Four Things I Learned On My Journey to Building A Successful Business

Building a successful business doesn’t happen overnight and it takes a lot of time, investing in your personal and professional growth, and nonstop belief in yourself and your business.

There are many misconceptions about what it takes to start of business. Of course, you need to register with your Secretary of State Office and the IRS, then develop a business plan – but what next?

Here are some quick things I learned on my journey to creating a successful social enterprise. 

1) Believe in Yourself… No Matter What

A lot of people encouraged me to work for a company instead of starting a company. I had just finished my graduate program at Yale and was hired to work as a Policy Director at a large nonprofit organization in Los Angeles. I believed in the organization’s mission, but I had my own dreams. 

Leaving the organization where I volunteered, interned and developed so much of myself for years was difficult, but I’m glad I believed in myself. 

On my way to the first day of my internship at a large nonprofit organization

- May 2011, Los Angeles, CA

But it wasn’t an easy journey.

People would often remind me that most businesses fail and although I’m sure they probably felt they were “giving good advice,” I grew to understand that they were really operating out of fear of the unknown (and ultimately projecting their feelings). Starting a business when you could work at any company did not make sense to many, but it made sense to me and that’s all that mattered. 

5 years in as an entrepreneur and I would take every struggle I’ve endured on my way to success over choosing a pathway that was not destined for me. I dream too big to be boxed in and am glad I ignored those people. If you’re thinking about taking that leap into entrepreneurship, simply jump. 

2) TWO Business Essentials

Most businesses start off rocky until you find your rhythm – many people call this implementing a system. Essentially, you structure your business in a way where you can repeat the same successful process over and over and over again. Once you get to this point, your business begins to operate smoothly on its own because you found that unique formula that works, but it takes work to get there.

Finding the right business tools and customers is important, but there are 2 other things I deem to be essential to business growth.

Diligence.

“People aren’t buying my product.” “I’m running out of money.” “This person wants a refund.” Things usually go bad before they get better in business, especially if you have never run a business before. 

At its core, business is about creating a solution or product to a problem or need, and fundamentally, as long as that problem and need exists, there will always be a need for someone to create something greater.  

Diligence and pushing past the trials and tribulations will get you to a point where your business operates smoothly (and profitably/successfully). Remember to stay focused, create your system, and keep pushing forward. Giving up when things get hard is the easy solution – believe in yourself enough to push past it.

Who knows where you’ll end up.

Forbes 30 under 30 honoree Event

- December 2019, New York City, NY

3) Invest in your personal business growth. 

“Give someone a fish and you feed them for a day; teach someone to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.” - Proverbs

This commonly used proverb is important to apply in business as well. You can have a business name, are registered with your state and IRS and may even have a domain name for your website, but if you do not take the necessary steps to learn and grow, you’ll be eating fish the rest of your life instead of going to get them.

Investing in your personal business growth means doing your research to find what resources are available to ensure your success. Reading books, listening to industry experts who were once in your shoes, attending conferences to learn, network and connect with new people, and developing unique skillsets are just some of the ways to invest in your personal business growth.

Heading to LAX Airport for our first event at Philander Smith College.

- September 2017

Ultimately, this leads to a more business savvy you, which leads to an overall more refined and successful business. 

PS: Be careful of those “business gurus” in the world who have never run a successful business that charge aspiring business owners for e-books, master classes and one-on-one consultations. Don’t fall for the things that are counterproductive to your growth. If they are sharing screenshots of their MRR (monthly recurring revenue), you probably want to head in the opposite direction. 

Go above and beyond and find the right resources for you. 

4) Game changer – Hiring a Team

The most unexpected game changer was going from being a solo entrepreneur, to hiring and learning how to manage a team. I learned so much on my journey and fought hard to make it successful. 

I taught myself every skill needed – I designed our logo, developed our business strategy, conducted all of our market research, created our info and pitch decks, developed our social media content, built and secured partnerships and clients, developed our outreach strategy, sent invoices, managed our books, filed taxes, developed our website, wrote press releases. Literally every business function that makes a business run. 

Talk about burn out!

I was so overwhelmed and got so used to doing many good things on my own, but hiring a team makes our work EXCELLENT.

Developing a team who believes in your vision is the hardest part. Some people may be there solely for the money, and there’s nothing wrong with that – but a real team truly buys in to the work you do. I’m fortunate to have an amazing team of people who care about my company as I do, and it’s the biggest blessing 

Dr. Dennis Johnson is a Godsend and I can breathe (and live) better now. 

I hope these quick tips help you as you start your journey in entrepreneurship. 

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