market yourself! Rather than counting on others for your business to be discovered, take the reins and start closing deals! Once you’ve established a clientele, the skills you learned will have their time in the spotlight.
Getting your name out there can be difficult at first, and may require a little bit of restructuring. For example, if you spend all your time developing the business itself, you’ll need to trade some of that time for client outreach. If you’re not finding new clients, your business will just stagnate, but each client is a new opportunity that allows all your hard work to pay off.
Soon, your efforts will pay off with what Sarah Petty calls your first Julie. When she was just starting out in the photography business, Sarah felt uncomfortable charging for her services, feeling that her work just wasn’t good enough yet. However, that all changed when she was approached by her first big customer, Julie, and closed a deal for $1,800. Because of this, Sarah realized that not only were people willing to pay for her work as a photographer, they were willing to pay well. Every entrepreneur has their first Julie, that one experience that lets them know all their efforts were worth it, and with each new client, you get one step closer to finding yours.
Prioritize Work-Life Balance
Though we hear about it so often that we’ve begun to tune it out, work-life balance hasn’t become any less important, especially for you as a small business owner. Though money comes to mind when we think of abundance, what good is that money if you don’t have a way to enjoy it? You need time to enjoy your newfound abundance, so having time to relax is a must, no matter how much money you could make from pushing on ahead.
Live a Life of Abundance
So, you’ve gotten rid of all your head trash, worked to find new clients, and established a solid work-life balance. Now, you’re perfectly equipped to give yourself a pay raise and enjoy everything that comes with it! A life of abundance is one of the greatest motivators for any entrepreneur, driving you to keep improving and living life to the fullest.
Best of all, how you live your life of abundance is entirely up to you! Whether you want to live a more luxurious lifestyle, travel the world, or become a philanthropist and give back to the community, you can pursue it! As your income increases, so does your impact on the world, allowing you to find fulfillment both personally and professionally.
Want to listen to our full podcast with Sarah Petty? Check it out here!
If you want to start a business that will lead you to a life of abundance, join the Rainmaker Family Challenge and learn how to make it rain!
