10 Honest Tips if You’re Just Starting Your Business (From 13+ Years Experience in Entrepreneurship)

Hey Friend!

Let’s talk about ten honest – and if you know me, sometimes I’m too honest – tips for starting your business online, getting started with podcasting, or starting the entrepreneurship journey.

In a recent post, someone asked me what I would say to someone who’s just starting out. What would someone need to know? I’ve got ten tips that I think will give it to you straight.

Is it worth it? One million percent. Get a notebook and pen. I think it is so important to write things down so you can review the information, internalize it, and implement it. I know this is a free and fun way to get lots of juicy ideas, but if you do something with this free information, think how far you would be.

Take all of the value that we offer here and utilize it. If you see results there, I pray you will come back and invest in yourself as part of the Stef Gass School and join me in Podcast to Profit, which is the final phase of building a fruitful, simple sales model that will help you grow a Kingdom business that makes money using a podcast.

Starting Your Business With the Lessons I Learned

I have been a full-time entrepreneur for 13 years. These are the honest tips I wish someone would have told me. Maybe they did tell me and I wasn’t ready to hear it, but these are the things I wish I had known so I could have prepared myself to dig in for the long haul.

Perhaps you look at me and say, “She’s successful; it’s easy for her.” Or, “She works so few hours and has a team.” It took over a decade to reach a point where I had help in my business. Sure, I’ve had success in the last couple of years, but it took so many years to get to this point. There were many failures. There was much stress and a feeling of frustration. It felt like there was something wrong with my direction, and many times there was.

Things not working out helped me to get to where I am. It took not giving up and trusting God. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world because I’m now on the other side of the messy middle. I want you to know what it will take, but I also want you to know it’s super worth it.

It may not take you as long as it took me (a decade to grow my business) because I was very stubborn and didn’t have someone to follow. I blazed a trail in a simple sales model. God showed it to me so I could teach it to others. I had to figure it out for myself, and I want to help you figure out how to shorten that process.

Tip No. 1: Be Prepared for Hard Work When Starting Your Business

I say this often and will continue to say it because it’s so true. Every single thing is hard until it’s not. Starting your business or podcast is confusing. Entrepreneurship is hard work. You’ve never done it before. It isn’t very safe. It’s going to feel like you’re going to fail. You will. It’s part of the process. It will take rising to a new level of confidence and push you above and beyond what you think is possible. The reality is that without the hard work, you won’t reap the fruits of that labor.

The bad news: It’s going to take a lot of hard work.

The great news: Hard work produces incredible results.

What are you going to do with this? You get your mindset in the game to do hard things and know that you can. There’s nothing in your life that’s great that didn’t come from doing it the very first time and pushing through your fears to get there.

Tip No. 2: Embrace Uncertainty or Volatility

You’re choosing entrepreneurship. That means you are choosing to become the CEO and leader of your future company. You’re choosing something that has a little more risk. That’s just the reality. There are no guarantees; it’s just you blazing a trail. It’s you trying, failing, pushing forward, learning, growing, and stretching. Starting your business is the most incredible, fun journey of your lifetime. You’ll realize it was amazing when you get to the other side.

The bad news: You’re going to face challenges. You’re going to face setbacks and unexpected hurdles and roadblocks. Things are going to come at you.

The great news: You are completely adaptable. We, as humans, can adapt and reframe the way we think. We’re able to stretch and grow. Entrepreneurship is limitless and provides opportunities to continue learning and pushing yourself forward. The sky is truly the limit for you. You’ll be able to get there, but you have to push through. 

The uncertain piece is that you don’t know when it’s going to happen. You don’t know how consistently the income will come.

What do you do with this? Lean on God. You trust in Him. You consistently show up and work hard, but don’t jump off a bridge with no water under it. Make smart decisions.

Tip No. 3: Focus On Cashflow

Having the money to run your business is your lifeblood. If you drain your bank account too hard, too soon, it’s a bad decision. If you’re going to quit your job and go all in, you’d better have twelve months saved up because starting your business is not overnight. I’m not saying twelve months will be enough to get you where you’re going. It took me a decade.  Making sure you’re going slow enough to be sustainable is critically important.

