This year was a year of growth for me, both personally and as a business owner. Growth not only as in demand, but even more so in a self-improvement kind of way. I learned so much about myself and about running a business, and the other night I sat down to think about what the biggest lessons for me were. This is what it came down to.
Mindset Matters
Holy smokes, does mindset matter. I dug into all the self-improvement books I could get my hands on this year, which was so valuable for me. It instilled a healthier mindset in me as a human being and as a business owner. On days when I felt in a funk or like my mind wasn’t in the right place, I’d go work out and then talk it out with my hubs to get some clarity. After doing those two things, I’d feel 10x better and ready to tackle whatever was in front of me (in a good way).
You have to take care of yourself in order to best take care of your business.
Lemme say it again: your business will begin to thrive when you yourself are thriving. That means, you’ve gotta take care of yourself! What makes you happy? Act on those things. What feels like it’s missing? Find a way to add those things to your life. Get intentional. Be resourceful. If you feel like you need therapy, do therapy. If you need someone to hold you accountable for working out and pursuing a healthier lifestyle, find an accountability partner or join a gym class. It could be as simple as setting one night a week as your day where you can do whatever you want (take a bath, cook an exquisite dinner, read a good book, knit – you do you)! Whatever makes your soul happy, do that, and you’ll notice your business will follow suit.
It’s okay to take it slow (or slow down)
I’ll be honest, this year was super fast-paced for us. We photographed a handful of weddings, moved across the state, Lyndon started grad school and I became our sole source of income which meant that the two of us were working/studying double-time in the evenings and on weekends. I haven’t minded it at all, but when we finally took a vacation last week, I realized how much extra work I have been putting in, and how good it felt to take a break for a week. For next year, I’m planning on being much more intentional and batch-working so that I can slow down a little more regularly, ensuring that I’m not overworking myself.
On a similar note, I’ve learned that it’s so so so much more valuable for you as a business owner if you can lay the foundation for things rather than diving in right at the get-go. For example, with the Heart to Heart podcast I pretty much just jumped in without a ton of planning. What I should have done was had a handful of episodes ready to go when we launched so that both me and my editor didn’t have to scramble to get things ready in time for the weeks to come! So learn from me, take it slow and make sure you have everything in place before launching anything new!
You can’t make everyone happy.
Oh, this was a tough one for me! I had one wedding this season with the most amazing couple. I loved working with them and believed they felt the same way. But, at some point something shifted and they stopped responding and then unfollowed me on Instagram. When I’d try to get in touch, I got crickets. It was a tough pill for me to swallow but I had to believe that I did the best with what I was given, and learned from areas I could have done better in. At another wedding I was lectured by the mother of the bride, but again I had to believe that I had done my best with what I had been given. In that case, I knew the couple was happy which was the best I could ask for. But, those were only a couple of instances among the many many more couples who gave me more love than I could ask for, and who trusted me wholeheartedly. I learned that they were the ones I should be placing my energy and thoughts on!
The more you take on, the less you can give.
Another hard pill for me to swallow, but incredibly valuable! I love projects, I love dreaming up new ideas and acting on them. But, when you take on too many responsibilities, you can no longer give the adequate attention to each area. You begin to lose focus and you cannot deliver the same level of product/service to those who you’re catering to. They say that once you go over 3 main areas, it’s incredibly hard to deliver well among all of them. Three or less is a good sweet spot in order to give your best to each one!
You’ve gotta make sure you’re covered financially.
Keep those wedding deposits! Put them in savings, and keep 1/3 of each payment in savings to cover your taxes at the end of the year, too. I ran into a couple of big investments this year including replacing a lens and investing in insurance. However, because I had planned accordingly I was able to cover each of them without stressing. That was the best feeling. So be smart and make sure you’re covered. On that note…
Be choosy about what you invest in.
There are so many great educational opportunities out there, and some incredible pieces of equipment. But, be wise about where & when you’re investing your money. Is it something that will benefit you right now? Is it something that will really benefit you in the long-run? Will you be able to get your money out of it? Those are all good questions to ask before making a big purchase. When it comes to equipment, you can do a lot with beginner pieces of equipment – I know from experience. If you’re interested in a newer piece, see if there’s a photographer in the area you can borrow from or rent it from LensRentals (my favorite!) before buying, to make sure you really like it first! Once you’ve really thought about it (longer than just one day), and you still feel like it’s a good investment for you, then go for it. But, try not to spontaneously spend money!
Take it from me, these lessons will help tremendously for you as a business owner! Here’s to a new year filled with new experiences, opportunities, and lessons. I can’t wait to see what it brings.
What was one of your biggest takeaways this year?
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