The Biggest Mistakes I Made Starting My Communications Consultancy
When I started my company, I was in a unique position of already having a big client lined up, one that could pay my bills on its own. Because this client said “We need you to be a company, not just a contract worker,” I Googled how to set up an LLC in Washington State, registered my business, and started getting to work on the day to day tasks involved. I also had an eight week old baby.
Had I not started out a little bit ahead of myself—and I’m certainly not complaining. That client was a gift and the kick in the pants I needed to believe that I could—I didn’t give myself a chance to get my administrative systems in place. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, either. We all have to start somewhere. But, looking back on my big toddler company, here’s what I would have done differently had I not begun in a rush:
Gotten my administrative systems in place, mostly with regard to contracts, payment stipulations on my invoices (please make sure you add a line in your contracts and on your invoices about late payments and what you charge for those, so EVERYONE is aligned upfront and you don’t have to beg for money).
Talked to more people in similar positions to see how they run their companies, what their biggest learnings were, and how we could be resources to each other.
Thought about my marketing strategy. I HATE marketing myself and I honestly feel really grossed out about running an Instagram page for my business, so I don’t. I also stopped cold emailing/DMing potential clients because it wasn’t working and made me feel like I looked desperate. I created a LinkedIn page for my business and I have a website, but I’ve spent more time this year really dialing into what makes the most sense for me (based on my Human Design) in how I market my business—this blog post is actually a manifestation of that.
Written a list of goals and tracked against them. Whether it was a revenue goal, type of client goal, or coffee dates, I do well with trackable goals. Because I was so focused on the work in front of me, I didn’t sit down and think about the bigger picture. What do I really want this to be? Last year, I started taking us on a yearly retreat to goal-set and find inspiration, however, I should be checking in with myself quarterly. When you’re used to having a boss, you sometimes don’t even think to measure yourself against…yourself.
Figured out how and when to rest. And rest well. Even from the NICU after having our daughter, I worked. I have a busy brain and running my own shop means no worky, no money. Pre-planned time to rest, though—I really do need to be better about that.
Some of these things I’d never thought about because I never really had to, but it’s not a good feeling to have them catch up to you. Planning and pivoting and planning and pivoting again is the nature of my life now, and I’ve come to really embrace it, especially when I feel out of control. I’m often asked if I’ll ever go back into a corporate role and I always say, “I really hope not.” :)
What were your biggest lessons starting out?
