The Biggest Mistake I Made in My First Year of Business

Reflections from a week long COVID bed rest

I’ve been hauled up in my apartment, alone, with COVID…again.

That sounds like a winge. It’s not. I got sick, no biggie. I’m grateful I’m strong and it wasn’t a hard dose. It’s also my second rodeo, so I kinda knew what to expect—a ropey few days (just outta the worst) and a slow recovery back to normal.

So, life got small.

Turns out, I needed it to be.

Me: That was unplanned. Friend: Pregnant? LOLS. #immaculate conception

I’ve had a bit of a hard time of late.

I took on a copywriting business. Great. 🔥

I didn’t realise I’d be taking Year 12 VCE English this year. Okay. Big one. 💪

Plus, in September, I found out my memoir is ‘of publishable quality’ already, which geared me into a new reality that it needs and deserves my love and attention to make it ‘fricking’ amazing. (Saving that process for another post). 🙌

Shit. How could I be all the things? The answer. I couldn’t.

I had to make a change.

Dial back.

But, after following so many people on social media, telling me I could do and have it all, it was (and is) a VERY hard thing to do.

When you start a new business, you become a target for everyone who’s gone before you and is selling a solution to the teething problems and unknowns you face.

The gaps in your knowledge.

The ineptitude you feel.

The overwhelm.

And I got sucked in — so many times. 🤯

I downloaded too many PDFs, joined too many newsletters, followed too many accounts, paid attention to ALL the advice, and joined several courses.

My impulse control can be shocking (ADHD), and when I want to succeed, plus I’m spreading myself thinly…that’s a recipe for…💥…a discombobulated head.

Marking Year 11 exams the day before COVID kicked in.

I had to step back.

Before COVID kicked my ass, I’d already changed things up.

✅ I refocused the business to market for tone of voice/brand voice development as it’s my favourite, so I only post about that and personal insights.

✅ I dramatically dialled back my LinkedIn and social media use.

✅ I pulled back to one client a month to give them my all.

✅ That ensures I can give everything to my day job the other 4 days a week.

✅ And the bonus is, all the time I used to spend overthinking the business, overstudying, and obsessing on LinkedIn, I now spend on diving deep into the book, which is a lifetime’s ambition.

Going forward.

Being stuck in the house for 5 days, unable to work on anything, was mentally frustrating.

But I did nothing.

Every time the thought about what I ‘shoulda, coulda, woulda’ be doing crept in, I shut it down. I was able to because of reorganising my life and right-sizing my priorities.

I have a micro-business. By my design.

I have never NEEDED a client.

They come through LinkedIn and divine intervention. One appears as soon as I’m about to have an opening. Like magic. 🪄

Now maybe that’s not a marketing strategy that suits most people.

But it’s right for me.

So, NO MORE COURSES. NO MORE DOWNLOADS. NO MORE LINKEDIN WORRIES.

➡️ In case I wasn’t clear…

My biggest mistake was listening to too many voices.

Solution: Pick your fav person, and do what they do. One voice. One plan.

Keep it simple.

Brilliantly brave book I read whilst stuck in bed.

And I’m done. Thank god. It took me an entire day to write this (one draft wonder) in tiny bursts.

🙏 I hope it’s useful.

🙏 I know I’ll need to read it again to remind myself of the rules.

🙏 I pray I can publish a memoir as raw and daring as Charlotte Shane’s.

Over and out.

Mwah. 💋