Three Things I Wish Someone Told Me Sooner About Running a Business Education for Entrepenuers

Three Things I Wish Someone Told Me Sooner About Running a Business - Brooke Michelle Photography

Business, For Photogs

August 10, 2021

Phew ten years in business this year. A decade. Insane.

Some days it feels like I just got started and other days it seems like I’ve been in this industry for 100 years, not ten. However the last few years specifically I have really come to know myself, my work and my goals for this business. I think it’s obvious in my content that I’ve evolved as I go, and grew along the way. However, I am a firm believer in growth never having an end goal. I think that continues throughout our entire lives and journeys as business owners. So let’s get into the three biggest lessons I’ve learned as a business owner, that I wish someone told me sooner.

 

PAY YOURSELF A FAIR WAGE

OKAY, listen up my young business owners. As an LLC I never realized how important this was…until I talked to a loan officer with the idea of building a house. As an LLC your business and personal funds are truly separated. I’ve known this. Truly, it was my main reason for becoming an LLC.

However, since they are separate that means even if your business is making six figures a year if you are not paying yourself a livable wage then you aren’t 🙂

I figured since most of my monthly bills come out of my business I didn’t need a bunch of money in my personal accounts. Only enough to buy groceries and treat myself to new clothes, or so I thought. NO WAY. If you are trying to personally buy a house, you need to look like to a bank that you make enough every year to pay them the money back they are going to loan you.

I could go into a million other reasons why you should have a good chunk of money paid to you every month, but I’ll leave it at that. Pay yourself like any other normal job would.

 

DESIGNATE DAYS OFF (NO EXCUSES)

As a business owner it is so hard not to allow ourselves to get completely caught up in our business. The list of to dos is never ending and the ideas are always flowing. However, you need rest. Both as a human being and as a business owner. It feels almost impossible to go at 100% every day.

I have found the last few years where I actually give myself seasons, days, whatever it may be, time to rest that I come up with BETTER ideas. My brain is able to relax and take time off so when I do sit down to work again everything is ready to go at max capacity and provide me with ideas that pay me back for that time off.

It’s worth the time. You’re deserving of rest.

 

DO YOUR OWN DANG THING

When I first started my business I tried so hard to figure out success at a rapid pace. Plot twist, you can’t.

I tried to mimic and do what everyone else “successful” seemed to be doing. I threw parties with themes to match the current trends, edited how I saw everyone else edit and came onto instagram stories with phrases I see the educators in my industry doing. All of that got me… nowhere. I mean, it got me here. But it got me here from learning THAT IS NOT ME. You can only keep up with pretending to be someone else for so long. Then you burn out, learn who you are and have no choice but to follow that through.

 

 

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