Expert tips to building a passion-led startup on your terms
As a seven figure entrepreneur, I am passionate about paying it forward for other entrepreneurs… sharing my own story and expertise advice on how to build a passion-led startup on your own terms.
In 2016 my multimillion pound turnover business collapsed after 10 years. I personally experienced feelings of shame and embarrassment, I felt like I had completely lost my life purpose. The worry about what other people were saying and the constant fear of bumping into someone I knew became so stressful that I would isolated myself more and more. However, after doing some personal development work, digging deep and pressing forward with grit and determination, my new business has a projected turnover of £10 million in the next three years, but I am passionate about doing it all on my terms.
I realised that I wanted to help as many business owners as possible not make the same mistakes that I did with my initial business. It was simple mistakes collectively that lead to the failure of the business. I wanted to share my learnings, without the need for a high ticket price tag, and so my brand new app GrowthFlix was born - ‘The Netflix for Business Owners’.
I see people approach business differently. You have the people who work every hour under the sun, their sole purpose is business and everything that comes with it. They miss family gatherings, they don’t have a social life but even worse they don’t look after themselves because they “Don’t have time.” They are at huge risk of burnout and health issues. I've seen those people who have dedicated their whole life to building a business that when it finally sells or reaches a point they were striving for , they become lost, depressed even. They don’t know what to do because their whole life has been dedicated to one purpose.
At the opposite end are the people who have a business and they don’t put the effort in that is required. They will complain about not getting enough clients, they say they want to grow but they don’t invest the time and money into making it happen. They work minimum hours and wonder why their business has been in the same position for years.
But, there’s a happy medium in there somewhere. You can build a passion-led successful startup on your terms.
As business leaders we are a unique bunch! We question ourselves, worry that we should be doing more or doing less and feel lonely from time to time because no-one really gets it! One minute we want to take on the world & the next were asking ourselves why we are doing it! Let me tell you something… it’s completely normal!
Try and identify what is holding you back and try and break that habit or address the problem – it could be endless to do lists that you never look at, it could be imposter syndrome impacting your thought process, it could be procrastination – you have good ideas but don’t seem to get round to implementing them…
When you’re working on the business it’s important to focus on the deep meaningful work that will have an impact. Give your all , seek out opportunities and commit 100% to your business goals.
Take time to focus on you – at the start of building a business it can be very busy indeed. So, make sure you are getting enough sleep, fresh air, fuel your body and take time out to recharge. You will know when you find the balance that works for you.
Business doesn’t need to be a struggle. It looks like everyone knows exactly what they are doing – they don’t. Don’t get stuck in comparisonitis.
Get support in any way possible. Surround yourself with other business owners. It’s a game changer in terms of how you feel, how you solve problems and what you learn. Finally, Keep learning and accessing professional development and advice – I am passionate about this and that is why I have created GrowthFlix - ‘The Netflix for Business Owners’ - a first of its kind app for business owners who want business growth advice, accountability and self-development coaching.
