Starting a Business

is NOT easy. Whether it's selling a product, promoting a service, starting a podcast or youtube channel, it is not for the weary.

When I was first starting Pickard Creative, it was scary. I had owned a business before but I was selling a product. I could hide behind the product and solely promote and advertise the jewelry. With Pickard Creative it was ( and still is ) a learning curve of being comfortable promoting myself. It went from showcasing someone else's talent in a product to trying to prove myself to the thousands of people that I am talented in my skillset. It almost feels like a non-stop interview process where you are constantly having to talk about your strengths and show what you've accomplished so far and what you can do for someone else to better their lives. Phew! If that isn't pressure enough? Well here I am willing to take on that pressure and keep moving forward because - see quote below! 😉

This quote has stuck with me through some hard times and I keep it near and dear to my heart even to this day. It is a great reminder to not give up and to also remind myself how far I've come. It is rough some days but you CAN do this.

Every day is full of trail and errors, successes and fails, or do-overs but this is the nature of starting a small business. In order for it to be successful, you have to work your ass off, you will have to put in long hours, drink lots of coffee to keep up, and stop comparing yourself to others - instead celebrate what they've done and consider them an inspiration instead of competition.

In starting two very different small businesses here are a few things I've learned :

1. Do it because you are passionate about it If there is no passion or love for your art, craft or skill then it'll be hard to keep going when it gets tough.

2. Surround yourself with supportive people This helps with those hard days, because you may be thinking "I should just give up" but that's when you need that friend, family, significant other to tell you " NO, you got this! keep going!" and those will be your biggest cheerleaders, advocates, and many times biggest promoters of what you do.

3. Have a plan Yes, a business plan is helpful so you know your mission and goal at the end of the day. Business plans will change as you grow and continue on but you need that skeleton of a plan to help build your own empire. No plan is perfect but it's a great starting point.

4. Think outside the box It is important to constantly try to be innovative in how you do business or advertising or making videos or even writing a blog. The internet world is constantly changing and we need to be able to change with it and also be one step ahead at times.

5. Work Hard Go after what you want and work hard because success does not happen over night, it happens over time. Be patient and always give it 100%.

Photo by Chepic Photo

-xo

Julia