In today’s episode of the Goal Get It Podcast, I’m talking all about regrets.
I try not to have them, regrets specifically, but I’m also not immune to the “hindsight is 2020” way of looking at and learning from the things that we’ve done.
And while I know that I can’t go back and undo any of it or change the past, I can share with you some of the things that I wish I would’ve done differently this year, and in previous years to make life a little easier and to reach my goals a bit faster.
So that’s exactly what I’m diving into today.
Show Links:
Show Takeaways:
- Listen in to hear the business regrets I have from the past year
- Learn why I regret those decisions and what I would have done differently
- Understand why looking back at your past year and the regrets you have will help you to make the upcoming year easier and meet your goals faster
Rather read than listen? ⬇️
Let’s talk regrets. I try not to have them specifically but I am not immune to the hindsight is 20-20 way of looking at and learning from things that we have done. And while I can’t go back and undo any of it, or change the past, I can share with you some of the things that I wish I would’ve done differently this year and in previous years to make life a little easier and reach my goals a bit faster. So that is exactly what I am diving into today.
So, I have decided to begin pulling back the curtain and being totally transparent with different aspects of my business in what I am calling Behind The Scenes episodes of this podcast. While I’ve always shared openly about my own business and haven’t hidden anything, I know the value of intentionally taking a look at lessons as I am learning them so you learn them as well. And this is one of those episodes.
So, I’ve heard many entrepreneurs answer this question: if you could go back in time and do things over in your business, what would you do differently? That question is usually followed by an answer of “nothing, because everything I have done has led me exactly where I am now.” And I definitely feel that. I feel like every tiny individual decision I have made has led me to exactly where I am in business, my health, wealth, personal fulfillment, and lots of other areas too.
But I also know the value of learning lessons as you look back to inform your next decisions and to help others sidestep those same mistakes or mishaps so they can learn from you. So here I am pulling back the curtain and honestly answering what I would’ve done differently in my business if I had it to do all over again.
#1: Be More Financially-Minded From The Start
I’ll start with a doozy. I would’ve been more financially minded from the beginning. When I first started my business, I dove headfirst into a $5000 coaching package that did NOT deliver. I started my business in debt and it has taken a while to get to a place where I could pay myself what I should be earning from my own business. Now, I will never say that investing in yourself is a waste of money, but because I was so new, I just accepted that this coach would get me to the $10k months she promised without checking to see if we were a good fit or not. I just tried throwing money at the problem. I definitely would have changed who I invested in and/or how I approached having a coach at that time.
#2: Stay Aligned & True to Myself
The second one was keeping my own opinions, values, & priorities as king while being able to accept coaching. Now, this came as part of a completely different coaching relationship, one that I do not regret being a part of. But what ended up happening with this is I let her recommendations of what I should do become what I did without ensuring that I was aligned with that decision. If you have been with me since early 2021, you may remember Profitable Empire, a 4-week program for new entrepreneurs to sign their first client in just 4 weeks. The idea for that course came from that coach. The problem was, I was never a business coach. I penned myself a strategist and not a strategist for brand-new entrepreneurs, so it didn’t make sense for me to create a course for them. But I trusted her recommendation over my own intuition so I built that course and sold it. And it was good. It was really good. But it wasn’t the thing I wanted to be known for. I was stuck in an employee mindset of “tell me what to do and I will do it” and I needed to have the CEO mindset of “this is my business and my legacy. I am responsible for steering the ship.” If I had listened to my own gut and trusted myself, who knows what I might have been able to create that was just as good if not better, specifically for the audience I wanted to serve.
#3: Cultivate Relationships & Network Earlier
Another thing is I would’ve started creating meaningful relationships with other entrepreneurs sooner. For a few reasons. 1. Entrepreneurship is lonely. I found myself really struggling with that until I specifically started finding other online entrepreneurs who I could just connect with, talk to, commiserate with, and share struggles with about business yes but even about all other aspects of life and how people who are not entrepreneurs really just don’t understand what it involves. The 2nd reason is that even in online business, you must build relationships. If you want to be successful, people need to know your name and having a group of people who bring up your name (in a good way) when you are not in the room is imperative.
#4: Consistently Focus on Growing My Email List
And finally I would’ve focused on list-building consistently. I have had some luck at different times with growing my list but it has ever been a consistent focus and because of that, I feel like I have made things unnecessarily harder on myself. While I don’t think you need a giant list in order to be successful, having an engaged list of those who truly want your help is a game changer.
What I’ve Done Well Since Day One
Now, I also want to take a minute to share the things I feel that I have done well in business, in case one of these helps spar something for you.
WIN: Treated My Business Like A Business
First, I treated my business like a business from day 1. I had business bank accounts, carved out time specific to that, and prioritized my clients and how to serve them well.
WIN: Made Learning A Regular Part of Business
Second, I always made time to learn and envision where I wanted the business to go. Life-long learning is a personal value of mine and one of the business values as well. I feel like there is always something new to be learned or a way to do something a little bit better and have reached for and invested those opportunities.
WIN: Gave Myself Permission to Pivot
Also, I gave myself permission to evolve & pivot. I moved from DFY systems builds to business strategy to goals coaching & productivity strategy. As I got clearer and clearer about what my ideal clients needed and my unique zone of genius I let myself refocus and even rebrand to maintain alignment.
WIN: Set Goals
And this one may be no surprise to you but I always set goals. I always gave myself something to work toward and outlined what that was initially.
WIN: Hired Help
And finally, I invested in help when I needed it. I have had coaches when I’ve gotten stuck or needed a bit of perspective, I have hired VAs for help with social media, and I currently have an incredible podcast editor. I know that it is to my advantage to outsource the things that I don’t enjoy doing and don’t need to do.
Action Step:
I always like to end each episode with an action step that you can take right now to help you move forward and begin to implement immediately. Here is your action step for this episode: In this season of reflection, ask yourself this question: If I could do it all over again, what would I have done differently? What have I done really well? Grab your journal and write down a few ideas.
