8 Lessons from 8 Years in Business

Following on from yesterdays post sharing behind the scenes of my 8 years in business, here are the biggest lessons I learned along the way:

Lesson 1 – We can’t do this alone

I have constantly invested in myself, whether that’s masterminds, group programs, or 1:1 coaching. I have also very intentionally surrounded myself with like-minded women (and because that has been such an important part of my own journey, I have created that for my clients with The Lab, my signature group coaching and mastermind).

Being there supporting each other and having each other’s backs.

It’s GAME-CHANGING.

Growing a business is the biggest personal development journey we could ever go on and surrounding yourself with the right people and having the right conversations will lift you up again and again and again.

It happens every round of the Lab – I get messages saying:

“OMG I’m a different person”, or “Jo, without the push and support that you and the group gave me, I would still be sitting in my ‘safe bubble’”

Find your tribe and let them lift you to your next level.

All of my business besties have come from joining masterminds. I invest in Business Coaching and Leadership Masterminds because I know I make so much more progress when I invest in myself and when I surround myself with the right people….and have the right conversations.

You can’t play small…there is nowhere to hide!

Lesson 2 – It’s ok that it feels messy sometimes and that you don’t always have clarity on your best next move

I didn’t always have clarity around my next move and I remember one of my amazeballs entrepreneur friends, Cat, sending me a message after one of our regular catch-ups:

“With action comes clarity”.

So I took it. Messy, uncomfortable action! And that’s when the clarity started to come.

Action brings clarity.

Action brings confidence.

Exactly why all of my programs are focused on getting you “activated” and into (imperfect) action mode because that’s how you find all your answers.

You won’t always have everything lined up and perfect, systems in place, perfect clarity, ducks in a row, message and niche nailed. There will be times as you evolve and outgrow offers where you won’t have the clarity you desire.

You just have to get out there and experiment – again. (I treat everything like an experiment, it makes it easier for me to give things ago). Again why the main way to work with me is in what’s called a “Lab”.

Lesson 3 – You will get in your own way and you will also get out of your own way too!

At every stage of the journey, I have had a pretty massive limiting belief about something that’s felt really restricting, frustrating, and challenging.

I openly share that I have built my business on self-doubt because it’s very true. Here are some examples of personal blocks I have faced:

• Not thinking I had ANY skills to offer
• Thinking I wasn’t good enough
• Thinking everything I offered wasn’t valuable
• Feeling like a fraud
• Thinking my business would always be ‘average’

I’m proud to say that I blasted through each one of these (not with ease I might add and not always quickly either!) and because of that I know I will blast through the next ‘limiting thought’ that shows up for me.

The same is true for you. Trust and keep doing the mindset work. EVERY SINGLE DAY!

This is also why all of my programs come with mindset strategies.

The lesson here is that you are normal. It’s completely normal to have thoughts about not being good enough…

…just don’t believe everything your mind tells you!

Lesson 4 – Your values matter

My top value when I started my business was “Freedom”.

I had a very clear idea of what life I wanted to design, and fast forward a few years and I had created a “freedom business and life”.

I worked from anywhere in the world. I chose my hours. I had no debt, was financially supported by my business, and was even making a small profit.

Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?!

But then I felt disconnected – because I had created a business that didn’t also meet my value of “connection”.

Know what feels good. Know your values. Make sure you only invest with Coaches and Mentors who have the same kind of values otherwise you will not be a good match (yes sadly I know this one from experience).

Build your business based on your values. Authenticity is another one of my values. My business feels great right now because it’s aligned with what matters to me:

– I’ve created my version of freedom

– I am fully connected having adjusted my offerings accordingly

– I’m authentically showing up and keeping it real (I wish more people would do this because what you see isn’t always the reality but that’s a rant for another day!).

Lesson 5 – Put yourself on a learning ban

I’ve talked about this before so I’ll keep it brief. The year I put myself on a learning ban, stopped signing up for webinars, listening to all the podcasts, and instead unsubscribed from newsletters and stopped scrolling and focusing on what everyone else was doing…..

….is the year I doubled my business.

Ditch distractions. Stay focused on your own lane. Comparison is not going to move you closer to your goals.

Lesson 6 – Intentionally step away from your business

This has been so important. Every year I invest in a business mastermind. I’ve masterminded in Bali, Thailand, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, and Spain so far.

Creating space that’s for you and your business is really powerful. Reconnecting to your mission, your purpose, your business – away from the day to day – is where the transformation happens.

This week I hosted a one-day virtual retreat for my Lab community and they have been feeling like different people since.

It’s activated them again.

Getting out of the day-to-day and creating space for new dreams, ideas, and clarity to drop is how you keep growing (and not just existing). I’m going to make virtual one day retreats a regular part of The Lab now it was so powerful 💗

Lesson 7 – Meant for More Success is different

You’re looking at someone on Instagram and wondering why haven’t been able to pull that off yet??

Firstly, it’s their front stage – you have no idea what’s happening behind the scenes.

I have seen behind the scenes of lots of successful entrepreneurs and I can tell you we all have a different idea of what success looks like.

The 6 figure business owner who works ALL the hours and is burnt out – not my idea of success.

The gorgeous go-getter, with the perfect “Instagram life” who has massive debt – not my idea of success.

The 7 figure biz owner who doesn’t make a profit – not my idea of success.

It’s about doing business on YOUR terms. You get to choose what success looks like.

I want my business to feel fulfilling, I want to have fun in the process and to have lots of savings in the bank. I want to give back in my business.

Meant for More Success is about creating a fun, fulfilling, and profitable business – working on YOUR terms.

This leads me to:

Lesson 8 – Be more YOU.

The more I show up as “Jo” the better my business performs (and the more fun I have – another value 😘). I attract the most amazing clients when I’m “just being me”. Try it and see what positive impact it has….

WOWSERS….that was long.

I really hope it’s helped.

Wherever you are on your journey, please know I understand, I have been there, and not so long ago, which means I am a great person to support you because I can still feel the emotion that you are currently experiencing and I can share how I blasted through whatever stage you’re at in biz.

Over and out amazing lady. The world needs more empowered women doing life and business on their terms.

Keep going and know there is no one “right” way to grow a business but you will need to “embrace the experiment” and surround yourself with a tribe!

Big love Jo x