Hey Rach! Should I just go and get a job?

Welcome to ‘Hey Rach’ - the series where I answer the burning questions you send in as best as I can and with the help of our community! Got a question for Hey Rach? Submit it here ✨

I was so inspired by today’s question. I started out young myself and I wish I’d had the courage to reach out like this young woman in biz did. I know we’ve got a long way to go but times have changed so much, access has changed so much! If you’re new to biz or not yet getting the results you want you’re not alone, stick with it!

Hey Rach, I’m a 22-year-old uni graduate and I have big dreams and ideas, but I’m in an ‘awkward’ stage of not really knowing what I am doing, and how to achieve my dreams (or what they really even are!).

I created a little social media and digital marketing business (still very casual). My current idea and shorter-term goal is to get my business up and running properly, with solid clients that I’m helping consistently. Ideally, I’d like to expand to other digital marketing areas later on, but am just focusing on social media for now.

As I said, I just feel like I’m in a bit of an awkward stage at the moment. Things, in general, feel a bit ‘fuzzy’ and ‘grey’; I’m not sure whether I should be getting a 9-5 job in the meantime to get some experience and get on my feet a bit, or whether I should just go for gold and put my all into my ideas (and likely fail).

I would love a bit of guidance!

Thank you so much for hitting reply and sharing where you're at- I was 22 when I started my first biz and I WISH I'd done the degree you did! It will stand you in really great stead ️. I'm so impressed with all you've done so far, you should be really proud of yourself 💕. 

Here's what I wish someone told the 'younger' me in biz:

1. The awkwardness, the fear of failure, the uncertainty - it never goes away.

Because as your business grows, it presents ever new challenges and requires you to do new things. Those feelings are amazing because they're an indication you're stretching yourself and growing. So acknowledge them, thank them for trying to keep you safe but remind them you're a grown up now and you can do hard things ✨

2. It doesn't matter if you don't know exactly what the 'big' vision is yet.

You know you want to build a successful digital marketing business. You know you want financial freedom and flexibility through that business. That's enough. CLAIM IT.

The biggest enemy on your path here is:

👉 avoidance (I'm not sure what I'm doing)
👉 and distraction (I'm just going to twiddle away on this while I make some decisions).

I know because I do it too (refer step 1 ).  So commit to the goal as it is today. Yes it will evolve over time.

But whatever you choose for now, commit to it and do your very best at it.

Working in a supermarket? Be the best behind the counter. Employee? Make yourself indispensable. Starting a business? Go all in. Don't play small in your head- no more 'little' business talk! In 2 years, you could have a solid business if master your approach and go for it. Here's a blog post I wrote on 5 move planning which will help you create a powerful path forward

3. Getting an aligned job can be a really clever step to fast business growth.

You can learn so much in 12 months working for a business- systems, culture, client approach- the good the bad and the ugly! This can truly help you speed up the process when you start your own thing, so if you need some income too it's a great strategic step to take.

In saying that, if you really don't want to, you don't have to. If you choose to go all in on your biz, decide how much income you need in the next 6 months. Then get out there and offer some incredible 'launch' pricing done for you service packages.

This is a win win situ.

👉 From the biz owners perspective, they're getting a great deal, working with a young person who 'gets' digital marketing, and is qualified to boot. They also get to offload one of their biggest pain in the butt jobs.

👉 From your perspective, it's an income hit. No, you won't be charging the price you eventually want to be charging. Yes, you'll be busy. But you'll have money in your pocket, you'll build confidence and you'll get the massive bonus of starting to work with people who need what you do. They'll recommend you, they'll give you testimonials, they'll help you build credibility in your space.

If it were me, I'd create packages (no hourly rates! Look to the best in your industry and see what they offer and charge) and then decide my IDEAL pricing. That's not what I'm going to charge now- these first people are going to get never offered again rates- but you know where you're going with it. And then it gives you a great opportunity to do 'price increasing' promos as your build your credibility and move forward.

4. In your industry there are lots of great coaches and courses to help you get set up.

Ellen Mackenzie is awesome and a She Owns It Member. Investing in someone to guide you who has systems and process templates can be a great move. 

5. Niching is great! Think about what you want to be known for.

There are lots of women in business communities but She Owns It is known for our unique values #LiftEachOther #OwnIt #BizWithBalance - we’re carving out a better, community driven approach to visibility, growth and collaboration:

Because I touch on these things so much, I attract really aligned members which makes our community even stronger. Big plus is that marketing becomes so much easier. Attract and repel! You could also niche based on types of business you serve (I help service businesses and coaches nail their social media using attraction marketing). 

6. You have a massive opportunity ahead of you.

One of the things I'm most grateful for is that I started my 1st business and went all in so young. By the time I had my family, I was already established and profitable. It's an investment for your future that could pay off big time.

All of that said, refer point 1. that it's not going to be easy. Many small businesses fail. This is a lifestyle you're committing to and you have to be ready to cope with all of the emotion that goes with it!

You will fail. A lot. Welcome to the Messy Middle! But I would never change the path I've taken. It's been so hard but also the biggest growth journey of my life. I've become a different person thanks to my businesses. For me, that's worth it.

I hope that goes some way to answering your question! Here’s where you can go from here:

👉 Join 15,000 others connecting daily in our Free Community for Kiwi Women in biz
👉 Ready to scale and want to be surrounded by a crew of high performing, impact driven Kiwi women in biz? Join our Membership
👉 Want to get mentored by me? DM me on Instagram and let’s chat

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You’ve got this!