BEING YOUR OWN BOSS
My little cats,
I've been wanting to write this post for so long, but I didn't really know where to start. I don't think I know the truth, because I've made plenty of mistakes, but I think I needed some distance to mature this post. Without further ado, I give you this mini survival kit for life as an entrepreneur!
I'm going to tell you a little story: a long time ago, and yet not so long ago, I was walking down the steps of the first company that had kindly welcomed me for my first internship. I don't remember whether I was excited or happy, but I do remember thinking with dread and accuracy: "It's going to be hard to get up in the morning and work for someone else". And then, immediately afterwards, a little voice, no doubt the voice of reason, took over and concluded something like "you're in trouble, old girl, because this is just the beginning of a long life in the corporate world".
And then I continued with my internships, my fixed-term contracts, my odd jobs in bars, a few permanent contracts and then I had the immense good fortune one day to have had the good idea of opening Make My Lemonade. Why the right idea? Because all of a sudden, a bit by chance, this blog became my playground, the place where I wanted to experiment, and the winding paths of the internets gave me the chance to meet you and continue to see more and more of you every day. I've continued to experiment, and my blog set designs have become set designs for photoshoots or window displays, and my do it yourself's have become workshops to animate communities for brands etc....
So yes, I'm aware that I'm very lucky to have got where I am today, but quite honestly, I don't think I've ever worked as hard as I have since I no longer have a "real" job. I vividly remember a discussion I had one weekend with a friend, to whom I said I wanted to try and make my Make My Lemonade activities my main business. I remember her telling me to wait 6 months, that it might still be a bit early. Then life happened and the following Monday, I was offered a severance package, and I accepted, afraid to embark on something as crazy as making a living from my little website. Without the slightest idea that what I'm doing doesn't belong to any standard, and without the slightest hindsight about this new job that awaited me.
But you know what? It was the bravest, most insane thing I've ever done: to launch myself, without a safety net. To become my own boss, to get up every morning and work for myself and my dreams. Imagine, that was 2 years ago, I was 25, it was yesterday, and yet I feel like I've crossed decades. It's not easy, but since I've become an old person of almost 27, full of wisdom, I can try to give you a few tips on how to get started without a net.
- Ask for help. Ahaha super thanks, no but seriously, when you're setting up your business, get advice from an accountant to whom you can explain your activities and together you'll choose the best option for setting up your business. It's important that you feel comfortable and at ease with this person, and above all, make sure that he or she understands what you're doing so that he or she can guide you through all the subtleties of French legislation.
- Be organized, it's silly and I love that I'm the one telling you this, I'm not a model of organization but I work very hard at it and I know that if I could be a little more organized, it would make my life a lot easier. Before you leave your office, prepare your list of things you want and need to do for the next day on a "Dream list of the day" column. One column is important, but life's a bitch, and you'll forget things, and then you'll get e-mails, and calls with new things to do, and well, write it all down in a new column, which I've personally christened "Shit happens". But at the end of the day, if I've crossed off all the stuff on the sloppy column, I'm downright lighter, even if I haven't crossed off all the things on my dream to-do list. (No, I'm not crazy).
- Rationalize your time: for example, instead of agreeing to lunches every day of the week that literally cut your day in half, have breakfasts close to your workplace... And, another tip, plan a single day a week when you do all your appointments, meetings, like Wednesdays for example, and if one of your clients can't make it, set up an appointment for the following Wednesday or else, a breakfast or a skype. But really, set your own rules, because between the time it takes to get to the appointment, prepare what you're going to say, do that meeting, get back to the office, and get back to work on a new project, 3 hours have gone by for just one appointment...
- Pick up the phone. When you start out, vacations, holidays and weekends are very fuzzy concepts, but I remind you (and me), are very important on a weekend. Well, it's true, I don't really take vacations, not even at all, but after a certain hour of the day, I hang up, and set aside at least one day in the weekend even if it's hard, even if there are things to do. You don't touch your computer, even for fake or to take your temperature. Electrify it if you have to, but try to preserve yourself so that you can come back and not explode in mid-air. Because even if it's galvanizing to work for your dreams, your body is a machine and at a certain point adrenalin just isn't enough, so take care of yourself and you'll see how you'll leap out of bed on Monday morning!
- Tidy up, I think I'm going to make a few people laugh, but it's true, I've become a tidy person, and it sometimes "sticks out" because it's hard to silence your inner self. But it's a real pleasure to arrive at my desk in the morning, clean and tidy, without a single piece of paper or stress confetti on my desk. And in the evening, before you leave just after your dream list, put everything away, to start the process of letting go. And then I have another trick: when I'm in a panic (it happens) and I've got something urgent to do, all of a sudden, I feel invested with an irrepressible mission to clean and sort a drawer full of small office equipment. Some people will say that this is procrastination, but no, it's a kind of survival mechanism: tidying up and clearing away help you to organize your thoughts, to master a space (tame your mind?), and you feel lighter afterwards, still in a hurry of course, but much more efficient and ready to deal with the situation. So breathe, tidy up and get on with it.
- Set yourself goals. Not even big ones, but make excel spreadsheets or googlesheets and note down your progress, month after month, and give yourself challenges so you don't forget why you're working so hard. It could be financial targets, or doing everything you can to get published in the specialist press, or giving yourself the challenge of finding new, more competitive partners - challenge yourself and keep moving forward!
- Accept that you're not a superhero. In the beginning there's no miracle, whatever your business, you're going to have to work hard and do everything, everything, even the expense accounts, even the relentless salesman, even the genius creator, and even the devil's advocate, everything I tell you. And then one day, I hope it comes soon, your finances will allow you to hire help! And when that day comes, it's going to be hot. Because you're going to have to accept Robin (imagine you're Batman), you're going to have to trust him, learn to delegate and locate his strengths. It's a pivotal time, but Anna Gavalda said it before I did: "Ensemble c'est tout" (Together is everything), or in Belgium, "l'union fait la force" (Unity is strength). Basically, one's good, but two's better... You're going to be a team, hold meetings, all that... It's getting real!
I hope this long post has helped you a little! It's hard for me to give lessons because I'm in the middle of it all, I'm groping my way along, but in the last 3 years, I feel that my life has never been so rich, and even if there are many facets that I haven't mastered, I feel that I've learned so much about the hectic life of being your own boss, and of achieving your dreams a little more each day. Hugs and kisses to you all, and feel free to add to my list of young entrepreneur tips in the comments!
