Running a small business is ______.
How would you fill in that blank? Rewarding? Challenging? Tiring? Surprising? A shitshow?
D. All of the above?
Probably D. All of the above.
We have a learned a lot about running a small business in the last 2 years and we wanted to share a few of those lessons with you on this FLAVNT Friday:
1. You are going to drink sooooo much coffee. So maybe invest in a decent coffee maker so you don't spend all your profits on Starbucks.
2."Profits" lol. But real talk, you're gonna be pretty poor, but if you're paying (at least some of) your bills doing something you love then who's the real winner here?
3. Get out of bed and get dressed. Seriously. It makes all the difference in the world to go to work in an outfit you'd wear to any "normal" job, so don't wear sweats every day because you're working from home. It'll just encourage you to watch Netflix all day long (not that we've ever done that).
4. Be active throughout the day. Over at FLAVNT we do pushups every hour on the hour, because you gotta flex your real muscles as well as your creative ones. But really, getting out of your chair will help the day move along much quicker!
5. Speaking of chairs -- we are pro-standing desks over at our home office. Something about a computer at standing height is just so NICE. And if you're going to have a standing desk -- MAKE your own. they're hella expensive at furniture stores.
6. Carry business cards with you at all times. Seriously. Even to the gym. I can't tell you how many times we have been in a shirt of ours and been left reaching for a business card only to find that we did not bring any. It's a struggle, but put them by your front door so you just grab a few every time you leave the house.
7. If/when you're written about in media/newspapers/on Tv etc. tweet/email the person who covered you and your business and thank them! It's not only professional to do so and acknowledge their acknowledgment of you, but if in the future you need a connection with that media outlet you will at least have corresponded with them ever-so-slightly.
8. Find a mail center! Or you could find yourself walking over a mile several times a week to a post office in Brooklyn, only to find out that their was a shipping center two blocks from your apartment. Nbd. Not like you slushed through snow with 30+ packages in a grocery cart on the regular.
9. People are going to hate on you, especially if you do a lot of your advertising on social media. That's fine, you can't please everyone -- you're not tequila.
10. Stay true to your goals and your message. There will be days you want to quit. Don't. Remember why you started and do your best every single day.