Written by Hannah Holbrook, mother and small business owner. You can find her blog here and her beautifully designed (and packaged) goods here.
A dear friend of mine, Cassie Pack, had a dream of starting a business. But she didn’t have a chance to live it out. She was involved in a car accident that claimed her life. Since then, I’ve started my own business, and so this post is dedicated to her.
Turn Your Business Dream into a Reality Using These 3 Simple Steps
Many people think successful businesses materialize overnight. But that’s not the case. More often, successful businesses are a result of someone putting in years of hard work. Unfortunately, many people never get there because of one reason: They never start! There are many reasons to start a business, but there are even more reasons we tell ourselves why we shouldn’t start a business. So if you’ve always wanted to start your own business, but weren’t sure how to go about it, I’m going to give you the 3-step formula I used to turn my business dream into a reality.
Step 1 – Dream it.
Want to know the best way to dream? By writing it down. I’m not kidding. Get out your paper and pen and start writing down your business dreams and goals. There is so much power in seeing your thoughts and desires written out on paper in front of you. In writing down your dreams, the invisible thoughts you’ve ignored or visited occasionally in the back of your mind are now visibly staring you in the face saying, “I’m here! What are you going to do to make me a reality?”
If you know you want to start a business because you have an entrepreneurial side to you, but you’re not sure what to do – I’ve got an answer for that too. Just pray! Ask God what He created you to do. It’s really as simple as that. I knew I was made for more, but I didn’t have a clue what to make a business out of. So as I wrote down my dreams, I prayed for God to show me the desires of my heart – and that’s when White Gardenia Company was formed.
Step 2 – Start it.
In all my research on starting your own business, blog, website, online store, local service, etc… the #1 reason people don’t do anything with their business idea is due to FEAR. You’re afraid it won’t work out. You are afraid people will make fun of you. You’re afraid it will fail. Guess what? Fear is completely normal. We all have those thoughts. The important thing to remember is who created us, and the confidence and strength that is available to us. God did not give us a spirit of timidity. Confidence is not a personality trait, it’s a skill. Practice not being afraid of what others think of you. Practice trying new things. Don’t let fear of the unknown hinder you from starting your business.
The key to the “starting” part of your business is to do what you can with what you have.
So take a deep breath! Starting a business does not mean opening a physical store, or even an online store right away. Starting a business means research. Research the mess out of what you plan on doing. Research it all again. Take an iced coffee break. And research some more! This part of the process never ends by the way. Always be willing to learn as you go. Your next step will probably look like typing out a few store name ideas in the “Notes” app on your phone or coming up with a logo. It’s going to be one small step at a time. Before you know it, you’ll get to that really neat place where you can turn around and see how far you’ve come, while also looking ahead with excitement at all the possibilities the future holds!
Step 3 – Work it.
You reap what you sow. As elementary as this sounds, I think a lot of us picture ourselves “getting discovered,” or having this incredibly successful business simply by creating a social media account, slapping our logo on the front of it, and posting diligently for a week or two. Friends, in order to grow a successful business, you must work it.
I’ll be honest. Starting a business from scratch takes a long time. That’s generally because you’re the one doing everything from marketing, to sales, to design, to production, to finances, and the list goes on and on. The important thing to remember is to not give up. Be persistent in producing content that is authentic and “on brand” to your business. And be consistent in your dedication to excellence.
A Final Thought
For those of you who didn’t know Cassie, she was my college roommate. Silly, sweet, and a joy to be around – that was Cassie. Cassie dreamed of starting a coffee business. As much as I wish I could have seen that business dream of hers come true, I have a feeling I might yet…
Knowing Cassie and the bright light, hard worker, and creative soul that she is, I imagine her having started her own coffee shop in Heaven by now, maybe called “Cassie’s Café,” or “Cloud Coffee,” or “Sunflower Brew” (Cassie loved sunflowers!). Not a day goes by when I don’t think about beautiful Cassie and the zest she had for life!
In remembering Cassie, and the profound impact her circumstances have had on my life, “Only today,” has become a motto of mine. If starting a business is something you’ve always wanted to do, there’s no better time to start than today.
P.S.
This isn’t the first time Hannah’s been featured on this blog. In fact, you can peep a glimpse of their dorm life in this old post here.
