This month marks 5 years since we started Raise HECK…and what an amazing ride it has been!! When we were first starting out, a wise former colleague of mine (who has had her own company now for more than 10 years) told me that it would take 5 years to feel confident that you can make a new business work. At the time it only increased my anxiety but, here we are…5 years in and going strong!
However…she was right…it does take time to feel confident that you can grow and maintain your business. Sooo what have I learned? A ton….but here are my top 4:
Be open and honest with yourself (and/or each other if in a partnership) in order to establish and understand your priorities. It is important for Sally and I to discuss and agree upon how we want to work together, what our working styles are, what types of projects interest us and what don’t, and what our personal and professional goals are for our company. To do this we are regularly in communication about these items because as our company grows and our personal life changes things must evolve. I think this is especially important in a partnership such as ours, but also if going out on your own. You need to understand your priorities and goals and check in regularly to make sure the company is meeting them.
Be willing to spend $ for the help you need. When we started out, the only thing we invested in was an attorney to establish our company legally. We created our own TERRIBLE website and just planned to network, hopefully get business and then once we had enough revenue invest in it and other items as needed. But 5 years ago, everyone we met with (and we knew it too) said you need a better website. We quickly hired a web designer and developer, then we hired a bookkeeper, a sales coach and other things.
The point is, we established Raise HECK to bring our expertise from our years working in the nonprofit sector to clients. We didn’t create Raise HECK to become professional accountants, web developers, attorneys, etc. It’s hard to spend money especially when you are first starting out (and don’t have any!), but it allows you to focus on growing your business rather than learning a hundred new trades to support it.
Be focused on the work you want to do. This is really important, but also really hard to do when starting out…especially when your first year starting a company occurred during a global pandemic but I digress…! Of course we took on jobs that we disliked or made me feel out of my comfort zone, but it’s key to make sure you know what you want to do and as much as possible focus and stick to that. Establish and refine your talking points about what your company does and use that in conversations with people and in your marketing materials. The more you are messaging with consistency the more you establish credibility in your area of expertise.
Trust Your Gut. This is a hard thing to do especially when starting out, but it’s really important. If you meet with a prospect and something feels off…don’t jump into the project with them. Ask for another call or references to determine if you want to work together. It doesn’t benefit your company to take on a project that you don’t want to do or feel uncomfortable doing. Your time would be better spent focusing on growing your business in the area of work you want to focus on. It’s hard to say no and turn away work, but if your gut is telling you something is off…it likely is.
These 5 years have been pretty awesome. I am so proud of the business that Sally and I created, the projects we’ve taken on, people we’ve met along the way and organizations we’ve helped support. Here’s to another 5 years of Raise HECK!