The bad news: When you’re starting your business, money outflow is needed. Certain things are going to cost money. Period.

The good news: You can be discerning over doing one thing at a time in order to wisely choose the steps you’re taking. There’s no reason that you, new to entrepreneurship, should be spending money on marketing, advertising, or Facebook ads. It’s just unnecessary. Be smart, savvy, and structured in how you spend your money. 

Tip No. 4: Learn From Your Failures

You will fail. You’ve got to get over the fear of man and focus on the fear of God. Not doing the things He’s called you to do is so much bigger and should be the focus of every decision you make, especially in entrepreneurship. Are you pleasing God with this decision? It will alleviate all the fears you have about caring what other people think about you. Failing is just part of this process.

I’ve launched 9-12 courses over this 13-year period and I only have three of them remaining. I failed. I made bad business decisions and really bad investments, losing tens of thousands of dollars. There were things I did too soon and times I waited too long. I have made mistakes because they are part of the journey. 

The bad news: You’re going to fail. You’re going to make mistakes.

The great news: Every failure is an incredible learning opportunity for you. Every time I messed up, it taught me how to be better and smarter. It taught me how to make more educated decisions. My mistakes were invaluable to me getting to where I am today.

What are you supposed to do with this? Analyze what went wrong, make some strategic decisions, and apply those to the next time.

Tip No. 5: Invest in Yourself as You’re Starting Your Business

Don’t wait to find the person who’s going to show you how to create what it is you want to create. If you want to write the book, figure out who’s going to help you get that done. I’m not talking about throwing money at things willy-nilly; I’m talking about prayerfully considering who the right mentor or coach is for starting your business. Which group mastermind is led by the person living the life you want to live? Really discern. Take a look at what their life looks like. Talk to them or their team. Look at reviews of what they offer. Then invest.

Choose one investment at a time. There’s no need to have 2-4 courses happening at once. That is not a wise business investment, nor do you have the capability or capacity to implement multiple things effectively. Choose one. Go all in and fully complete it. 

The bad news: You’re going to have to invest in yourself. If you want to go big, you must put money on Y-O-U. I know that’s uncomfortable. I hated spending money on myself for a while, but then I learned the power and potential of learning new things from people I could trust; getting in a room with people who were further than me, and putting my mind in this self-development space. A game-changer! More importantly, a bank account changer!

The good news: It’s going to stretch and grow you. It’s going to be 100% worth it! The ROI (Return on Investment) of investing in yourself is pivotal.

What do you do with this? Find the mentor you need and pay the money to get the help you need.

Tip No. 6: Stay Focused on One Thing at a Time

One thing at a time.

The bad news: You’re so excited and want to do everything: email marketing, launch a course, have an ebook, hire a VA, work five hours a week, and have peace. Stop. One thing. One step. One focus. One person. One podcast. The power of one thing at a time will help you move exponentially faster than trying to do ten things at once. 

Do you feel scattered, overwhelmed, or confused? It could be because you’re trying to do too many things at once. Culture is throwing this at you. We’ve been taught to do this, thinking that we’re lovingly calling it multitasking. It’s not effective. Studies show that multitasking is ineffective; stop the madness. 

The good news: Focusing on one thing will help you do it right, do it well, and do it faster.

What do you do with this? Find the one thing you’re supposed to be doing right now, get laser-focused, head down, and do it. Get it done. Then you can look up and ask what you are supposed to do next.

Tip No. 7: You Need a Strong Support System While You’re Starting Your Business

If you don’t have one, it’s time to build one. You’ve got to surround yourself with supportive people. Who can be in your corner? This is hard. It’s lonely sometimes. I’m sitting here talking to nobody. But I do the work, knowing I have people in my corner who will redirect me when I’m not focusing, who will keep me sound of mind and heart.

Who is this in your life? Maybe you already have this person, perhaps you don’t have this person or people. You can come to my Facebook group. We’ve got over 9,000 God-centered, Kingdom Online Business Owners who would love to meet you. If you’re in Podcast to Profit, we break you into break-out groups to meet three other people at a time so you can start cultivating relationships because it’s a long road. 

