Things I’ve Learned From Running My Business for Two Years.
Linklater Admin has officially been in business for two years, as of last month. March got extremely busy really quickly, so I forgot about the milestone. These things tend to happen when you run your own business. I try to not be too hard on myself about it.
The past two years have been such a big growing and learning adventure for me. I was warned there would be highs and lows, but was not prepared for how high and how low they would be. Some highlights were working with my first client and planning an event for the Black Studies Research Lab at Trent University’s Durham Campus (see here for more details about the lab). The keynote speaker was Desmond Cole! There were a few challenges as well, like keeping on top of marketing, communication, and some health issues. I’ve been sick on and off for months now and was out most of February with strep throat. Overall, running a business is challenging but so rewarding. I gained some confidence, learned some new skills and upgraded others, and have met so many new people.
There are also so many things I’ve learned over the past eighteen months. These are just some of the things I’ve learned:
The importance of quick and timely contact.
I get so much anxiety about calling or emailing, and it has cost me. I’ve lost some opportunities because I waited too long to respond or send the first email. By the time I did reach out, the people I wanted to work with had already found someone else for the job. Or they had forgotten about the project and became too busy to complete it.
Persistence can pay off.
This one is related to the insight above. My social anxiety can get loud, telling me that people find me annoying, or too much. So, I avoided sending reminder emails. Turns out, my clients actually appreciated the reminder.
Boundaries are essential to wellbeing and remaining professional.
When starting out, I told myself I’d only work 9 to 5 and keep my days off work free. Then I started working with a client and my rules went out the window. I was reading and responding to texts around 8 at night, addressing client needs over the weekend. My mental and physical health got so bad. I started spending so much time being anxious, I had no energy and it showed.
Being able to adapt is vital to a successful business.
I lost my biggest client this winter. The signs the relationship wouldn’t work were there, but I had hoped that they would. It was a big hit, and I definitely thought to myself why am I doing this again? Am I actually good at my job? Then I reviewed what went wrong, updated the contract template, and brainstormed how to find new clients. My review worked! Two weeks later, I had some temporary jobs lined up and a trial period with a new retainer client.
Running Linklater Administration has definitely not been easy. It’s been a challenge keeping on top my workload and assisting clients with my mental and physical health. But I haven’t let that stop me. I hope you learn something from these insights and avoid the same pitfalls.
