Five Things I Wish I Knew About Success Before Starting My Business
- Apr 12, 2021
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 10, 2024
Written by: Susanne Grant, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
When I started my coaching business five years ago, I was a 29-year old mum to a one-year-old baby trying to create my own dream life through my business. Until then, I dreamed of becoming financially independent and having the freedom to spend my time any way I desired.
Now, five years later, I’m reaping the benefits of the seeds I sowed all those years ago. Today, I have an award-winning coaching business, host sold-out masterminds, and events, and my work has been featured in Thrive Global, Authority Magazine, Brainz Magazine, Billion Success, and many more.
Yet, I’ve made many mistakes along the way. Not managing to have the success I desired in the early years, and I’ve spent many hours wondering what to do to make my business a success - and what I was doing wrong!
So today, I am sharing with you my best tips, the Five Things I Wish I Knew About Success Before Starting My Business. I hope you enjoy it!
1. Success doesn't require sacrificing you.
Even though it's promoted as the thing to do, to work hard, hustle work until you drop, sacrifice everything you have and go until you make it to the top, it is not a great long-term and sustainable strategy for you or your business. If you plan to be in business for a long time, draining yourself energetically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally is not a solid, long-term strategy. For you to become the best you can be, you need to apply a strategy that is in alignment with who you are, what you desire, and what kind of impact you want. You don’t have to work yourself into a breakdown to prove you are worthy and dedicated. You are most effective when your cup is full and overflowing. Create a business and life that supports that vision. You matter!
2. Success isn't linear.
Any business owner or CEO knows success isn't linear. It goes up and down, and yet it's not something we openly talk about. We talk about the successes, talk about the quest, talk about the exciting journey, but it comes with lows and highs. So if you are experiencing setbacks in your business, it's not because there's something wrong with you. It is just a normal part of what it means to run your own business. Not everyone will understand this, especially if they don’t have their own business themselves. If you are struggling to navigate this, working with a coach would be very beneficial for you, or join masterminds with like-minded people to support each other.
3. Failure is feedback.
When things come crashing down, it can feel very overwhelming at times. However, failure is feedback, not a death sentence or a self-worth assessment. If you are in business as solopreneurs or business owner, or if you run a big company as the CEO, it is hard not to take things personally when things don't go as planned. Of course, because you feel responsible for the choices you made and the staff you employ. Yes, you are responsible for the choices made, but you should not internalize them because it's not the end of the world when things go differently than expected in most cases! Often it's a redirect to something better. Try to separate the two.
4. Being busy and being productive are entirely different things.
As a coach myself working with busy people, I see this happen all the time. We put endless things on our to-do list. We “should” be doing all these things because that is what is expected of us. Or so we think. We wear so many hats, from running your business and being a partner, parent, friend, you name it. Yet being productive is something completely different from being busy. So if you're talking about success, are the things you're working on actually part of your long-term strategy to create those dreams and hit those targets? Or are you just keeping yourself busy for the sake of being busy because it makes you feel important? So next time you plan to stuff in, make your to-do lists and fill up your calendar. Think about these questions. Do these things contribute to my vision for myself, my family, and my business? Am I productive, or am I just keeping myself busy with things I should be doing?
5. Rest is a productivity activity.
We live in a society that values doing over being to just go, go, go and get things done. Hit those targets and get towards those goals with as much speed and force we can.
Looking after yourself is almost equally, if not more, important to achieving your goals and being the most successful person that you like to be. There is no point trying to build your business at the expense of your marriage or working yourself into a burnout, so you don't even get to enjoy what you’ve created.
Therefore, rest is a productivity activity because you know that you can get much more done with better quality after a good night's sleep than if you haven’t slept for a night or two or three. Well-being matters for you and the people you work with, and once you start prioritizing how you feel, you will notice a drastic improvement in all areas of your life/business. So success comes with plenty of time to rest, recharge and realign for the best - and easiest - results.
There is nothing wrong with doing what you love and bringing your vision to life, but real success isn’t just a number in your bank account. It’s how you feel inside when you look yourself in the eyes in the mirror or the things you tell yourself late at night. Success can come without sacrifice if you are willing to change how you spend your time and what you were made to believe growing up. These core fundamental elements taken from my award-winning coaching business show that real, sustainable long-term success, wellbeing, health, and wealth start by adopting an all-inclusive work-life balance VISION that serves both you, your family, and your business. And if they can do it, so can you!
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Ready to Have Impact You Desire Without Sacrifice?
Even though we are made to believe otherwise, we can be successful without sacrificing health, wealth, marriage, or you. If you feel inspired by this article and are ready to explore what real, sustainable health and wealth mean to you, your family, and your business, let’s connect. I would love for you to join these amazing and inspiring leaders in our community here.
Connect with Susanne on LinkedIn. Find out more about Susanne at grantmethod.com and take her 60-second quiz to help you uncover your unique business success blueprint!
It is time to work smarter, not harder.
Susanne Grant, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Susanne Grant is a Work-Life Balance Expert, Intuitive Business Coach & Consultant, International 1 Bestselling Author, and 2020 Great British Entrepreneur Awards Finalist. She helps business owners – who know they’ve hit the ceiling in their time, energy, and/or income – to implement a personalized strategy. This allows them to move forward to achieve their goals with confidence by finding the perfect work-life mix for them, their families, and their businesses. Susanne has helped hundreds of clients implement their new strategy via the Grant Method, her unique coaching program, which allows her clients to get clear on what they truly want, on a practical but also an energetic level, figure out how these pieces fit together and implement these elements back into the business in a way that works for them. She is a strategic, business-minded thinker with the powerful ability to read information from her client's energy; the perfect blend of strategy and spirit to help her clients break through their perceived limitations, upgrade their mindset and take their business to the next level – without the burnout or hustle! Find out more about Susanne Grant and the Grant Method Business Coaching at grantmethod.com.