If I had had the healthy, encouraging relationships I have now ten years ago, I think I would have gotten here a lot faster. I would have stopped getting in my own way. I would have stopped getting distracted.

The bad news: You have to meet some people.

The good news: There are people who are going to bless your life incredibly. You don’t even know what God’s got for you. Pray. Ask Him to show you who your people are. Who will support you through this journey of entrepreneurship? Ask Him to help you find some people to run this race with you.

What do you do with this? Go find your people. Join my group and ask for people. It can literally be that easy.

Tip No. 8: Focus On Going Deep, Not Wide

One of the mistakes I see often is people thinking they need to go wide: get as many followers as possible, grow their list as big as possible, or try multiple methods. All at the same time. When I ask how much money they are making, the answer is usually a blank stare. 

It doesn’t matter what the numbers are if you are not making dollar bills from them. Switch your mindset to whoever your ten Superfans are to nurture, pour into, and love until they convert into students, clients, or purchases from you. Then, you will have validated that you have a sales funnel that actually works. 

From podcast to communication to conversion, you can rinse and repeat. Focus on the one method that’s going to grow. Light the fire, pour fuel on it, and then look for the next method.

Focus on the people you have.

These people are going to help you grow your business and make money. These people will then tell other people because they got a result.

What do you do with this? Decide you’re going to go deep instead of wide. Then give and serve. Pour in and invite God to lead and grow your business (along with a little strategy from my courses, allowing the podcast to bring you leads).

Tip No. 9: Prioritize Rest and Breaks Alongside Starting Your Business

Starting your business is the trenches for real. You’re the only one working. Some of you might have a VA, but it’s still a lot of time. You’re spending a lot of time researching because you don’t know what or how to do things. It’s time-consuming. That is where you can easily find yourself burnt out, frustrated, or distracted to the point of starting over. You decide it’s too hard, pick something else, or do nothing. 

Even when you’re not making money, stopping for a minute is really important. Give yourself a weekend to disengage and not work. You need to have a moment to yourself, with God, and with sanity. 

When I took a true break (deleted the apps and took a mini-sabbatical), I got a revelation. God would speak to me. These breaks were imperative at the beginning of my journey. I didn’t want to take them because I thought I had to make this thing work, but prioritizing small breaks made all the difference.

It could also be making sure you’re still working out, taking baths, or walking. Where are your mental breaks? Then where are your longer breaks, such as a 3-day sabbatical or a long weekend? 

The bad news: Honestly, it’s not easy to rest sometimes.

The good news: Rest is replenishing, and revelation comes in the rest.

Tip No. 10: Celebrate the Small Wins

I know it’s hard to say, “I did the thing; now what?” I know you’re trying to get to the big result. You can see it:

• You want to quit your job.
• You want to get to $1,000/month.
• You want to get 100,000 podcast downloads.

Whatever that thing is you’re chasing – I’m here for those numerical goals that are realistic – make sure you celebrate where you’ve been. Often we forget to celebrate Step One when we’re on Step Two. You would never get to Step Two without Step One, so Step One needs some love! 

I don’t have a great practice for this and would love to know if you have one. Come share in our Facebook group. But what I’m thinking is that a Friday recap would be so great. What did you accomplish this week? Celebrate your accomplishment, sitting in it, remembering how it felt and how hard it was before you knew what you were doing. Think about the bravery or hard work it took. Pray over it. Praise God for it. You can be proud of what you’ve done before you move into the next thing.

My Wish – And a Prayer – For Your Journey of Entrepreneurship

Those are my ten honest tips for you as you start your business. Maybe you’re not starting out but you feel like it’s just not working. Those are the things I want you to know, take them to heart, and dig into them. It is worth it. You are worth it. You are called for a time such as this. You’ve been created for the work you are doing. I believe in you.

I know you are here with me on purpose; for a purpose. Dig in. Rise up. Keep moving forward.

May God bless your efforts and give favor and provision on your journey. I pray you find that peace and presence your heart and soul crave. May you have true Kingdom success in your life and business.

I pray this blesses you!

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