31/08/2019
So I decided to start my own business a while ago and it has been not only the journey of my life It has been a challenging nightmare and I am also LOVING IT!
But did I mention it has been the biggest pain in the ass I ever experienced?
If i would've know that being an entrpreneur with no cash to invest was gonna be this hard I would've probably said "Yeah right...".
Well... to my old self let me tell you "F**K YOU!"
Seriously, what was I thinking?
I´ve lost weight for lack of food and then gained it back by eating what ever I could afford all for the good of the bussines.
Let me tell you DREAMING is nice...executing your plans when you are a just dreamer isn't !
Anyways I decided to be my own boss the day I didn't got the promotion I wanted at work, I remeber thinking "I'm seriously gonna steal a golf cart and run it over my boss", honestly I still think it was a good idea but they fix those carts in case people steals them so even a 7 year old at maximum speed can run faster than those crapy things...boomer.
Once I was calmed I left and not long from that day I quit, I mean, why not? I had some savings and I'm good at selling so I'll make it happen in record time (yeah right).
If I could talk to myself that day I wouldv'e said "get another extra portion of "SUCK IT UP YOU SENSITIVE B&%$ #" , save a lot and I mean A LOT MORE MONEY and wait for the right moment to come because you are about to experience the hardest time of your life...¡YES F**KING QUIT but be patient " all I needed was to plan better and be less emotional.
Well it wasn't like that I was confident about my idea and that people would love it inmediately so to inspire myself I took some days off and went to the beach. I played with my dog, I went to another town and then I came back and partied for a week and a half, the week and a half I thought I needed to reward myself for being so brave...that week became almost 3.
During my Michelada and margarita mornings I did wrote some awesome ideas and planned some things, nothing really interesting or relevant, I was basically a Dreamtrepreneur or maybe more like a lazypreneur thinking I was awesomepreneur.
Ok, so one day I woke up like any other day, hungover, looking horrible and feeling like I was beaten by a bunch of radical baby goats, my body hurt and I was hungry. I opened my wallet because it was taco time (yes in mexico tacos are also our breakast...and lunch and maybe dinner too).
I had no cash so I went directly to the ATM and withraw some money...and just by instinct decided to check my account...holly crapp,I FROZE!
Where was my money? what happened? When, how, why is it gone? I mean it wasn't gone entirely but there was a large sum of money that was lost, I checked the records and there it was...$100 pesos here
200 there but mostly it was gonne while partying at night!
At night? are you serious...at NIGHT? I should be sleeping or working at night Im theamazing ultimatepreneur!
Then I realized that my well know alter ego Drunkdrigo "the party boy" decided to have a bit too much of my savings not for food rent or paying things I needed, noooo he decided that WE ONLY HAVE A LIFE SO WE MUST LIVE IT!
I have that day in my memory and will never forget how much I hated myself for not taking care of my money, my self, my strategy and above all things of my future.
That was the day I sent a whatsapp message to all my amazing group of friends to tell them I was decided to change my life so i wasn't gonna hang out with them anymore...they understood and wished me well, they told me how much they care about me so I said goodbye and moved on to my new life and I remember that the only song I had that moment in my mind was the song of the ending of the incredible HULK where he is always asking for a ride after stealing some poor man's clothes from the backyard.
That day I put my s**t together.
I cleaned my partment, washed my clothes, bought some food, I fixed a little Office inside my room (it was only a table and a lamp with some space for dessert) but it was mine and I was ready to start, this was the day i was gonna stop partying, drinking and becoming someone that could bring more much more to my own life.
This story continues obviously but it will be another time.
I´ll leave you however with a list of 5 OF the most common mistakes DREAMTRPRENURS like me do daily.
1-SKIPPING THE PLANNING PHASE.
Man seriously listen to your instincts but also obbey your rational side, it holds a lot of valuable information about reviewing and evaluating step by step until you are ready to take the leap.
In this planning phase you may feel overwhelmed because there is a lot of information to absorbe and I hate it but it must be done if you truly want to avoid procrastination beacause an unorginized mind tends to self reward with stupid things (it applies for many, more than you would think).
One of the things I recommend you to do firs is to download any BUSINESS PLAN TEMPLATE.
It is free and explains step by step where your research and goals must be projected, honestly it´s a great tool that helps you plan several scenarios that you haven't even thought of.
her's a link to an example of it:
https://www.alexandercowan.com/business-model-canvas-templates/
2-NOT SETTING SMART GOALS.
I find myself guilty of charge!
Yes, I had a brilliant idea but it was just an idea and I was missing goals, both matter equaly.
Here howver we must be clear that the small goals are sometimes as important or even more than the big ones, they also keep you motivated because some are very easy to achieve.
Her's a great video by Tony Robbins about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbaGptGSmiw
Example: It´s ok to wish to get the car of your dreams and let´s say that one day out of luck you win the lottery and the first thing you do is to buy an amazing car and ask the girl/boy next door out for a ride, but the little problem is you only drove once in your life.
There is no point in having such a masterpiece of engine and the girl/man of your dreams if you are gonna ruin it the first day, you will end up without car and probably without a second date.
Pay for driving lessons, get a small car and practice, who cares if it takes you longer to master the driving skills? You already know the car will be waiting at the autoshop and let´s be real there are plenty of next door humans that you will like!
