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28th Oct 2019
Barre Body and Bende founder, Emma Seibold, has launched a six-part start-up series that aims to help you take your idea from a seedling to a blossoming business. In this series, Seibold will share her journey, as well as the tips, tricks, and lessons she’s learnt along the way. Read on for part six, see part five here.
We are now at the business end (pardon the pun) of this series. In this final part, I’d love to share 10 important pieces of advice for you on your start up adventure. These are some of my most valuable learnings over the past eight years since starting Barre Body.
My journey has been fun, exciting and overwhelmingly positive, but it hasn’t always been easy and there have been some pretty major setbacks along the way. I welcome a challenge as those periods of time, events and people tend to stretch and grow me as a human and as a businesswoman. I truly hope that your journey is exciting and passion-filled and not without little bumps in the road as they are your growing opportunities.
Go for it
Don’t wait until all of your ducks are in a perfect row. Get them roughly lined up (be prepared to switch out your ducks on the fly) and go for it! Fortune favours the bold and the brave.
Believe in yourself and your concept
Self-belief is a huge predictor of success in my opinion. Believe that you are capable and worthy of great things.
Surround yourself with positive and supportive people
Don’t share your ideas with nay-sayers. It’s helpful to have constructive feedback but avoid the types that will doubt your ideas and deflate your enthusiasm and confidence. Confide in and surround yourself with people who are going to lift you up and be in your corner. Not just in business but in every aspect of your life. Anyone who has ever started a business knows it tends to seep into the rest of your life, so you want to have the right people around you.
Find a mentor or sounding board
Find someone to meet with regularly to advise and counsel you. I’ve never actually had a mentor myself but I’ve been lucky to partner with my husband on our business and so we have each other to consult and bounce things off. If you can’t find anyone, become an avid reader of books and listener of podcasts. I’ve learnt many business, life and spiritual lessons in my car.
Learn how to manage your time
One of the best business books I have ever read was How to Get Things Done (US title: Getting Things Done) by David Allen. I’ve always been a pretty organised person but this book took time and task management to the next level for me and has made me enormously more productive. Learning how to properly manage your time is one of the best investments you can make in your professional (and personal) development.
Save money
Do as much yourself as you can. Ask Google and YouTube. They know everything and can teach you how to DIY.
Know the numbers and the why behind the numbers
It’s not my favourite part of the business but it is so beneficial to know how to read and interpret your cashflow and profit and loss statements. A bit dull for some but so, so worth it.
Get legal and accounting advice
Find out things like whether you should be a sole trader or company, whether you should register for GST, whether you should trademark or patent, and other important things.
Continue to develop yourself
Never stop learning. Learn about business, leadership, new technologies, self-mastery and anything that interests you. It will help you to stay motivated and grow your skills and knowledge.
Know your why
There is a fantastic Ted Talk by Simon Simek that explains this better than I ever could, but he essentially says that great companies know and express why they are in business and what they stand for.
Above all, I believe in being principled and generous in business. Be kind, be honest and don’t compromise your values. I hope that this series has served you and given you some useful insights for your own journey. Connect with me on social media and let me how you go.
Emma Seibold is the founder of Barre Body and Bende. Follow her on Instagram at @emmaseibold.
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