Y‘all may have heard that I recently Co-founded a startup called EatsInTown (follow our Instagram) and it’s been a crazy few months! Here are just a few things I’ve learned and I hope these can help inspire you whenever you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing (trust me… most of the time I don’t even know either)!
- RESPONSIBILITY: There are going to be projects you don’t want to do and deadlines that seem impossible to make. It’s up to YOU to pull through whether it requires working into the late hours of the night or getting up early to grind out work.
- BALANCE: There is a time for work and a time for play. Most of us forget the third category…rest time! Even if you have to schedule in a nap or a gym session to let off some steam, do it! Your mind and body will thank you.
- STAND UP: Do not let anyone tell you that you’re any less of a boss than someone with years of experience, a steady income, and an MBA from the top business school in the country. You put in the work, you get results. As a student who only has really discovered the business world (academically) in the last year, the intimidation has been real. I’ve met with countless business professionals and entrepreneurs who have helped mentor me in the right direction of starting my own business. That being said, there have also been times where people haven’t taken me seriously because I’m still a student and/or because I’m a girl. Believe in yourself and the work you’re doing; your voice deserves to be heard so take every piece of criticism with a grain of salt.
- PLAN: Sometimes it feels like there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. Time management is a major key *DJ Khalid voice* in success. Prioritizing what I need to accomplish first and not freaking out about the following tasks after it helps me stay focused and almost always on top of my sh*t! It’s not easy…trust me.
- CHANGE: It’s not as scary as it seems. 6 months ago if you would have asked me that I would be a business owner, meeting with clients, and have already competed in a huge “Shark Tank”-esque competition, I would have said you were crazy. 4 months ago if you told me that my company’s success relied on being completely rebranded with a new name and business model, I would have been scared out of my mind and probably on the verge of having a complete panic attack in my university’s library bathroom (oh wait, that totally did happen). Changes happen all the time and in the entrepreneurship world, curveballs are thrown into your workflow constantly. Learning how to deal with them and push through the hard times is what separates you as a bada** BOSS.
- YOU KNOW YOURSELF THE BEST: “Trust your gut” is a saying I will live and die by. Don’t let your life be dictated by others. Regardless of what your dreams are, if you listen to only those around you, the chances of your dreams coming true are very slim. Everyone else has their own opinions and perception of the world around them. There will be obstacles that get in your way, but if you want something bad enough, do not just listen to others, look for your opportunities. So listen to differing opinions and take chances; ultimately if it doesn’t feel right it probably won’t turn out for the best.
- COMMITMENT: All that my Instagram feed consisted of for the past 2 months were pictures of my friends on the beach, going out any night of the week ‘just because it’s summer’ and celebrities going to glam events or traveling the world in style. I, on the other hand, have been stuck in the offices grinding it out with early morning meetings and late night work sessions. I don’t get ‘in trouble’ for not showing up to work in the morning, so you may be asking how do I stay motivated to actually get up with my alarms and not just sleep in? My sense of commitment. Knowing that these long work days will someday possibly lead to an insta-famous celebrity travel-diary lifestyle where I can take days off and relax. Right now is when I have the physical stamina to work this hard. So I just do it.
- BOUNDARIES: I do have my limits as the head of a company and conflict isn’t my favorite thing but I have learned that you can’t really let people working around you get too comfortable because that’s when you get taken advantage of. It’s happened way too many times and it ends up hurting not only me but the company work in the end. I naturally always see the good in people and tend to give those the ‘benefit of the doubt’ who may not deserve it. It’s easier to do as a friend but when I’m having to manage clients and company workers, it’s a whole different ball game. And this is something I’m still working on!
- PATIENCE: Entrepreneurship isn’t something that produces a final product immediately. Sometimes you sort of throw yourself into a black hole of work and hope you’ll come out successful. Often times, you learn as you go so having the right mentality is key when it comes to how you measure success. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so why treat your new venture any differently? Celebrate the small victories and someday you’ll look back and say, “wow…look what I’ve done”.
- DON’T FEAR FAILURE: There are secret opportunities in every failure. You might not see it in the moment, but you learn something in everything you do, even your failures.
