New career – New skills!
2 years ago was my last ‘pay-check’. This was a scary and exciting time for me. When I qualified as a homeopath, what I hadn’t anticipated was the ‘other’ new skills I would need – Business skills!
Getting started.
So where did I start and where am I now? Well like most new small business owners, I didn’t have a lot of capital (money).
Here are 6 things that worked for me:
- Well designed and co-ordinated branded stationery: Business cards, letter-headed paper, compliment slips and leaflets. Business cards should be scattered like confetti! Give them to anyone and everyone you talk to. Keep them with you at all times, in your purse/wallet, gym bag, car etc.
- Networking events! I went to all the local and low cost/free networking events. These are generally monthly and have a 1 min ‘introduce yourself’ slot. I found these scary at the beginning, but soon got used to them. You get to see the same people each month at each event, and get to know them too. I really enjoy them now, as I find support, advice as well as practice explaining my business to others.
- Skill swop. I gave 30 mins of my time for free in exchange for 30 mins advice from another business owner. This helped me to gain some knowledge without spending money I didn’t have!
- Local events. I have done quite a few wellbeing fairs, Christmas fairs and local fetes. This is good exposure for my business and people like to chat and ask questions.
- Asking for help and outsourcing. No-one can know everything, so some things which are not my forte, I’ve paid someone else to do! This is more efficient for me now, as I can then focus on my business and not on IT skills.
- Learning to push my personal boundaries. I had been holding myself back or keeping myself small, but I pushed myself at the start of 2020 to grow and think bigger. This resulted in my doing a 6 week business course and a vision board creation day. Writing a regular blog, planning my social media for 2020, using a scheduling tool and Mailchimp are all things I’m proud to have achieved.
So 2 years after my last pay-check, I’ve never regretted my decision to change career and start my own business.
Get in touch if you need any business tips for yourself!
