#1: The First Step to a Brilliant Business (It’s Not What You Think!)
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I’m incredibly excited to publish my first official episode of the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Podcast and that you’re here listening!
So, I want to say a HUGE thank you for listening in.
For the first episode, I’m starting at the beginning of most people’s journey’s so that if that’s where you are right now, you can get off to a better, more confident start and give yourself a reprieve from the comparisonitis and self-doubt that sneaks on board for the entrepreneurial ride.
here’s what we cover:
Why is it so hard to start a business and find all the information you need?
We have something to help you straight away, particularly if you’re in the early stages of your business
The single most important driver for a successful business - it’s not what you think - it’s your mindset
Step into your CEO shoes
Real growth and strength comes from your failures
How important learning the ‘why’ is and how it will help you grow
Do you have BIG Dreams?
Download the
Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Playbook
and start designing the business and life you deserve today!
Show Notes:
0:39
Hello! I’m so incredibly excited to publish my first official episode of the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Podcast and that you’re here listening! So, before I start, I want to say a HUGE thank you for listening in. For the first episode, I’m starting at the beginning of most people’s journey’s so that if that’s where you are right now, you can get off to a better, more confident start and give yourself a reprieve from the comparisonitis and self-doubt that sneaks on board for the entrepreneurial ride. One of the things most of my clients ask me when they first start working with me is, “Why is starting or running a business so hard? Why is it so difficult to find out what you need to do?” It’s a great question and one I completely understand. When I first started my business, all I had was a great idea, an ‘I won’t be beaten attitude’ plus some false bravado to get me going. That’s it! There was no rule book, no guidelines, no instructions, nothing. There was just Google. Google was my best friend. Sure, I had the skills to do the services I offered, but having an idea, skills and some bravado is not being a business owner. I could have taken the safe path and stayed gainfully employed in the corporate world and just continued to take home my monthly paycheck and not worry about anything else. But when you’ve got an entrepreneurial fire raging in your heart – that’s just not going to cut it, is it? It certainly didn’t for me, it didn’t for any of my clients. Yet it still begs the question, ‘Why is it so hard, and where is the handbook for building a business?’ The answer is actually quite simple. There isn’t a handbook. People have made snippets of how to build portions of a business but not the whole thing. Most likely because there are so many different business models, industries, services, and products. Plus, there is a little bit of the glass ceiling ideology hanging around where people like to hold onto information and guard it to keep themselves one step ahead of the competition. I think that’s small-minded thinking. We all do well if we all do well. So, it’s important to support each other where we can which is the purpose of this podcast. Back to the question of why it’s so hard and where is the business building handbook, in coming episodes we delve into all things business building, operations, web design, copywriting, branding, email marketing, and health wellness – the whole shebang! But for now, I’ve got something for you that can help straight away. Particularly if you’re in the early stages of your entrepreneurial journey. It will take away some of the headaches. It’s my Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Playbook. It’s FREE and it will give you the broad brushstroke steps you need to prioritise in order to start building the business – and life – you love. Head to my website at www.16thavecreative.com/playbook and download your copy for free. So, now that we’ve got a basic framework sorted for the moment with the Free playbook to download, I want to touch on the next most important thing that will put you on the path of success and heading towards your dreams. Have you got any thoughts on what it might be? It’s probably not what you’re thinking. It’s not your business plan or strategy, and it’s not a recommendation for the technology that will make your life easier (although you’ll get all those things in the Playbook). Nope. It’s your mindset. If you’re rolling your eyes, stop it! Mindset is so underrated by a lot of business owners yet it’s so incredibly potent. It affects everything you do in your life and your business because your thoughts dictate what your life looks like. Your thoughts control how you feel, think, and behave and we all know that 80% of the results come from 20% of the actions which are driven by your thoughts and beliefs. So, it’s in your best interest to pay some attention to yours.
5:15
If you’re just starting out, you’ll most likely be asking permission for everything in your business and feeling like a complete imposter and worried that everyone will see right through you. That’s because you’re still in your employee head. You know, where you need to check if you can go to the bathroom, if it’s ok to take a personal phone call, if it’s ok to book the holiday you’ve been planning for 3 years, to attend a once-in-a-lifetime event, or where you have to ask your boss if you can go home early because your toddler is sick. That’s an employee mindset, and it needs to stop now. Right now. Because you have a business to build! It’s time for you to step into your CEO shoes. Not just the shoes but the complete outfit.
6:05
Take a moment to visualise who you would most like to emulate if you could be any CEO or world-class entrepreneur in the world. Who would it be? Who inspires you? Is there someone that when they talk, you listen and seek out their wisdom?
