3 business lessons I wish I knew when I started my business

Starting a business taught Amanda one thing. You don't need perfect timing. You just need to start. In this final episode of Amanda's journey, she will be telling us about some of the biggest lessons she learned from entrepreneurship and also sharing some business tips and I really think that these will be extremely helpful for you guys, for me, for everyone really. So Amanda, please take it away. Hey guys, as you've probably noticed from following my journey, entpreneurship is a hell of a ride. It has highs and lows, but it's been the best work experience I've ever had. So, to wrap up this series, let me share what I've learned from a failed clothing line, other type of side hustles, and building my color analysis business successfully. Something I understood pretty early on was to use my limitations as strategy. And in case that sounds confusing, let me break it down to you. Most people see limitations as challenges. But for me, they became a filter for what I wanted and didn't want to focus on. For example, before my color analysis business, I started out clothing like that experience taught me that I didn't want to hold inventory. And I thought that a service-based business would be a much better fit for me than a product based one. So use your limitations to guide you. For example, I have a story of my friend. She has children and a full-time job. And her weekdays are always packed. So she decided to sell cookies through a pre-order method, which means she only bakes on Friday evenings and delivers on weekends. You can even use chat GPT to help you brainstorm. For example, you can type a prompt like this to help you find some ideas for your limitations. Again, your constraints and limitation don't stop you. They just help you to plan smarter. This brings me to the next point. Use your 9-to-f5 job as a testing ground. Your job is your investor, not your enemy. And I say that from experience. It's been almost 2 years and I still have a full-time job. In fact, a quarter of new entrepreneurs work full-time jobs. So instead of asking yourself, what is my dream business ask what can I test without risking my basic needs? Your salary gives you stability and time to experiment. Whether it's a big or small amount, you will need to invest some cash into your idea at some point. Also remember that your investments are not lost money. If you plan well and invest wisely, you can earn it back and even more. That's why idea validation is so important. My final lesson is about building simple systems because consistency doesn't come from motivation. It comes from structure. Don't try to do everything in the beginning even if you feel like you have to. Focus on one, one platform, one place to sell, and one system. For example, you can set up automation to answer messages. Use planning tools to help you organize your task and create a business website where customers can book or purchase directly. In fact, use AI as much as possible. Whether that's to build that website like I did with Hostinger website builder, brainstorm content marketing calendars, or manage your tasks better. We have a great video about using AI to increase productivity, especially if you are a businesswoman. So, make sure to check it out right here. Trying to do everything yourself will burn you out for sure. So, make sure you put systems in place that support you. Put your task in your calendar because if it's not scheduled, it probably won't happen. And build habits slowly until they become part of your routine. Just like near a says, when users start to automatically cue their next behavior, the new habit becomes part of their everyday routine. And just like that, you will accomplish the hardest part of starting a business, which is not giving up. Looking back on my journey and everything I've shared across all three videos, there is one thing that it all comes back to, which is don't wait for the perfect plan, just start. Really, I think this is the most valuable business tip after all. Most people and women in business especially delay starting a business because they think they need something new or some big inspiration. Well, you don't. Just focus on the skills you use at work, the task people always ask for your help with, and the opinions they trust you for. Ask yourself, what am I already doing that people value? And then start building from there. — How about that, Ellie? — Thank you so much, Amanda, for sharing your journey, for being so open, and for giving us so many cool business tips.

But I think the one thing that we all can really take away from this is that in any entrepreneurship, you will always have roadblocks. The difference is whether you're going to let them stop you or help them grow you. Now, to hear more from Amanda, make sure to head to Hosting Your Indonesia. And if you want to hear another success story about a woman who started her business, this time in the web 3 space, make sure to tune in next week and don't forget to subscribe. Thank you guys so much for watching and I'll see you in the next