I have to tell you; the process of starting a new business feels like a big mountain to climb over. It’s a (mostly) fun big mountain, but a mountain all the same. I think starting something completely new after having success in another field can be overwhelming for almost anyone. I am not a one step at a time kind of girl. Once I decide to do something, I tend to jump in the deep end and figure out how to swim along the way or climb that proverbial mountain all in one go with no rest and certainly no looking back.

To be honest, this way of tackling things can be a double-edged sword for me. Single-minded focus is a good thing to have in our world full of distractions, but I am also training myself to slow down and take life one bite at a time these days so I can enjoy the experience a little more.

One thing I learned from my previous business is the importance of having a business plan. This was something that I did not take the time to do before that I eventually regretted. This time around, I took the time to make a plan before I even got my real estate license. Although that plan can always change as things evolve, having some sort of structure starting out has been very helpful in keeping me focused and on task as well as enabling me to enjoy the journey of starting something new.

Another thing that has been key to starting this new thing is the disciplined action of doing the hard things first every day. Those tasks that must be done in order for a business to be successful are usually the hardest to make yourself do, (aka lead generation…inward groan). I have learned to make the time needed for those particularly uncomfortable and sometimes unpleasant, but necessary things sacred time that is always scheduled first thing in the morning, no matter what. Much like my hard workout first thing in the morning, I don’t think too hard about it, I just take immediate action before my brain can convince me to put it off. Our brains REALLY like convincing us to put off hard stuff.

Lastly, and this is the hardest for me, I let go of the need for everything to be perfect or the need to know everything about a certain subject before I take action. You may ask, how does she jump in with both feet and also feel the need for perfection? Trust me, I ask myself this all the time and I have yet to figure it out completely. What I mean by perfection though is the tendency to NEED to have that perfect website, logo, social media post, business card layout, flawless punctuation on an email, etc. I like to call this perfection procrastination. The act of doing a lot of hours of work and getting very little actually done. This was one of the biggest reasons for me starting this blog. I told my husband that a minimum of one post per week was going out, no matter what. And if it’s not perfect, it’s still getting posted because action trumps perfection and perfection comes with taking actually action and learning from the mistakes that inevitably happen.

To sum it all up, jump in with both feet, but remember to have a plan so the journey can be savored, do the hard shit first every day and keep that time sacred, and stop trying to make everything look, sound, or feel perfect before you just take action. Best of luck to anyone starting something new and kudos to you for having the courage. 💙