Top 5 resources that have shaped my business journey.
Every successful entrepreneur knows that investing in personal development and training is worth its weight in gold. It is a well-known fact that business owners who go it alone don’t have as much success as those who collaborate or find a mentor to propel them forward to achieving their goals. When you start investing in yourself and levelling up both professionally and personally, you will experience major vibrational shifts across all areas of your life. The need to continually work on developing a positive mindset, staying motivated and pushing through the barriers is increasingly more important for entrepreneurs than employees.
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”
Napoleon Hill
According to SME loans, 64% of the British population would like to set up their own business but there is also still a significant gender gap in making those dreams a reality.
So, what holds us, women, back from taking the plunge?
Economic uncertainty or worry about relying on our partner being the sole breadwinner.
Fear of the unknown.
Imposter syndrome of either not being good enough or will my idea work?
Here I share my insights into what has inspired my mindset shift for wanting to pursue a life outside of the 9-5 to forge ahead as a business owner. Over the last 12 months, I have been influenced by a significant number of factors; career coaching, connecting with like-minded individuals, podcasts, changing my lifestyle habits and reading inspiring developmental books.
1. 12 Group Career Coaching programme
In January 2020, I was lucky to work with six like-minded female professionals as part of a 12-week career change programme which kick-started my confidence, motivation and belief that I could effectively forge a portfolio career. As part of the programme, we reviewed limiting beliefs that are entirely conditioned by external forces, as well as looking at personal factors that have influenced our lives. I highly recommend career coaching to anyone who is uncertain about their direction or lacks confidence as it is a solid investment for the next step of your journey. Without this programme, I would never have had the courage to think outside of the box and give up my job without a solid backup plan. Following my newfound confidence, I was able to then start having productive and future led conversations with my partner and close friends about making my dream become a reality.
2. In Her Financial Shoes podcast by Catherine Morgan
It is a well-known fact that women are not as confident as men in making financial decisions. I have started to take a more vested interest in learning about financial services and products as this is a key part of being a successful business owner. It is your responsibility to understand tax, payroll, cash flow and also knowing how to make the savviest investments from your earnings; whether it is through a private pension or stocks and shares ISA. Thanks to this podcast, I have kickstarted my money mindset homework to avoid unnecessary pitfalls when it comes to financial planning, and also to avoid spending money on courses that won’t benefit me right now. I will certainly continue on this financial planning journey as starting out in business will teach us invaluable life lessons. It will be interesting to see my money story five years from now!
3. Bizology Soundbites podcast by Jo Soley
Jo specialises in applying numerology to ascertain your life path number, approach number and personal year number. While this isn’t for everyone, I did find it beneficial to understand a little more about me as a business owner. I recently attended her 3-day free facebook challenge to work out my numbers which give me a fascinating insight into my working style and drawing on key strengths. My life path number is a seven which is ‘the seeker’ and also gave me clarity on my thought processes and ability to reflect deeply before making big life and business decisions. Your approach number is the day on which you were born which corresponds to personality types in business. My approach number is one as I was born on the 10th of the month (1+0) which symbolises leadership qualities. Lastly, there is also a personal year number which explains why some years are better in business than others as we run our lives in nine-year cycles. For example, my personal year is currently in year five which equates to adventure and change. This is certainly the case for me in 2021 as I embark on a journey of self-employment and also making a big house move out of the city. I plan on learning more about how numbers can impact the success of your business. There is so much more to learn about understanding numbers in business. I am looking forward to exploring this further so I can put my best foot forward and personalise the process as every business owner's experience is different.
4. Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
This is available as both a book and a podcast. I have learnt that most successful entrepreneurs take charge of their morning routine which sets them up for the day ahead. I am certainly not part of the 5 am club which Hal strongly endorses. My circadian rhythm is not naturally that of a morning person as my productivity and alertness are more alive in the evenings. However, I have been noticing shifts when adopting an earlier morning rise and using the hour before starting work to do my 5K run three times a week. We can’t change our life-long habits overnight but I am hoping to adopt more mindfulness and meditation into my morning routine to get me off to a positive start to the day. I previously would jump out of bed with ten minutes to spare and rush around which isn’t the best start to anyone’s day. Also, running has given me great mental clarity and resilience as well as being a great stress relief when you are juggling far too many projects - I often get my lightbulb business moments on a run!
5. Thinking, Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman
This book certainly plays to my life number 7 introspective thinker tendencies. It certainly isn’t a quick read if you want to hear what the author is trying to convey. I read it chapter by chapter over three months so the message resonated with me. Kahneman is an established behavioural psychologist who believes in two thought systems; system 1 is fast, instinctive and emotional. System 2 is slower, more deliberative and more logical. He goes through the book outlining various experiments or tasks that would relate to each system i.e. 2+2=4 would fall under system 1, and driving into a tight parking space is part of system 2. Most human beings are a blend of both systems but can sometimes verge too far into either system and appear unbalanced. I highly recommend this read to anyone considering going into business as the two disciplines of business and psychology are very closely interlinked. I am sure I will re-read this book over and over again and each time get a different perspective on my modus operandi.