what no one ever told me about entrepreneurship
february 21, 2023
Category: business
what no one ever told me about entrepreneurship
With nearly 7 years of entrepreneurship under my belt, I’ve learned a thing or two — and here’s what no one tells you about it.
In November 2017, I made the switch from my corporate 9-5 to full-time business owner and entrepreneur, and prior to that, I owned another business for two years. With nearly 7 years of entrepreneurship under my belt, I’ve learned a thing or two — and here’s what no one tells you about it.
If you're a little unfamiliar with my story, let me back up a second…
the dream job
Right out of college, I thought I landed my dream job working for a local home and garden magazine. In fact, this job was even on my bucket list! At 12 years old I was given the unique opportunity to job shadow a photoshoot for this exact magazine and it was at that moment I knew I wanted to work there. Like I said, a literal dream job.
But after just a few months, I found myself thinking, “Is this really it?” I was bored out of my mind and wanted the opportunity to be more creative. If you’ve worked for an established magazine or brand then you know you’re pretty limited. There wasn’t much opportunity for me to explore outside of the pre-set style guide of the magazine and I was stuck following the rigid structure of the magazine.
Six months into working there the idea of starting my own business began to excite me. One of my coworkers and friends at the company ended up feeling the same way I did so my first entrepreneurial adventure began as we started a wedding stationery business.
enter entrepreneurship phase 1
I finally began to feel alive again in my career. This new business was something I thought about alllll the time. I couldn't wait for my lunch break when I could go work on a new wedding invitation for one of our clients, and I counted down the hours until I got off of work and could shoot content for our Instagram. I realized I was onto something — I loved entrepreneurship.
While working with a business partner can definitely have its ups and downs, it definitely helped give me one thing I’m forever grateful for — confidence. Having someone to go through all the hard stuff with and who felt a similar drive to branch out of their 9-5 gave me the boost I needed!
It was then that I realized if I truly wanted to become my own boss I needed to start another company — enter Brighten Made.
Brighten Made begins
With my previous company focusing on wedding and event stationery I wanted this new business to focus more on my other graphic design love — branding.
Had I not gone through the client experiences and process of working with my business partner I wouldn’t have had the knowledge or confidence to go out on my own and start Brighten Made, and how devastating would that have been!? Had I not started Brighten Made I wouldn’t be doing the work that I love so much.
With alllll of that being said, reliving my story and thinking about my journey here has made me realize there’s ONE major thing that no one tells you about entrepreneurship, and to be honest, it’s pretty crucial.
mindset is everything
Mindset is everything. You can have all the business tools, resources, and strategies in the world but if your mindset isn’t there you have nothing. You’ll be the one to get in your own way. You’ll struggle with self-doubt, comparison creep, and questioning your worth just to name a few.
I got into business wanting to learn all the things I possibly could and while podcasts, blogs, and courses have all helped immensely in teaching me strategies — what’s been most vital for me is making sure my mindset is where it needs to be.
The best part is that having a confident mindset totally translates to branding, too. I love branding because I think what you put out into the world and how confident you feel about your brand plays a huge role in your success.
If you DIYed your website, brand, or packaging to get by, you likely don’t have that confidence that makes you shout it from the rooftops. Good design sells, yes. But the confidence that comes with it? That is priceless my friends.
Ready to feel confident with your business and what you’re selling!?
You don’t have to take just my word for it. This is what Sailor Hinegardner of Sailor Breeze Photography had to say, “I could not be happier. It's just so perfect. This is exactly what my business needed! I was terrified to pay thousands and not have a good experience, but taking the risk was the best thing I could have ever done! I went way over my budget and I have absolutely no regrets! ZERO. I would do it all over again. It has already transformed my business. IT gave me the confidence to double my prices and no one is even batting an eye.”
REACH OUT! We’d love to get to know you and make all of your branding dreams come true.
