7 things I’ve learned in 7 years

Hi Reader,

The beginning of September is always a milestone week for me.

Yesterday I marked 7 years of self-employment, and today is 20 years (!!!!) since I left Vancouver for what was supposed to be a three-month internship in Canada’s capital.

So to mark the occasion I thought I’d share 7 things I’ve learned since going independent — as a business owner in 2019 and as a human in 2006 🙃.

1 - Your people are out there (so don’t hide yourself from them).

They might not be the loudest voices in your social feed, inbox, or DMs — so it may take some creativity to find and connect with them. But they’re out there, and they need your unique blend of experience, skill, and service… which means owning the values / voice / approach / expertise that make up your secret sauce and letting them shine.

2 - Give things time.

The work I do (and maybe you, too) is super think-y, brain-draining type stuff. It takes a lot of mental space and effort! I’ve learned over the years that quick fix “done in a day” projects might work for others but rarely for me. So I’ve learned to build time into my projects to let things percolate. That’s a feature, not a bug — it means I can deliver thoughtful direction instead of glorified drafts.

3 - Pay attention to your systems.

Building a business is like building a house where you also have to manufacture the bricks. Each brick is a system that takes time and effort to build and maintain. It can feel like (really) slow going sometimes, but the results compound.

Putting thought into how you want the house to work for you and for your clients, and then designing systems around those outcomes, is one of the most important ways you can create a brand experience that feels sustainable to you and exciting to your clients.

4 - You’ll evolve. Let it happen!

Look, I just really want everything to be perfect the first time around and I feel like that’s not too much to ask… eeeexcept it totally is. 😅😭 That tendency to over-engineer has cost me so much frustration and wasted time! I’ve learned (okay okay am learning) to let things be a little messier.

To paraphrase a certain ogre, brands are like onions — it takes a while to peel back the layers. But the refining process is valuable, and it helps you discover the truest and most enduring parts of what makes your brand and business yours.

5 - Lean into how you lead.

Whether you’re a consultant, creative, practitioner, or coach, my bet is that a big part of what you do is guiding your clients through a specific process and towards a certain result, outcome, or transformation. How you do that, though, is unique to you.

Part of that has to do with your process — the step-by-step thing you can do in your sleep. And part of that has to do with how you build connections and relationships — one-on-one or in groups; on social or in person; with words or video or visuals or a combination.

Both of those things shape how you lead your clients (and maybe your industry!). Both need to be a part of the story you’re telling.

6 - Small is beautiful.

Not everything has to be scalable. The biggest team or balance sheet doesn’t always win. It’s okay to lean into your specialty and get creative with partnerships and collabs for things you don’t want to do… or, you know, just say no.

7 - Community is life.

Find other like-minded souls who get this weird “running an online business” thing to learn from, collaborate with, support, and be supported by. Iron sharpens iron!

My favourite clients, best business friends & colleagues, greatest lightbulb moments, and most rewarding projects have all come out of real-life conversations and relationships. There’s absolutely no way I would have made it this far without it… or the offline community that is a little more fuzzy on the details but cheers me on wildly anyways whether it’s been 7 years, 20 years, or 42 years and counting!

So those are my seven. What would you add to this list, or what resonated? Curious to hear what you think!

Cheers to another year,
Kristen

P.S. There are a few more milestones on the way too:

• Our next Brand Commons expert panel is happening on September 22 and it’s all about sales. Mark your calendars for 3pm ET / 12pm PT… registration opening soon!
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• Four weeks from today I’m getting married! The big day is October 2 and I’ll be out of the office until early November… but I’ve got a fun email series planned with a few business friends for the weeks I’m out of town. Keep your eyes peeled for more info on that in a few weeks.