Entrepreneurship: Big Vision, Low Budget
What do you do when you have a sizeable vision, but can’t stretch your resources enough to manifest it? No one starts a business with the intention of it not growing- except they are using it as cover for dodgy activities. 😀 For the most part, we start off with the hope that this new venture will grow into what we have imagined, however, the resources don’t always match the size of our dream. In this episode #42, I share some of the steps I took to launch and grow my business, with a zero budget. Besides the obvious tips like finding service providers on platforms like Fiverr, much of what you need to do will require a shift in your mindset. For you to make decisions that will fulfil a future need even though you have a pressing, current requirement, you have to change the way you think. There are several reasons why many companies fail in the first five years but one of the main ones is a lack of clear vision for the business. Running your business with only the immediate need instructing you will not take you very far. Another reason why small businesses don’t survive the early stages is not setting the foundation for the preferred strategy. I find that much of our decisions are grounded in an immediate need, and those pressing, urgent needs tend to be temporal, while the future requirements that have the benefit of pre-planning are sturdier and can stand the test of time. An example of poor strategy shows up in the pricing- which I see so often when manufacturers present their products to me. The ability to tell a compelling story is one area where you can win as an entrepreneur. When it comes to growing a successful brand, you sell yourself first, then your company and then the product. Why is this important? Because people buy from people. In addition, your sizeable business vision will require some help along the way but your helpers won’t be able to identify you if you cannot accurately present yourself to them. If you live in London or we are connected on social media, you’d have seen billboards and adverts of my partnership with Sage, the global market leader for business operations and finance. This came about because while different parts were working together behind the scenes- that’s how God does it, I was busy telling them my Rock Star Story. The Rock Star Story is the story of your life, thus far, with its disappointments and regrets, retold from the perspective of a winner. It pulls out the hidden successes you did not know you had, highlights your gifts and talents to make you an all-around badass! I will be running the next Write Your Rock Star Story Workshop on the 31st of July, and we have places available still. It will be a small but impactful class. To learn how to sell yourself first, book on Eventbrite. Click here or go to your favourite Podcast platform to listen to the full episode, then come back and share your thoughts. Resources / Upcoming Events: My Partnership with Sage Write Your Rock Star Story Workshop 31st July 2021 Journaling for Personal Growth 21st August 2021 To subscribe to this podcast, hit the subscribe button where you are listening. You can also join my friends’ list by subscribing at the bottom of this page so you can be informed of events, courses and the things that inspire Living Inside Out. Let’s connect on Instagram and Facebook and YouTube
Being the Face of Sage: Bossing It
When amazing things happen, we smile, laugh even. But there are awesome things that happen, and it takes a few days for it to sink in. That has been the case with my current partnership with the global brand, Sage. If you live in the UK, you may have come across the ‘Bossing It campaign by Sage with adverts in the shopping malls featuring yours truly. If you are London-based, you may have seen some billboards of the same. I have to say that any brand that champions small businesses enough to work with them deserves our respect, especially in these interesting times. The idea of Sage’s campaign, Bossing It shows small business owners at the helm of their company, literally bossing it, or making things work. Many moving parts make up a campaign of this size; production team, cameramen, director, creative marketing team, make-up artist, outfits, hair, lol. The list goes on. Bossing it with My Outfit I opted for smart casual, which required quite a bit of thought along with input from my fashionista friends, Oga and Jummy. Given the choice, I wanted to look like Toks- approachable, easy-going, yet a boss lady of her company 😉. So I opted for Sawn-off blue Jeans- H&M, a white V neck T-shirt- Massimo Dutti and a brown blazer from Hobbs. My gorgeous brown ankle tie, open-toed shoes were from Aldo. My trusted hairdresser, Joy, braided my hair and the talented Touched by Rachael did my make-up. Earings and necklace were from Accessorize. Sage Bossing it at The Shoot We started at 7 am, actually the night before where we got the shop ready; I had also bounced down the King’s Road to look for alternate outfits- I was to have 4 or 5 changes of clothes. At 8 am I got my make-up done, which was flawless, I still looked like me; go Racheal! and the team arrived. Four hours of poses and picture taking followed while being instructed on the various facial expressions to wear. I struggle to smile from within- my smiles tend to look forced in front of the camera. In between shoots, I got to chat with each member of the team. They were such a joy to work with, and very personable. Lessons Learned It’s one thing working towards something, and it’s quite another seeing it happen and as usual, I’ll share some lessons. Make Room for your Dreams Even though I have always had sizeable aspirations for my business, it appeared I had not yet made room for them to exist fully in my life. I almost did not have the right amount of emotion to express; this puzzled me because I dream big and write about my aspirations regularly. Maybe there was a part of my mind space that had not yet received the memo. Because sometimes we don’t give all of ourselves to an ambition, in case it flops, then we can rebuild our lives from the small part that we didn’t allow to dream. It means I still have work to do on my mind. The picture above was taken at my local shopping centre. Significant because, for starters, it is miles away from my office. But even more, it’s uplifting because I remember walking down that space in tears when I lost everything. My tears later turned to hope as I daydreamed about one day having a shop like the retail stores in the mall. So to stand there and see this feels very much like coming full circle. Overwhelm Remains When Things go Well I learned that overwhelm does not disappear because things are going well. I have been used to blaming my defeat on challenges, but I can’t do that anymore. Because even though I’m in a good place with my business, things have not magically fallen into place like I thought they would. God told me that many people see Him as their source until they become successful. Then they see their material wealth as their source. May that never be you or me, say amen, somebody! Have a Compelling Story It is important to have a compelling story, a Rock Star Story. Your Rock Star Story is not your success narrative it is your resilience report, and it will make room for you. Learn more about the Rock Star Story– and book a slot at my upcoming workshop. Everyone loves a good, authentic story because they can see themselves in it. I don’t know of anyone who has not been to challenges, and sharing your journey of resilience helps to affirm theirs. But it’s not all doom and gloom because it also tells of your strength, tenacity and ability, which they can also find in themselves. I cannot recommend rewriting yours enough because I know firsthand the power of using it. Invest in the future at the expense of your present need. This is unfolding as I write, and I talked about it in episode #42 of the Living Inside Out podcast. There are times in your life or business where you choose to solve an immediate and pressing need, over going for an opportunity to invest in the yet-to happen future. Always choose the future because it is superior to the present (another episode, #36). This can show up as turning down offers that can help you now but block better opportunities later. It Takes a Village to Raise an Entrepreneur. There might be a sense of pride in going it alone, but you will meet many points of frustration along the way and only go so far. There’s a Bible verse that says Two are better than one. For if either of them falls, one can help the other up. I have been blessed to have many helpers, too many to name as it appears every single person in my life has played a role in my business journey, and we still have a very long way to go. The people who were
