Want to know what my biggest learnings from 8 years in business are?

This week I’m pulling back the curtain on what it’s really like to run a business. I’m sharing the good, bad and ugly lessons I’ve learned over the last 8 years.

This is lesson #2.

I hope by sharing, you can avoid making the same mistakes I did.

So, without further ado…

1. You need to act and think like a business

Repeat this mantra to yourself before you make any big decisions. “I’m a business. What would a business do?”

2. Your business should support your lifestyle (not the other way around)

Don’t put your life on hold to build your business. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose sight of why you started in the first place.

3. The fastest way to burnout is to do everything yourself

You’re not saving time + money. Instead, you’re keeping yourself stuck in a cycle of doing that is not sustainable and will lead nowhere.

4. If you don’t have a periodic freakout, then you’re not challenging yourself

Hustle-free periods are a good thing but if you want to continue to scale, you always need to be looking for ways to grow and improve.

5. You don’t need to compromise your values to make money

You don’t need to justify your worth, allow your boundaries to be crossed, and forget your values to get ahead. In fact, the opposite is true.

6. There is no such thing as the “right time”

Ask yourself what is really holding you back from acting. Is it a mindset issue? Are you unsure of where to invest? Do you need to understand the process?

7. Your business will bring out the best and worst in you

Know your blind spots and knowledge gaps. And accept your strengths and weaknesses. Then create a business that allows you to show up in your zone of genius.

8. Your business needs to stand for something (freedom & $10k months don’t count)

Your dream clients don’t care about what’s in it for you, they care about what’s in it for them. They want to buy from people they like, and support causes they care about.

Did any of these learnings surprise you? Have you had similar learnings?

Let me know in the comments below.