The end of this month marks one year in business for me with LHO & Co.! It is truly an exciting milestone! I have been working hard, challenging myself, and feeling more fulfilled than ever before.
Here are a few takeaways/tips from my first year in business.
- Even though it is my first year in business, for the past 20 years I have been building my own personal brand by living by what I had encouraged all the professionals I have worked with to do:
- Getting out there and networking
- Making marketing a priority
- Building relationships
- Keeping consistent
These activities have helped me to develop a solid marketing foundation that I can continue to build on.
When I “hung my shingle” so to speak I had clients who wanted to work with me as I had already laid the groundwork for my personal brand and had a wide referral network.
If you are working for someone else, it is important to make it a priority to also build YOUR personal brand rather than just the company you are working for. It will pay dividends in the future.
- In professional services, especially when you bill by the hour, you may have to work long hours to get in your business development and marketing hours, but you must always be investing in yourself and making it a priority.
- Consistency is also key. It is slow and steady progress that will create big results. If you fall out of your consistent routine from time to time, that is okay too. When you get derailed, do not let that stop you from continuing the path forward. Continue as slow as progress may be.
- Last, when you push yourself out of your comfort zone you grow. Before I went out on my own, I did not like the idea of writing original thought leadership content, even though it is a top growth strategy and it was what I encouraged the professionals I worked with to do. As uncomfortable as it made me if I wanted to continue to be successful I needed to create original and consistent thought leadership content too.
Are you a new business owner? If so what other takeaways/tips would you add?
