He who tills his land is satisfied with bread,
But he who pursues vanities is lacking in heart.
Proverbs 12:11 (TS2009)
The world frivolity is used in place of vanities in the NKJV.
Frivolity– it means confusion; or a lack of seriousness. I’d even say it means a lack of consistency.
I began my entrepreneur journey in 2020. Much like a lot of other folks you probably know, I had an entirely different set of plans that all changed during the pandemic.
France closed it’s borders so I was no longer studying in Paris anymore–
My university went entirely online, and as a French major those online classes got old pretty quick.
Without those events, I likely would have never taken those roadtrips, lived and travelled in Mexico, or started this website which I hail as the beginning of my experience in business and marketing.
It was a bumpy road with many not failures, but ‘learning experiences’ along the way. The turnaround point was last year when I had an interesting dream during the time my ego was recovering from a failed project launch.
In this dream, I was an entrepreneur in the water business. It was nothing glamorous and no one noticed me. People were more-so intrigued by all those people with their fancy online businesses. Then everything changed; there was no more internet; hardly any electricity; and food was pretty scarce. Suddenly, unimpressive water business was a very big deal…
This triggered some deep reflections and here are three things I’ve learned throughout my time as an entrepreneur and a marketing student.
Simplicity is Key
Keep things simple and learn how to communicate what you do– the problem you solve– in ways that people can understand. There may be some situations where it’s appropriate to flaunt your title and use industry jargon to improve how you’re received, but more often than not it just makes you cocky.
Stay humble, pick the problem you want to solve and focus on mastering the skills and information needed to effectively solve that problem. If you’re doing your own marketing which most of us are– pick one media platform and focus on mastering that environment.
It’s the simple things that confound the wise.
Sophereth
Product over Brand
A good product (or service) is foundation to a successful brand. Most people get caught-up on things that don’t matter: i.e. a fancy website; a complicated logo; the perfect title, et cetera.
None of that outside polishing matters if you have no processes and your offering is crap. Having an limited liability corp. (LLC) registered with the state does not make you an entrepreneur– having an organized strategy for monetizing, distributing, and innovating a solution to a common problem is what makes you an entrepreneur.
Consistency is the fuel.
It’s tempting to go down the self-improvement/ productivity rabbit hole on your entrepreneur journey. I’m not trying to stop you, but just remember to go out and implement what you learn. Remember from my post on Day 4 that applied knowledge is wisdom.
If you spend all your efforts learning but never applying, you’re just wasting your time– you’ll start comparing yourself to people who are applying which will lead to imposter syndrome and feelings of overwhelm until you give up altogether. Ask me how I know…
It’s better to do your thing– to have a plan and stay in your lane like I mentioned in my post about being a YouTuber. On those days when you don’t have any motivation (and trust me they’ll come), consistency is what will carry you to the finish line.
Entrepreneurship has it’s many ups and downs, and it’s not easy. Anything that has worth is hardly ever easy to obtain. Otherwise, everyone would have it.
Whether you’re just starting on your journey or you’ve been grinding for a few years, these tips can really benefit you.
My biggest advice to you: Keep it simple and consistent.
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