Got a Badass Business Idea you dream of launching Now?
Feb 02, 2024
Have you flirted with the idea of starting your own business??
Us Mums are great at thinking up novel ideas and finding gaps in the market that need filling. Rarely, though, do we ever act on those flashes of inspiration.
Many years ago, I had this great idea about launching an online directory for childcare providers, where they could advertise their skills, experience, and qualifications. There was absolutely nothing like it when I started in childcare. I even spoke to family and friends about what a great idea it was, and how I thought I should do it! I knew how it would be an absolute game changer for parents and childcare providers. But that’s as far as my idea went, chatting about it.
Now, there are many of these online directories popping up and I’m even paying good money to be listed on them. I literally could’ve kicked myself that I didn’t take that idea forward to fruition myself.
Please, if you have a badass business idea you dream of launching, do it now, before someone else beats you to it!
You can get so much fulfilment starting from scratch and creating a business that you love.
It’s never easy, though. But if you choose a business that has meaning to you, it’ll be so worth it. I hear lots of people saying they want to work for themselves and choose their own hours. They dream of working remotely from exotic locations, while their phone ka-chings with passive income.
They envision overnight success and fame, after listening to webinars from so-called business gurus on how arbitrage will change your life and make you a millionaire while you sleep.
The reality is very different.
Usually, a business takes years of nurturing, lots of time, patience and money. Overnight success is rare and passive income, although common, doesn’t come easy.
You have to learn how to market and sell yourself and your products and services, that in itself takes a long time to hone. Then you have to be good at customer services and dealing with refunds and complaints. No matter how brilliant a business you have. And then there’s all the legal stuff. Ugh, the paperwork.
There’s so much to learn when starting your own business and that learning never ends.
It helps to get help though. I’ve struggled on for years, trying to piece things together all by myself. Looking back, I realize I could have made things easier for myself by getting the right type of help. You have to invest in good legal advice, insurances, consultants, coaches, and training and courses, because there’s a lot more to business than just doing what you do.
But beware, you can waste thousands on useless coaching and courses that boldly promise big results but can't always deliver. You'll no doubt experience this, no matter how business savvy you think you are. People can often talk a good talk and its not always easy to discern who can actually deliver. But don't let that put you off.
None of your time or money is ever wasted if they become valuable lessons that you learn from, and believe me, those are the lessons you never forget!
It’s all a learning curve, there aren't any short cuts or quick fixes, even if people try to sell you them. And although it costs money and time, you not only become more discerning, it helps you develop your self-belief and gain self- confidence.
If you don’t fail sometimes in business, then you aren’t learning or developing. Staying safe and doing what you know (particularly if you don’t know anything when starting out) won’t get you very far. You have to move forward and stretch yourself and try new and different things. In 20 years of self-employment, things have changed in my line of work, a lot. If I didn’t adapt and move with those changes, I wouldn’t still be in business.
I started my first business twenty years ago and my second, over twelve years ago. I love them both and get different fulfilment from each one. They’ve become my babies and I’ve watched them grow, develop and blossom. But it’s only recently I decided to trademark Mumatherapy® my second business. We don't always think about protecting our business when first starting out, but by the time its become a success, it maybe too late.
I never thought I’d be so excited about receiving my trademark certificates as I was this week.
It’s just another small milestone along the mumpreneur journey. I would like to give a special shout out and thank you to Lucy Legal® for all her help and support. Without you, Lucy, I probably wouldn’t have applied for my trademark. You walked me through the process and for that, I’m so grateful. Legal stuff can seem daunting, but when you find a good legal lady, as I did, it becomes more fun!
If you are starting a business, I highly recommend Lucy and her Get Legit and Legal In My Pocket. It’s the ultimate legal experience to protect your business. She offers legal templates, courses and, of course, help with Trademarks. Here’s a link to her website Lucy Legal
I’m not affiliated with Lucy, and I have received nothing from her to promote what she does. I just like to share with others when I find an excellent product or service that helps me. There’re loads of influencers and ambassadors out there promoting things to make money, which makes it harder for us these days to find an honest word-of-mouth recommendation. But they’re so important to businesses and to the clients and customers that use them.
I hope you still feel inspired and motivated to start your own business. It’s a very rewarding challenge.
Just don’t spend months on the fun stuff, such as creating logos and ordering uniforms and branded pens and notepads. And please don’t invest in a fancy website and web designer. Go for a basic one that ideally you can work on yourself and have control over. These days they are so simple to set up, no coding required, just plug and play. Don’t worry that it’s not good enough. No one will look at it for at least twelve months, so you’ll have plenty of time to work on aesthetics as you go.
I know you probably fantasize over millions of eyes on your site, all as excited by what you’re offering as you are, but unfortunately, no one really cares. That’s your job to show people why they should care and prove to them you have the goods they need.
Create a website that’s easy to understand what you do or offer and work on that. Spending hours on colours and fonts will be a waste of time and money. I’ve done it, I know :-( And I've rebranded a few times and then reverted to my original Mumatherapy® name and logo.
As your ideas and business evolve, there will be tweaking and changes. Don’t aim for perfection, just start and work towards progress. Tackle the tough stuff first. Do your market research, find out what people need and want and what you can honestly provide, and gain experience in whatever area you choose to break into.
And love what you do. There will be difficult times ahead. Motivation will wane. You’ll lose money. You’ll fail. You’ll learn. Then, when you feel like giving up, things will start to happen for you and a business breakthrough will come.
You can do this; I’d love to hear how you get on. If you need any help to get going, I’m always here to help, just email me [email protected]
Much love, Em x
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