The truth is, being an entrepreneur is less about doing more, and more about making the right moves. Like finding the best VA to help your business run smoothly, knowing what software is worth the purchase, knowing what your audience wants like the back of your hand, and yes, even steps you need to take to shift your mindset. 

Because honestly, I couldn’t really grow my business until I changed the way I looked at it. If I was going to do that, I needed to adjust how I saw myself and the work I was putting into it. 

Things like working smarter…not harder. Or overcoming imposter syndrome. Those things — business and personal alike. 

Was it easy to make those adjustments? LOL no. But it was so worth it. And in this post, I’m sharing with you four things that have been some of my most valuable lessons.

You need to have an audience, but it doesn’t always have to be yours

I’ve talked plenty about affiliate marketing in the past, but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about here. There are actually several other ways you can grow your reach that are just as effective (and don’t require you to build out anything extra, like an affiliate program, if you don’t want to). 

Partnering with other businesses to provide valuable information, like on a webinar or as a guest on a podcast, can be extremely beneficial to both parties! I mean, think about it — they’re able to provide valuable information to their audience, which boosts their brand authority, and you get to reach new people. It’s a win-win!

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and leverage the knowledge you know can help someone else. No one ever made it far by playing it safe or sitting on the sidelines. 

Stop disempowering your audience

I definitely don’t think most people set out to be scummy marketers for their business. But, because scummy marketing practices are so deeply embedded into the way we do business (wrongfully so), you may not even realize you’re doing it. 

I never really understood exactly what disempowering my audience meant until my business coach pointed it out to me. What I mean by disempowering your audience is that you don’t want to “bully” people into buying. Don’t just talk about how crappy they feel right now, and then say you’re the only one who can solve their problems. 

Present them with all the facts and let them make a decision on their own. I firmly believe this is the way to market yourself…and it’s worked for me and my clients time and time again. You CAN build a successful business while still acting with integrity.

Let future you have a starring role

Sure, there’s contentment to be found in the now, but as a business owner, you want to also think ahead. You have big goals, so start taking care of future you now. 

What do I mean by that? 

Start building a business that’s sustainable and you know can support you down the line. Make decisions that support the lifestyle you want. Don’t just settle for something because it’s easy at the moment. 

As someone who’s tried (and…errr…failed) at many businesses, then made a comeback story with The Contract Shop®, built another successful business, then turned around and sold the first…I’ve made plenty of decisions I was kicking myself for later down the road.

But once I adjusted my mindset and started looking at the decisions I was making from the lens of, “How is this going to impact future me?” things changed. 

I showed up differently. I was better able to push through the hard stuff. I was finally able to stop ruminating in the past and put my best foot forward. 

Being an entrepreneur IS NOT easy. There will be good times and bad. But how we’re showing up daily and how we think about ourselves, our lives in general, and our business has a HUGE impact on how we show up. 

Let’s talk personal life…

All that being said, I know there’s still loads of advice out there saying if you’re an entrepreneur, you don’t have a personal life. And it’s…kind of true? But hear me out!

In a sense, you do have to earn your stripes. There is an element of “hustle” and hard work involved, and times when your personal life takes a back seat. But the thing is…it’s all about balance. 

Maybe on Monday your personal life was last on your to-do list. But on Tuesday, you make it a priority to schedule breaks and have dinner with friends. Not every day will be perfectly balanced, but as long as you can balance things in general, you can totally still have a personal life.

Want to learn more about this kind of balance as an entrepreneur? Be sure to check out the video below!