5 Things I’ve Learned Since Starting My Operations Management Business

 

When I started my business, I did so for many reasons. 

 

I was bored, for one. All the jobs I’d ever had bored me to tears bc I never had enough to do or I didn’t feel like I was making an impact.⁣ I also wanted to touch people’s lives for the better.⁣ I needed something that would help people feel & be better, but that also utilized my personal skill set & made work fun. 

 

Now, I get to do what I’m great at, but I ALSO get to build connections with people & help them feel utter relief, empowerment, & joy. I get to serve while still being empathetic towards my clients.⁣ Plus, I wanted to be all-in as a wife and mom – not having to “make” things work when my daughter needed me there for something or asking permission to take care of my husband when he was sick.

 

But none of this comes easy. The freedom and the money you hear all about from other entrepreneurs online comes with LOTS of growing pains. Business has its good and bad, and the good news is the “bad” is just a bunch of learning lessons if you choose to look at them that way #perspective

 

 

Here are the five lessons I’ve learned since launching my online ops management biz:

 

1. Listen to your gut.

I’ve always KNOWN I was supposed to trust my gut, but when it came to having a new business, I was unsure of myself.

I wanted a logo to feel “real” and then I saw someone advertise what uneducated me thought was amazing pricing. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was just SOMETHING off about it. Yet, I told myself I was being silly, so I went for it anyways. 

It was an AWFUL experience that taught me even research (she had good reviews, seemed credible, and nice) won’t always tell you what you need to know. 

I ended up ONLY (haha) losing $300 on that logo, but I think it’s actually saved me wayyy more than that in the long run because of the lesson learned. 

You have those gut instinct feelings for a reason. Trust yourself!

 

2. Stay consistent – even when you’re ready to throw in the towel, keep it up. 

Show up another day. And if you don’t feel like what you’re doing is working, be sure you’ve given it enough time to work.

If you don’t know or remember why you got into this thing to begin with, things are not going to go the way you want. They’re not going to scale the way you want. And you’re going to end up buried in the back end, designing some, & dropping the balls of all the creative ideas flooding out of you.⁣

⁣Remember the root of how your tree started to blossom & share it! The people you are meant to help are out there, and they won’t receive that help if you give up. 

 

3. It’s IMPERATIVE to have a morning routine – unless you want to burnout.

Morning routines are now an internet cliche topic, but there really is something to them. In fact, sacrificing this sacred part of the day could make or break your stress levels, productivity, and your mood!

But don’t be fooled by all the Instagram or Pinterest pics – make your morning you’re own! Maybe instead of coffee and a book, you’d rather get a run or yoga class in. Or maybe you spend time snuggling and having breakfast with your significant other and/or your kiddos.

Whatever is going to fill your soul and give you the good feels – do that. Every morning. 

 

4. Boundaries are as much for your clients as they are for yourself – but they HAVE to be for yourself, too. 

Set your boundaries and stick to them and you will create a business that you love. Cross your own boundaries and you’ll burn faster than a piece of toast on fire.

This means you need to set your work hours, implement the systems that keeps you, your team, and your clients on track, and give your clients specific cut-off times for submitting tasks and how they should/shouldn’t communicate with you. 

This is how you keep clients happy AND keep your sanity.

 

5. You don’t have to find the title or make the biz around what you THINK your options are. 

You wanna do something you haven’t heard of? Do it. Be a maverick. It’s the ONLY thing that will skyrocket your business – being true to what you want and enjoy and are GOOD AT.

An example of this might be a VA thinking she only has the option of becoming an OBM – what about becoming a VA who specializes in something HIGHLY specific, like Kajabi or Pinterest? Or maybe you re-route completely. My point is, you don’t have to follow a path just because so many others have followed it before you.

There is infinite possibility in this online space – don’t box yourself in!

 

6. Bonus: I learned who I was and my confidence soared. 

I finally came into myself somewhere along the way. I was no longer this insecure little girl who didn’t KNOW she could show up and serve with value. I was finally the girl who could make connections, build relationships, and stand on my own. 

That also meant that I was able to trust myself when I got into situations with mentors, coaches, or peers where what they were saying just didn’t feel right.

 

 

It’s cool to look back at the lessons I’ve learned over the last few years, and you know what? No shame! Every year of business is going to bring new lessons to learn and I’m just waiting here with open arms to receive all the growth! 

 

So tell me – what are the biggest lessons you’ve come across so far in your business? Come share with me on Instagram! Bonus points if it’s slightly embarrassing too because we like to laugh at ourselves around here 😉