12 Things I'd Tell the Kerra Who Started Her Business 12 Years Ago
This month marks 12 years since I started KA Social Media, and I keep thinking about the person who launched this business back in 2014.
Compared to these days, 2014 Kerra had no idea what was coming honestly. Social media looked SO different back then, and so did my life.
So if I could sit down with Kerra from 2014, I think she’d have a pretty long list of questions. I’d order her a refresher, settle in and tell her these 12 things that I know now, that I wish I had known back then.
1. You won't have it all figured out, and that's fine.
The expectation when you becoming a business owner is that you have it all figured out.
Twelve years later, I still don't have it all figured out. Frankly, things in social media move just too damn fast to have it all figured out all the time.
You learn more by doing the work, not by waiting to ‘feel’ ready. Start before you feel prepared. You'll figure out the next step once you get there.
2. Charge what you’re worth.
You're going to undercharge more than once, and you'll look back at some projects wondering what you were thinking.
It’s easy to feel like you can’t charge what everyone else is, but that’s just in your head.
Clients aren't only paying for your hours. They're paying for everything you've learned that lets you do the work well. So charge what you’re worth.
3. Go to the networking event.
Every single networking event is a huge opportunity. Walk in even when you're tired or you don't know anyone in the room. Say hello and ask people about their businesses.
Some of those rooms will change your business, and some of those strangers will become clients, collaborators, and friends.
4. Stop comparing your business to everyone else's.
Someone will always have more followers or a business that looks like it's growing faster than yours.
You’ll sink too much time into thinking about other people’s businesses if you don’t shut it out and focus on your own.
5. Take the picture.
Document the events and the ordinary workdays even if it feels silly at first. You'll wish later that you had more photos from these years. Those ordinary moments end up being part of your story.
6. Some clients will become genuine friends.
You'll meet incredible people through this business. Some will hire you for a single project, and some will stay for years. Some will introduce you to people who change your business in ways you can't even understand yet.
Remember how fortunate you are that people trust you with their businesses. And don’t be surprised when client meetings turn into business chats over coffee and then just catching up over life in general.
7. Some clients aren't worth the money.
A paycheque doesn't make an opportunity a good one. If someone doesn't respect your time, your boundaries, or your expertise, you're allowed to walk away.
You'll get faster at recognizing those situations. And you’ll be less stressed out and less anxious once you get used to recognizing when someone isn’t a good fit, and confident enough to say no.
8. Ask for the opportunity before someone hands it to you.
So many opportunities have come my way because I asked instead of waiting for something to come up. Send the email. Pitch yourself for the speaking spot. Introduce yourself to the person you want to meet.
Nobody can say yes to something they don't know you want.
9. Show your face, seriously.
People connect with you, not just your logo or your captions. Your personality becomes one of the biggest parts of your brand. Show up in every avenue available as it becomes available. You have no idea how your business will grow because you weren’t afraid to post selfies.
10. Your business will survive when you log off.
It doesn’t feel like it now, but you CAN step away and your business will survive! Take the vacation. Spend the afternoon with your family. The internet will still be there tomorrow.
You'll build a business where flexibility is one of the biggest benefits, so use it without feeling guilty or like things will fall apart if you take the time to watch your family grow up.
11. It's okay to change your mind.
You'll launch things you eventually stop offering, and you'll have ideas that don't work out. You're allowed to outgrow your own ideas and decide something isn't for you anymore.
It doesn’t mean they were a waste of time; every single thing you do will offer something to learn from.
12. You'll build the flexibility you're dreaming about.
There will be years when you're working too much, and there will be stretches when running your own business doesn't FEEL flexible at all.
Head down and keep going anyway. Eventually you'll find your seasonal timing and build something that lets you be a business owner and a mom and a friend and a daughter and a wife without feeling like there’s too much to handle happening all at once.
You'll work from home, and sometimes from beside a pool, sometimes at a coffee shop. You'll build a schedule around school activities and family trips to places like Chéticamp and Liverpool.
What I'd Really Want 2014 Kerra To Know
If I could tell 2014 Kerra one final thing, it wouldn't be about social media at all.
I'd tell her to keep going, even during the moments when nothing seems to be working. I'd tell her to keep going through the ideas that flop and the years that feel like everything is going wrong and years that the world feels like it’s shutting down around her.
Twelve years from now, she'll look back and see that every decision, and mistake, and ordinary workday adds up to something she can’t imagine yet.
I would tell her that she doesn’t need to know where she’s going to take the next step. It’s scary, but take the step and the rest will follow.
If you're building your own business journey in social media right now and wondering whether you're doing it right, know this: nobody has it figured out at the start. Things will keep changing and you and I will be right there changing with it.
12 years ago I built this business with the idea that we would grow our businesses together. And I hope that we’ll all be together to keep growing them for another 12 more.