Secrets to Success: Rule #7

Its not always easy to start a business, build a blog readership, or quit your desk job to pursue your hand sewn line of womens clothing full-time. In fact, its almost always quite challenging at times. So, I started a series that tells it like it is”¦the good, the bad, and the completely “˜Girl, I cant believe you went there.” Secrets to success that have been learned along the way. Today, Tiffany will pick up where we left off last time”¦

This contributor post was written by Tiffany Han.

A few months after I started my coaching practice, I held a birthday sale. I offered a special pay-what-you-can session and was FOR SURE that it was going to sell like hotcakes. I hit “send” on my newsletter and then held my breath, waiting for my inbox to blow up with paypal notifications.

…and crickets…

Y’all. Not a single person signed up. At all. All day. I was – quite literally – giving away my services. On my birthday. And nothing.

But I see other people do this all the time, I thought, and it totally works for them.

Cue Secret to Success #7:

Just because other people make it look easy doesn’t mean that it is.

Building a successful business takes time. Like a lot of time.

What we often forget when comparing ourselves to someone we look up to is that there were countless hours, months, years perhaps, leading them to where they are now. Maybe someone just started an art business but spent 15 years working in marketing and PR and has a ton of connections.

Maybe it seems like someone came out of nowhere but she’s been blogging for 7 years and is just now getting noticed.

Maybe it’s best for you to keep your eyes on your own paper when it comes to your business. Try new things? Yes. Get inspiration from what works for other people? Absolutely. BUT having the expectation that something will work for you just like it works for someone else, especially if you’re just starting out, can lead to disappointment and frustration.

And yes, the truth is that any time something doesn’t go well, you will feel disappointment. BUT if you can be gentle with yourself and trust that you’re exactly where you need to be on your own path, that disappointment will not lead you to the place where you abandon your idea altogether because obviouslyit’snotgoingtoworkandmyideawasSOstupid.

Also (bonus secret): At some point, every successful business person has felt the obviouslyit’snotgoingtoworkandmyideawasSOstupid – but they keep moving forward. Always moving forward.

image above via How Joyful (free downloadable print)

Tiffany Han, CPCC is a life & business coach for highly-creative people who arent living the highly-creative lives they want. Just yet. With provocative questions & hard-edged encouragement, Tiffany helps skittish someday-ers become fiercely focused creators “” and proves that dreams do come true. But only when you demand it.