As humans we understand that mistakes will always be a part of life. We hope in making these mistakes that we have grown and learned. This is also true when becoming an entrepreneur. You will find that even with thorough research we all can make mistakes. Mistakes as an entrepreneur can cost you time, money, clients or important relationships. Mistakes, in general, are inevitable however continuing to make the same mistakes is insanity.
“GET OUT OF THE WAY OF YOURSELF”
From where I have come from to now I have made plenty and still have many more to make. Here are 8 mistakes I have made on this journey.
Using Too Many Social Media Platforms (too soon)
You might have been like me starting off reading blogs on how others have become successful. To maintain success and a fan base the use of online social media platforms is very essential. Well, which platform(s) would be best to get the traffic you need. You might think well maybe why not all of them? There is no problem with having multiple accounts; the problem comes when you are not able to effectively manage them.
Do not overwhelm yourself with multiple accounts if you do not have time to manage them all. Fluctuation in posts can come off as disingenuous or your fans may miss a post because you post randomly. Manage what you can and be great at that. When you have a good system going or have extra help then you can plan to branch out.
Not Planning My Tasks
So much work and so little time. I do work a regular 9-5 and come home to work on the hustle. It can get hard to get everything done especially if you have a family or events that you have to attend. Balancing life and work can be difficult. I find myself all into work at times and miss life events like taking my nephew to the gym or visiting family.
Be sure to think long-term and plan out your tasks. Planning out your month with an editorial calendar for blogging or having a schedule for projects and creations will help keep you organized. It will truly pay off in the long-term.
Not Checking in with Your Online Community
An important factor in growing your business is making meaningful connections whether they are physical or virtual. With networking tools like Facebook groups, Twitter chats, and Pinterest groups you may find yourself in a lot of circles. Include the daily planning of your online presence and offline activity, you will find yourself slipping away from these communities. You could miss business opportunities, local events, and chances to drop some gems.
Generally, you will want to check in the groups you are most involved in from time to time. Remember to not only check in, be sure to drop a line. Good online communities will encourage members to share information. If one group you are in does not encourage this or there is not any activity then it is time to exit stage left.
No Share Buttons
This is a super duh moment! There was a time I had someone who wanted to share my post contact me asking where were my Share buttons on my site. I couldn’t believe it! Who knows what kind of opportunity I could have missed previously. Simple mistakes like this can be detrimental to your business.
I switched themes at that time and found I did not enable share buttons. Honest mistake and I quickly fixed the issue. Moral of this story, test over your site like an average user would operate your site. You may be surprised at what you are missing.
Not Concentrating on a Niche
Overall you want to make sure you hone in on an audience that relates to you and your business. This is your niche. As it relates to designing t-shirts trying to hit every market is ultimately not the way to go. If a cool design comes to mind it doesn’t hurt to make it happen but concentrating on a niche centers your research on one particular audience instead of researching every possible audience you can reach. Not having a niche is generally not a good practice.
Whether you are creating art or creating a business understands what your audience needs are and how you can bring value to them. There is no way you can help everybody.
Not Scheduling My Posts
There are many times when I have forgotten altogether to schedule my posts for the week. Whether you are circulating older content or scheduling newer posts setting time aside for this important task will help alleviate the work on manually sending posts. This will allow you to focus on creating new content.
If you are like me and use free services you may need to use a couple of third-party services to make this work for you. I use Hootsuite’s bulk scheduler for Instagram posts. Then use Tweet Decks scheduler for my Twitter account. Find what works for you.
Doing Everything by Myself
Your growing business is like nurturing a growing baby. You do not have an instructional manual on what to do but it is yours so you just know what must be done to help the baby grow. You run into a couple of snags, no biggie but ultimately you are just winging it.
Once you understand that you can’t do everything on your own you will seek out help from good people. As it relates to business you will collaborate with other businesses to get tasks done. I sit with friends and bounce ideas, attend meetups and seek advice and allow.
In the world of entrepreneurship, mistakes are inevitable, and I’ve certainly had my fair share. However, these mistakes have served as valuable learning experiences. From spreading myself too thin on social media platforms to neglecting to plan my tasks effectively, each misstep has taught me important lessons. Building meaningful connections, incorporating share buttons on my website, focusing on a niche audience, scheduling posts, and seeking help when needed are all vital aspects of running a successful business. By acknowledging and growing from our mistakes, we can navigate the entrepreneurial journey with greater confidence and continue moving towards our goals.
