The Mother Of All Lists

They say you can only know when you know, that's certainly true of business, there are many lessons along the way. Here are 10 that have been earned by entrepreneur Kiera O'Mara in the space of a decade.

1. Your business /brand will evolve over time. What you want in the beginning might not be what you want in the end, or what you have. It will evolve. As will you as you learn and grow.

2. Things won’t always go to plan. Things often don’t. I have learnt to always have a plan B, a worst-case scenario. It makes it all feel easier as you are simply taking a different option. I have had launches delayed, been out of stock for key products for months. Sometimes things are just beyond your control and you have to manage them as best you can.

3. You will become unemployable. After being my own boss for 10years I could NEVER work for anyone else again. That is not to say that no one would employ me, running a business has given me new skills in areas I knew nothing about before. It is more about me, I like working to my own timetable, my own agenda, I could definitely never go and do a 9-5 slog in an office again.

4. It’s ok to change your mind. Go with your gut instinct, if something feels right, you should not give up on it. If something feels wrong, it is ok to change your mind. I think people sometimes worry about what others will think, or that they have gone so far / spent so much that they should see it through.

5. Getting help is always a good idea even if it feels like you can’t afford it. The amount you will grow from having time to work on instead of in your business will astound you. Surround yourself with positive people who support your goals. Friends, family, other business owners. Let your goals and dreams inspire others around you.

6. Only do the things you are good at. At first, you may have to do everything but this is not always the best way. Outsource and delegate the things that aren’t strengths (for me this was the accounts!) Some things are worth investing in, design, website, packaging, Intellectual Property, yourself. Investing in yourself is always a good investment in business, learning/ courses, or mentoring is always a good investment.

But know your figures even if it is not your thing. I track my income daily. Even if you have someone else who is managing your finances it pays to know what is in the bank and how many orders you had that da

7. Keep your team lean. A big team doesn’t necessarily equal a big successful business. Outsourcing is great as it minimises risk and you can scale up and down as you need. I have seen businesses have to lay off their team which is so hard or having sleepless nights worrying about making enough to pay everyone. Bigger isn’t always better (national retailers) whilst impressive on paper aren’t always the best for your business. Create a business network of people who have your back, who are going through the same issues and who you can talk to about your business problems when the shit hits the fan.

8. Sometimes the easy way or the short cut is not the best way. It pays to do things properly. Being organised will save you a huge amount of time. Ways I have found that work for me are to have a really good planner/diary with sections, tasks, priorities. I also use an A4 lined sectioned project book as my pad with repositionable dividers which means I can easily find my notes on a certain topic rather than trawling through weeks of notes.

9. If you don’t ask you don’t get. Sometimes it pays to ask people to like, comment and share including friends, family and followers. Not everyone realises how important it is so a little reminder every now and then never hurts!

10. Everyone’s journey is different! Everyone’s business is different, their skills, their knowledge, their network, their location, their budget. Focus on how you can make your business great instead of looking at other people and comparing. I think a degree of competitiveness can be good if it spurs you on to do great things but not if it starts to eat away at you.