After receiving such wonderful feedback from my Five Simple Business Tips post, I wanted to share what I think the best creative entrepreneurs do in their business. BUT I would also love your feedback, so please comment below on your own experiences, successes and even mishaps!
Cultivate Your Tribe: This may take longer than you expect it would. It did for me after I went from a wedding industry entrepreneur with a HUGE community of local friends and colleagues (from the West Coast/beyond) to crickets when I started looking for local blogger friends. When I made the move from the wedding industry to full time writer, my tribe became hard to find. My initial thought was that other bloggers and writers would be “my people,” I joined a few groups and met some amazing people…in Boston…an hour away. What I needed was some local people in my tribe. It turns out, there aren’t many bloggers on our little island but there are a ton of super cool photographers! These lovely people help me create gorgeous content that supports my blog. These friends are most definitely my tribe, which leads me to…
Confide in People You Trust: This can be a super smart and great listener of a friend to your partner to even a relative. Once I cultivated some amazing tribers, I found I could bounce ideas off them and even ask for their input with my content. I am one of those secret writers/idea people who doesn’t like to share until it’s perfected, but with close creative friends I don’t feel shy about asking their opinion. They are a few trusted bunch whose opinions really mean something to me!
Discover Your Work Environment: This sounds strange right? BUT are you working from your bedroom floor with papers and notebooks everywhere? There is no way you can be as productive as you want to be without your own space. This doesn’t have to be a full office, it can be a corner in your kitchen or your bedroom. Ask yourself: “Where do I do my best work?” Embrace it! But you do need a few things… a small desk or writing space, organized files, a pen/pencil/ruler holder and a meaningful trinket (ie. a candle, family picture, etc.). All of this will up your productivity.
Be Decisive: One of my least favorite things about myself is that I can be so indecisive. Guess what happens while you are mulling things over for days? Someone else thinks of it, jumps on the idea, and you are left in the dust! Being able to make decisions with ease is one of the best qualities an entrepreneur can have. What is the worst that could happen? You made a wrong decision, so what! You learn the most from making the wrong choice, it leads you in another, maybe even better, direction.
Never Stop Learning: You don’t have to be sitting in a classroom to further your entrepreneurial education (although you should try it out!). You can take an online class, workshop, or conference. I love taking online classes but nothing beats an in-person workshop. They are usually only a day long which is perfect for a busy mama and you can find them through professional groups (tribes!). However, one of my favorite ways to learn is to listen to podcasts. There are SO many educational podcasts for creative entrepreneurs. For example, Being Boss is a great one I listen too, Invisible Office Hours is another, and also After the Jump. Check out iTunes for more suggestions on great podcasts.
Photo by Cambria Grace Photography
