When It’s Okay to Not Have It All Figured Out (And Why Being an Entrepreneur Takes a Village)
There’s a trend on social media that we have to put our foot down on!
It’s the idea that as an entrepreneur, you should have it all figured out. That is not only a very dangerous notion for a new entrepreneur starting their business but it's also an impossible expectation to live up to for any entrepreneur.
The entrepreneurial journey is a hard one and it's not fair for more pressure to be placed on dreamers who are only trying to navigate their way to success.
It’s because of this that we’ve created a special list letting you know when it's actually okay to not have things all figured out in your business.
Who knows, our reasons may just surprise you!
When you’re learning…
About Your Business
Times when its okay to not have it all figured out in your business #1: when you’re learning about your business; which you SHOULD always be doing.
In the beginning, you’ll be learning how to set up systems, how to find your footing and how to start building a sustainable business. This period is a HUGE learning curve and it's ok to admit that you don’t have it all figured out. In fact, it’s encouraged! By being honest with yourself and the process, you’ll take enormous leaps towards leveling up your business.
Once you’ve found your footing and are learning how to scale, you’ll once again be learning about all the ways to get that done. Guess what? This is another learning curve and another reason it's perfectly okay to admit you don’t have it all figured out. This honesty and vulnerability will push you in the direction of connecting with others who can help you get where you’re going.
Finally, once you’ve scaled and you’re living the life of your dreams, you’ll still need to be learning about your business because no matter what industry you’re in, things will always be changing. Your audience will always be changing and you’ll need to be consistently keeping up. At this point you may have MOST of it figured out but you’ll never have it all figured out. No entrepreneur does because things are always changing and by embracing that and keeping an openness to learning is how you go further!
How you want to show up
Another thing that will constantly be evolving as you learn about your business is YOU! Which brings us to our next moment when it's absolutely ok to not have it all figured out: when you’re learning how you want to show up.
As your business grows, it's hard to imagine that your life outside of your business won’t be changing too. Which is why giving yourself the grace to learn how you want to show up for your audience (and yourself) in the beginning, middle and beyond of growing your business is important.
You won’t have it figured out from day one and as things progress, you may backslide in not knowing. And that’s ok!
Embrace it and be honest with your audience. Let them know how you’re hoping to show up and when you feel that no longer aligns, take some time to reassess and try again.
What strategies work for your business
One of the biggest times it's ok to not have things all figured out in your business is when you’re figuring out what strategies work for your business.
There are a million and one ways out there to grow a successful business and testing them out comes with the ride of being an entrepreneur! It’s ok if there are some launches that fail, some content that doesn’t get engagement or even some months where revenue is shockingly low.
Failing is learning.
Test out new things as you become more in alignment with your needs, learn more about your audience and how you want to run your business. Little by little, you will start to figure things out and when you do, it’ll be only in the way that works for you.
Tap into your village
The #1 time when it's ok to not have it all figured out is when you’re learning. Learning about your business, yourself, and what works for you.
And if you’re an entrepreneur, there’s only one way to make the most out of all these learning phases where you don’t have things figured out. And that’s by tapping into your village of other entrepreneurs.
Because while it's okay to not have it all figured out, there are entrepreneurs further ahead in their journey who have taken steps towards figuring things out. By networking with these entrepreneurs and tapping into their experiences, you can bring yourself towards learning things about your business/industry, yourself and strategies that align so much quicker!
Remember, when one of us wins, we all win.