Natalie Sisson is the founder of the Suitcase Entrepreneur. Today she discusses the dangers of not believing in yourself, the negative impact of trying to cater to and please everyone (with the inevitable result of pleasing no one), and the importance of knowing your Why.
What were the top 3 mistakes you made starting out with your business and if you could start over what would you do differently?
The top 3 mistakes I made were this:
Not believing in myself
I kept thinking `Who am I to offer these services and build these products? I’m no expert. Sure I know my stuff but will people pay me for this? It’s something many entrepreneurs face especially when starting out. The thing is the old `fake it til you make it’ really does ring true. This doesn’t mean deceive people by promising on things you can’t deliver, but it does mean project the outward confidence and belief in your abilities (even if you don’t feel it) to inspire confidence in your customers. Just by working with them and putting your very best self forward, and getting them the results, they will ensure that you grow into your shoes and become what you aspired to be.
Not developing my Why
I recommend everyone read Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why“ and read it now. In a nutshell, his message is this, people don’t buy what you do they buy why you do it. The thing is no-one starts out knowing their why. Very few people figure this out from the get-go. They have grand ideals of how they want to change the world but quickly forget those and get stuck in day to day operations. So go back to why you started out. Get back to what it is that drives you and inspires you to create, build, launch and serve your customers. Once you have clarity on this, everything else will fall into place. The way you market, the message you deliver and even your business model.
Being unfocused and catering to everyone
The biggest recipe for failure is not knowing who you serve and narrowing your niche. You simply cannot please everyone, nor should you want to. The more exclusive and targeted an audience you serve, the much more focused you can be on exactly why you do what you do and how. Everything you do on a daily basis will be judged against this one question `Is this moving me closer to achieving my goals?’. If it’s not, you stop doing it or delegate it. You focus only on the strategies and objectives you’ve identified that will ensure you reach your goals and meet your targets. It’s hard to do, especially with all those bright shiny objects, but absolutely critical if you want to succeed.
Natalie Sisson founder of Suitcase Entrepreneur
