What I’d do differently if I started over

Every entrepreneur knows, mistakes are inevitable.

If you’re not making them, you’re not growing. In fact, you’re likely standing still. Conversely, if you're moving forward and not making mistakes, then you definitely waited wayyyyy too long to get at it.

Over the past 5 years I’ve made oodles of mistakes. I’m not saying I have regrets. The truth is, while some of it sucked, big time, I learned soooo much about business and myself. Valuable shit.

Here’s 6 things I’d do differently in my Social Retail (aka Network Marketing) business if I were starting over:

1️⃣I'd do my due diligence.

I literally got a phone call, went to a presentation, did a bit of reading and jumped in. Didn’t even try the product - it turned out to be great but, duh! Not the smartest business move.

While starting a Social Retail business isn’t a mortgage decision, you definitely want to make sure it’s a good fit. Ask yourself if you truly feel aligned. Can you see yourself implementing the system they offer? Do you really see that many other people winning there?

You definitely want to be sure these fundamentals are solid before jumping in. Oh and give the product a try too.

2️⃣I'd partner with the right people.

My friend, who I partnered with, quit after a few months. Not that I was depending on her to teach me everything, but I was left with a team of people I didn’t know. While I did meet some cool peeps, I would have preferred to choose my team - after all, that's one of the perks of this biz! 

I've learned that team culture is critically important in this business. If you don’t jive, you’ll eventually leave.

3️⃣I'd get my butt online immediately.

I started building in person because that was the system my first company offered and I was coachable. I'm not saying that system doesn't work, it just didn't work for me. It was way outside my comfort zone, labour intensive and too darn slow. I ain’t got time fo’ that!

By not officially taking my business online until early 2017, I missed out on oodles of opportunity. There are billions of people online and tons of them would love to have what you’re offering.

Get online and get consistent with your content.

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4️⃣I'd stay more organized.

I flip flopped a lot on tools and methods of keeping track of my customers and prospects. I missed so much opportunity and for sure let a lot of people down.

Since this business is all about helping people and making a difference, this didn't work. Get yourself a system and stick with it. No excuses.

5️⃣I'd have built a website and email list sooner (but only once I had a solid team built).

Yes, I said email list.

Did you know, email converts 6x more sales than social media? It’s still the most productive marketing tool out there, hands down. Not only that, but we don’t own your social media contacts. What if Facebook and Instagram shut down again? (we just got a hint of what’s possible this past week and it was scary, right?). What if your page gets hacked and you lose your followers overnight?

Your email list is YOURS. You own it. You control it and if your content is good, you can get tons more eyeballs on it. And no more algorithm battles (thank goodness, right?!)

6️⃣I'd have listened to my gut way sooner.

There were red flags all over the damn place, but I ignored them. I wanted so badly for my business to work and I definitely didn’t want to start over. But my gut was screaming at me to see the light, and I could have saved myself a lot of stress and frustration.

Looking back now, hindsight being 20/20, I clearly see that I was in the wrong place. And in the end, I did start over with a different company but the truth is, it wasn’t starting over at all.

All my experience followed me and some of my contacts did too. Why? Because I'd built a strong brand for myself. It felt like someone cut the chains off my legs and I was finally able to run the race.

Being in business for yourself is tough but we can definitely remove some of the obstacles by learning from those who've been there before us and by making smart decisions.

Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Success doesn’t show up overnight or when we want it to. There’s work that has to get done first.

Once the foundation is in place, your growth will come. It always does.

Did anything hit home for you? If so, I'd love to hear from you!

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