In this step you might want to do the right thing and start watching tutorials about entrpreneurship and reading more about the process of self growth and business mindset.
One of the few books that helped me with my untrained business mindset and personal mindset is -UNF**K YOURSELF-by Gary John Bishop it´s simple and easy to read if you are not t used to read (it's also on audiobooks) and it adds that spark that makes you feel like The karate kid executing the Crane Kick to Jhony's face!
You can also read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and many others that are availiable in the same section as these (FRIEND ALERT: There will be tons of people to tell you that this is basic reading and IT PROBABLY IS but these are well know to be great for new entrpreurs and honestly this is your own path and none else's).
My personal favorite to watch on youtube and listen on podcast is Gary Vee (fu**in watch him).
3-UNDERVALUING YOUR SKILLS AND PRODUCT.
This one is tough.
It comes either at the beginining of your project or later and it can happen for several reasons a lack of confidence, it could be that you are comparing to someone else's idea/result or when you aren't getting the results that you want from the beginning.
This happened to me a few times because I didn't received the attention that I wanted and also because I heard many times that it wasn't gonna work by several people that tried before and failed.
You'll see many other have probably thought about the same thing you are doing but they couldn't succed and that makes them speak through experience, that doesn't have to be your's at all, maybe they were as lost as you but couldn't maged to get help!
However it is important to ask for the opinion of experts in the same market as you or the closes you can find to it. Listen to the people that make things happen and that are truly succesful, trust me they know better and can help you get perspective on your skills/product.
You can find some valuable info here:
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/improve-your-small-business-2951413
4-AVOIDING NEW TECHNOLOGY:
I am very lazy when it comes to read instructions specially if they are from IKEA furniture or the terms of agreement on TINDER but those are irrelevant...I think.
But please please pretty please read a lot about the new technology that is in the market, make reasearch to find out about new apps, websites, etc.
I have found so so so many things that now I find extremely useful and would've done my job more efficient and make impossible task (for me) look like a kindergarden kid's homeowork.
It is awesome that you are good at using basic programs in your computer but it takes 5 seconds to type "BEST APPS FOR_________" you can fill in the line, see what all mighty GOOGLE says.
Here's a link to some usefool apps:
https://www.getapp.com/top-apps?camp=adw_search&utm_content=g&utm_source=ps-google&utm_campaign=COM_MISC_Desktop_BR-Top_Apps_Page_(Non_Specific_Category)&utm_medium=cpc&account_campaign_id=1495401259&account_adgroup_id=63072899727&ad_id=295750081601&gclid=CjwKCAjwtajrBRBVEiwA8w2Q8BNzySxGAdzF_0P-GafY84Sk26cCBGKHeYBmi_4enqwaAo1Kg6RRcRoCFqAQAvD_BwE
5-OVERSPENDING/ UNDERSPENDING.
Yup exactly as you read it.
overspending in what?
Well to be honest you don't need the fastes nicest Macbook ever built if you just started using paint to make your memes on your free time.
This is something I learned the hardway. I started buying clothes for meetings and I wanted people to see that I was succesful when I just started because image does matter however is more important to be able to buy 5 shirts instead of 2 awesome ones you know why? beacause washing machines don't care about your clothes and they do get damage if
you wash them often for your multiple meetings in the same week and after the 5th meeting they look exactly as the ones you can get at Walmart.
Sometimes it's more about not buying from the big brands, a white shirt from DOLCE GABBANA looks awesome and screams like TOM CRUISE on the phone "SHOW ME THE MONEEEEEY" I admit it...it does say that, but maybe you can afford instead something from American eagle or even PULL&BEAR that also says "this is what I can afford but I do care about my business".
In the end the best thing you can wear is a winning attitude and the world knows it's true, thats why you get all those books and listen to all the youtube motivational speakers...duh!
Underspending?
Even worse.
So what I didn´t do at the beginning was to invest in the little things that matter like paying the extras on an app that opens the other tools I need to make better pictures, or maybe to pay for better WIFI specially if you are in a country like mine and need to upload videos and pics etc.
I recently had the oportunity to experience a 6 week coaching by a dear friend of mine that allowed me to notice how unorganized i was, to acknowledge that I still had mental barriers about money, success, habits and deep wounds I haven't healed, THAT WAS SO NEEDED!.
This one might be a bit tricky cuz some people goes to the OVERSPENDING lane paying for programs they don't really need and keep going to seminars and othersocial excercises but never really do anything because they don't feel ready, some programs are needed some can wait a bit but this is where your rational self has to wake up and decide when and why you need them.
Underspending time is the worst of them all. Take the time to do things that matter, find Time for self love, reflection, meditations, research and organization because partying, daydreaming, overthinking, not acting and running away from ex*****on are by far one of the most stupid things you can do, and that happens when you over reward yourself for doing very little work. (no, talking to 2 clients a day is not enough to give you 3 hours of sleep).
Anyways, these are just my personal points based on my personal experience while building the business that little by little has been taking form and soon be ready to put it out there.
Many of us are in the same path and sharing some of these words may be helpful or not, but if you do find them helpful come back again I'll try to make daily posts about my own mistakes, archievements and more.
So what do you think are people's most common mistakes when starting a business?
