Whether web designer, artist, or coach – the possibility of freedom and self-generated income is so appealing!
However, many get quickly burnt-out and disillusioned on this path. That’s because no one teaches us how to have a business AND be creative all at once. It’s quite a challenge!
So, from my very own Been-There-Done-That files, here are the Top 10 Mistakes Solo-preneurs Make in Business…
1 – Not scheduling Vision-Time.
If you don’t take time away from your business for visioning and thinking, it’s easy to become a reactor, not a creator.
A business is dynamic and organic. (So are you!) Shape and create your business by taking time out for planning and visioning your desires and new directions.
2 – Too much Vision Time!
Some people are forever analyzing and planning, afraid of doing the wrong thing or of failure. At some point, you must take action. Just know that failure is only failure if you give up!
3 – Waiting for rescue.
Book deals. Hit records. Getting on Oprah. A huge IPO.
Hey, great things can and DO happen all the time in life. However, waiting for something to “sweep you away” is a surefire path to frustration.
Having a business is an on-going relationship. It can be remarkable! But like any relationship, it requires attention and action. Hoping for rescue is a sign that you’re afraid of the potential of your own power!
4 – Living in the “Field of Dreams.”
Remember these amazing words?
“If you build it, they will come.”
Really? I can do that, and everything else will be taken care of?
Well, sort of. There IS truth in that famous line.
But too often, people think it means, “All I have to do is put up my sign – and the world will rush to my door.”
This can lead to disillusionment. That’s because “building it” is not a one-time thing!
Here’s another way to look at it:
“If you build it they will come. But if you build it and market it, they’ll pay you!”
5 – Making problems a problem.
Donald Trump advises something that contradicts every positive thinking tenet out there. He says to expect problems.
Yes, even if you’re a mindset junkie!
Glitches, hiccups, snafus. Hey, they happen. (Like the manufacturers printing my CD booklet wrong!) Too often, we let problems paralyze us, and steal our time and emotions. Successful people expect “problems,” and always put their focus on finding the solution!
6 – Taking numbers personally.
Much of business is a numbers game. Sometimes the numbers are low. Sometimes they’re high!
Numbers are just numbers. They are not the Universe’s way of telling you that you should give up and get a job at The Gap!
7 – Waiting to “feel like it.”
Creative types often don’t market themselves until they “feel like it.” Which – let’s face it – is never!
Marketing works best as a system. Robert Middleton says, “Marketing is not only about being known, it’s about not being forgotten.” In other words, learn how to market so you won’t have to dread it!
(If you don’t know how or what to market, then you definitely need to be on my teleseminar on July 29th!)
8 – Reactive Business-ing.
Is this you?
Every now and then, you realize you have no clients. You panic. You go on a marketing/cold-calling binge. You fill your schedule. And for months, you can barely breathe, let alone hire someone or continue marketing.
Sure enough, it shifts. The projects end. The clients are gone. Suddenly, your calendar is empty. The cycle begins again.
I call this Reactive Businessing. It is one of the unhealthiest habits out there. Set an intention to create a new pattern.
9 – Status-before-Spotlight Thinking.
All too often, we wait to “deserve” the spotlight. We hope for enough status, letters after our names, or training before we’ll make the slightest move toward a bigger opportunity.
News Flash: No amount of outside status can create worthiness. Success happens when we take chances and play bigger, regardless of outside status.
10 – Not investing in yourself.
Every successful entrepreneur invests time and money in herself and her business. She attends workshops and teleseminars. She hires coaches.
Too many of us go it alone. This leads to limited thinking, isolation, and burn out.
When an opportunity arrives, don’t ask: “How much does it cost to do this?” Ask instead: “How much will it cost me NOT to do this?” This simple question has changed my life!
This guest post was written by Christine Kane. Performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane publishes her ‘LiveCreative’ weekly ezine with more than 4,000 subscribers. If you want to be the artist of your life and create authentic and lasting success, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to LiveCreative at http://www.christinekane.com/.