I don’t know about you, but when I first started my business I had no idea what it would take to be a boss of a business. Becoming a boss of a thriving business isn’t necessarily something that crosses your mind when you’re just starting out. Over the years, I’ve learned that it takes constant mental and emotional work in order to be the boss and grow a business. And if you’re just starting your biz journey, take this as an opportunity to learn from our mistakes so you don’t have to make the same. Here are Bonnie’s, CEO of Hey June, 5 surprising tips for building a booming biz.
You are in store for a real treat with this post because Bonnie is completely raw about her experience of building her business. She shares her unique insight on the things she’s learned along the way, and I’d be willing to bet that it is things you wouldn’t expect. Here are 5 surprising tips for building a booming biz.
Hey June’s Birth Story
Before Hey June, Bonnie was a high school English teacher. She had always loved to write, and back in the era when blogging was super popular, she started her own blog. She turned her blog into a secondary income for her and her husband while her husband was going to school. Soon after, she started having kids, so she went part-time with her teaching job. This meant there was a huge pay cut to their income.
Bonnie felt the sole responsibility to provide for her family while her husband was in school, so she had to think of something to keep them afloat. Her sister mentioned that she should start selling her own products on her blog instead of other brands’ products. She sat on that idea for a while and made a connection with a friend who made and sold her own jewelry at a farmer’s market. And that’s where Hey June started.
A lot of times Bonnie is asked how she had the motivation to keep moving forward and pushing through to create this thriving business. Her answer is always the same–desperation. She said it doesn’t sound very inspirational, but she was truly desperate for finding a way to provide for her family and that was it.
What started as a desperation to make ends meet has turned into this beautiful business serving tons of people. Bonnie has been faced with a lot of discomforts in order to evolve her business. She said she tends to resist change, but change is the very thing that has turned her business into what it is today, so she’s grateful for it.
5 Surprising Tips for Building a Booming Biz
Since Bonnie’s business started out of pure desperation to provide for herself and her children, her experience is pretty unique. She didn’t start a business because she thought it sounded fun or because she wanted to experiment with a hobby. She started one because she needed the income and the ability to provide while still being present with her kids. While her business has brought her countless blessings, she has also seen many ways her business has stretched her beyond belief. And these 5 tips are lessons she’s learned since starting her business 7 years ago. Let’s dive in.
Small Biz Owner Tip #1: Be OK with your pace.
Bonnie never wants anyone to look at her business and doubt whether or not they could ever get to that point in their own business. Every business owner is on their own journey and moving at their own pace. So, be OK with the pace you are moving and allow that pace to be organic and what works for you.
You are the boss of your business for a reason. The more time you spend focusing on the goals of your biz and less about what your competitors are doing, the faster you will grow and the more you will enjoy what you’re doing. It’s easy to get caught up in the social media game and feel inferior to bigger competitors, but don’t let it deter you. Use them as guides, not as reasons to doubt your ability.
Small Biz Owner Tip #2: Get out of your comfort zone–again and again.
Bonnie is outside of her comfort zone with her biz every single day. She’s hired people who are experts in certain areas that help her fill in holes that she wouldn’t necessarily see. She orders a ton of inventory and panic immediately sets in because she questions whether or not they will actually sell all of it.
Doing these types of tasks, and several others, causes Bonnie to get out of her comfort zone over and over again. But she still chooses it because she knows this is what will help her business grow, and herself grow. She attributes this resiliency to her having a bit of fight in her and a competitive spirit. Those help her work through the discomfort and stay committed to her business goals! What helps you stay committed and show up every single day? If you need a reminder, click HERE!
Small Biz Owner Tip #3: Be brave and vulnerable as often as you can.
The healthier you are on the inside (your thoughts, consciousness, etc.) the healthier things are on the outside. When you get to a place in your mind where you are mentally thriving then your relationships, job, etc. will follow.
Bonnie knows that she’s able to show up on Instagram and be completely vulnerable or own up to her mistakes because of how confident she is in herself and her business. Bonnie’s secret to her confidence is reflecting on the hard things she’s already lived through. So, the next time you’re faced with self-doubt think back to the hard things you’ve overcome. There’s nothing like reflecting on your own strengths to help you find solutions to the problems right in front of you.
Small Biz Owner Tip #4: Don’t run away from hard things.
When hard things come up, work your way through them. Take a break and ignore it for a day or two if you need it, but come back and work through them. This is one of the best things you can do for yourself in the long run because when the next hard thing comes up, you’ll be able to look back and say, “Oh yeah, I’ve been through “x” before, so I can do this too.”
Bonnie had a friend tell her the strong get stronger and the weak get weaker. Which one are you? Click HERE if you need some extra motivation and a loving kick in the pants to get moving!
Small Biz Owner Tip #5: Get out of the pre-planning rut.
Oftentimes we get stuck in the pre-planning rut. This is when we talk about what our business would look like, what to do to get there, and basically building out the details to get it started, but never taking any action to make it happen. So, take the first step and the next step will be more likely to follow. Remember action leads to action and on the flip side of that, inaction leads to inaction.
The hardest part is to get started and to be OK when you fail. We so badly want to control the outcomes, but instead, we need to focus on what we can control. Which is the work we put in to make it happen and what we do once we see the outcome. If you fail, learn from it and move on. If you win, learn from it and move on.
10 Bonus Tips for Small Business Owners
Bonnie’s Quick Tips for Staying Centered Even on the Hard Days:
- Movement–go on a walk, run, or whatever speaks to you
- Go outside and breathe in the fresh air
- Journaling
- Have strict social media boundaries (be intentional about how you spend your time while on social media and the accounts you follow)
- Reserve focused and intentional time with your kids/loved ones
- Stay connected to God/the higher power you believe in
Bonnie’s Quick Tips for Having Insanely Successful Product Launches
- Sell products you would use/wear yourself
- Love the products you’re selling (it’s a lot easier to convince the customer they will love the product if you love the product!)
- Let your love for the product be what drives what you sell, not what the competition is selling
- Remove any and every hurdle for people to buy your product (e.g. set up text marketing so you can send a text with a link and a code to buy your product right when it launches)
5 Surprising Tips for Building a Booming Biz
I love Bonnie’s vulnerability and how willing she is to be raw and real! She is so amazing. I hope you learned some valuable lessons from her 5 surprising tips for building a booming biz. You can find Hey June on Instagram @shopheyjune and shop their products HERE! And, if you want more tips and tricks for building the best biz online follow me on Instagram @iammichellegifford.
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