6:24
Now, imagine that person is you. What does that feel like? How would you think about things if that were you? How would you act if you were that person? What decisions would you make? How would you enter a room and speak to the crowd? I want you to get clear on that visual, right down to how you’d dress and the actual shoes you’d wear. Do whatever you have to do to get into that headspace. Visualise it, feel it, and start talking to yourself as though you are that amazing person – because you already are! You just have to let yourself out of your box! You have to believe it. It’s all in your mindset. You’re stepping into this whole new world, so make the first step one of high impact. When I talk about impact, I’m referring to the impact on you personally. Because your business, and its success, depend on you - personally.
7:31
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be delving more deeply into how to put on those CEO shoes of yours and ways you can embrace a new way of thinking that will propel you forward and make the next steps of building your Brilliant Business have more flow and more ease. Because I’m all about helping you create a constant state of flow rather than the stress and anxiety of the hustle mentality that we see so often. We’re here to build not just the business of your dreams – but the life of your dreams. And that life has no room for the stress state, does it? So, over the next week I encourage you to get comfortable picking out your CEO shoes and getting into your CEO headspace because we’ll be picking up this conversation again. There’s a whole wonderful journey ahead. In the meantime, I want you to remember that as you start and grow your business, you will make mistakes. You will become frustrated, and at times you’ll feel like it’s all too hard and may want to give up – but that’s completely normal. But promise me you won’t beat up on yourself when that happens. Because it’s actually a really wonderful thing when we fail, and things get hard. Hear me out – I know that sounds weird. But think about it. Where do deep growth and strength come from? They don’t come from silver linings or handouts. They come from the hard places. From those moments, which can sometimes stretch from days into weeks and months, where you feel hopeless, lost, even stupid, or alone. And sometimes, you hit rock bottom and start to question every decision and action you’ve taken. But this is where the gold lies. In the bedrock. In those deep dark places, you want to run and hide from. All the mistakes you have made, and the others you will make along the way, will teach you how to do things better. And not just how to do them better but why. It’s often the why that is the most important thing to know. For example, if you simply read a book and follow all the steps from 1 – 10 to get the desired result, you’ve missed out on some deep learnings. You’ve missed out on the why. And it’s the why that will help you move to the next level, and the next, and then the one after that. The best way to learn something new is to understand exactly why you’re doing it and where it fits within the bigger picture. When you know the flow on effects from a particular action or decision, and you’re faced with the situation again (which is bound to happen), you’ll handle it entirely differently and come from a place of confidence and skill that you didn’t have the first time around. You’ll be more equipped to make great decisions rather than winging it and hoping for the best. Now, I know when I wing it, my tummy gets filled with butterflies whirling around while I cross my fingers and hope that it’s all going to pan out.
10:32
Now, sometimes you do need to take impulsive, intuitive actions and wing it, but it’s not something you should be doing as a daily practice. You’ve got to have some strategy behind your actions. And you’ll learn better strategies because of your failures. Isn’t that great? It puts things in a whole new, positive perspective. And it’s a critical perspective that you’ll embrace as you put on your CEO shoes. Take big, bold action every single day towards your goals. And guess what? When you do that, you are living a life bigger than 90% of the people around you! You’re going after your dreams – while they’re still sleeping and forming theirs.
11:14
Now that 90%, that’s not a Google-able figure, that’s something I just made up. But I feel that it’s about right. So go on! Mess up, fall down, wipe your tears – and keep getting up. Because Your dream is waiting, and the universe is watching to see what you’ll do next. And me, I’m here cheering you on every step of the way 😊 Because the time is now for the brilliant business – and life – of your dreams. Well, that was the very first episode of the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe, and tap the little bell so you’ll be notified every time a new episode drops, plus if you could rate the show and leave a positive review, I would be truly grateful. That way, the podcast can reach more people, and hopefully help others on their journey too. Thank you so much for being with me on the very first ride.
Links and Resources
Want to craft the perfect brand voice? Our free Brand Voice Framework will teach you the steps to define your unique brand voice so you can communicate with clarity and confidence - uniquely you!
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Are you ready to start building the business and life of your dreams? Get the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Playbook and design the life you deserve!
Check out our Services and get started building your brilliant business: Squarespace website design, copywriting, branding & organic online marketing
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The Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Podcast is dedicated to you - because you deserve the business – and life -
of your dreams!
PS. Download the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Playbook and start designing the business and life you deserve today!
LISTEN + SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS + SPOTIFY
Hi, I’m Samantha Bell
I’m all about helping you build the business – and life – you’ve always wanted.
Listen in for the simple, actionable strategies, mindset shifts, and practices you need to make your business thrive. Plus, a healthy dose of self-care, health, and wellness so you can live the life you absolutely adore while building your beautiful business.