Courtney L Sanders

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Hindsight is always 20/20, right?For instance, in hindsight...I probably wouldn't have taken out 3 credit cards my sophomore year in college as a way to "build my credit". Since I ended up doing the exact opposite - messing up my credit - by quickly maxing them out (carry-out Thai and expensive shoes were my weakness), what started as an attempt to build my credit ended up taking my 3 years to repair. So much for good intentions.And since we're on the subject of my college escapades (is that not where it always starts???), in hindsight, I probably would have taken my happy camper butt to class (my Dad's favorite expression) instead of galavanting all over the city, trying to meet with "investors" to start my business.Actually, let's talk about my first business. I've mentioned this before, but my first attempt at entering the world of entrepreneurship (not counting my 6 month stint as an "Avon Lady" in high school...) was with my natural hair care line, Material Gurl Beauty. (I was too cool to spell "girl" the normal way.)That business failed a year after I started it but looking back, I totally can see why. Now that I'm older (I was 19 when I started that business) and a little wiser (I like to think!), looking back I can see pretty much everything I did wrong that ultimately made that business fail.Since I'm committed to making this business succeed (you didn't know Think & Grow Chick was a business? ;-) ), I'm making sure I won't make any of my old mistakes again. (New mistakes, however, are fair game...).So just what went wrong with my previous business attempts? The list is endless but just to get started, here's 16 things I wish I knew before starting my business:

16 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Business

Start with your customer and their needs/wants, first. When coming up with business ideas, start with who you want to serve and what their needs/wants are - not necessarily what YOU want to sell.
You don't have to have everything in place before you start. In fact, it's better if you don't have everything in place because you'll only end up having to change it once you get your first customers and receive feedback. Setup only what you truly need to get going then...get going!
You're product/service doesn't have to be "perfect" before you sell it. Always think in terms of "versions" - your first offering will be version 1.0. Sell it, get some feedback, make it better, then offer version 2.0.
Always take action, whether you feel ready or not. Generally speaking, you will never feel "ready". Feel the fear and do it anyway.
Get used to doing what you don't know how to do. You'll only learn how once you get started so don't let "I don't know how" stop you.
Starting a business requires both time and financial sacrifice. When you're trying to get your business up and running, it's going to a take A LOT of focus and time, and at least some of your money (more on that in a second...). You can have a life and run a business but your expectations of "balance" should change. There are just some things you aren't going to be able to do (like sleep in) while you're in startup mode and you have to be okay with that.
Everything that needs to be done doesn't need to be done right away. Focus on tasks that either make you money or put you in a better position to make money before you do anything else. Everything else should come after that, otherwise you won't have a business!
The stuff you learn in school won't really help you when starting a business. You're going to have to spend HOURS teaching yourself as you go. If you aren't willing to teach yourself, you can forget it.
People have to have a reason to buy from you...and "I've always wanted to start my own business" is not a good reason. People will only give you money if you can solve their problems. No one's going to give you money just because you've always wanted to be an entrepreneur. You have to offer them something they value.
The internet has made starting a business cheaper, not free. Regardless of the business you want to start, you're still going to have to spend at least some money to get it up and running. You likely don't need much but you are going to have to pony-up something, so start saving.
Don't try to do what established brands and businesses do right away. They got to where they are over time. If you try put in place everything the "big boys" have right at the beginning of your business, it won't work out because you aren't yet sophisticated enough to know what you're doing. Do the best you can for the stage you're in right now.
Email is still King. Social media and even blogging is great, but connecting with "your people" over email is still the best way to build relationships and make sales.
There's more than one "right way" to do most things. Just because someone is doing something in a certain way successfully doesn't mean that is THE way to do it. It just means it's working for them. You can model others but ultimately do what works best for you.
Build systems to reach new people. Exposing your business to ideal potential customers who have not yet heard about you is the lifeblood of your business. One of the best things you can early on is develop systems that help you constantly reach new people.
You can learn most things for free but the "next level" stuff costs money. Google will get you a HUGE head start on your business but there's only so much you can learn for free. You don't know what you don't know, which is where books, courses, and coaching/mentoring comes in.
Everything is difficult before it becomes easy. Especially marketing. Effectively marketing your business will likely be one of the most difficult things you have to learn. But keep learning it as it gets easier over time. If you give up every time you face something you can't figure out, then...business isn't for you.

P.S. - Remember the Launch Your Life event I put on in Atlanta back in January with Natasha Cole of The Go and Glow Project? Well if you missed it but want to receive more in-depth training about how to plan and market your business, it's now available online! Yup, Natasha and I came together and converted the entire Launch Your Life Masterclass into a workshop you can do anytime online. Click below to check it out: