5 things I've learned from my entrepreneurial journey so far

Our business baby WONDER just turned TWO. Oh my, what a wonderful and sometimes hair-raising journey it's been. Swapping stories about the ride, our team was also talking about lessons learned. They asked me to share mine. Here they are:

1. We are stronger together

I could never do this alone. I have neither the skill set nor the energy to build a business alone, never mind to build it this quickly. Every day I’m grateful for my business partner Gareth McPherson and for our Wonder team. It’s part of our culture to appreciate and play to everyone’s strengths. And we wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for each other.

2. Pay attention to your attention

Where you focus your energy and attention translates directly into outcomes. If you’re preoccupied with problems or negative thoughts, focusing on fear rather than on possibility, then inevitably things start going wrong. Paying attention to something is like saying ‘yes’ to it. If you’re saying ‘yes’ to something, you’re also saying ‘no’ to something else. Choose wisely what thoughts and emotions you cultivate.

3. Hold the high stakes lightly

Building a business is like riding a rollercoaster. Tremendous highs can be followed by dramatic lows, sometimes in the space of a day. The steadier you can stay the less stomach churning the journey, and the more focused you can stay on the long term prize. Sometimes you just need to breathe through it. Mindfulness helps. So does reminding yourself to stay curious and be open to possibility.

4. Be useful or be gone

This is our mantra at Wonder. Our primary motivation is to make a difference to our clients, and we choose to grow both people and businesses that make a positive impact on our world. Focusing on purpose-driven delivery has been our superpower. Aligning our business with our values has infused our work with more energy and authenticity and has connected us with clients whose ethos aligns with our own. Living your purpose unlocks your potential.

5. The key to ‘balance’ is integration

For me ‘balance’ speaks to the impossible ideal of simultaneously meeting all your goals in both work and life. For a striving perfectionist it’s a shortcut to feeling like a failure. You’ll never get to it all, so choose each week what matters most, in your business and your life and try to be as fully present as possible with what, or who, is in front of you. Successful entrepreneurship demands a lot of resilience. And to be truly resilient you can’t let your entrepreneurial projects be the be-all-and-end-all of your life, however loudly the demands of your business are shouting. Integrate your roles as parent, partner, friend and family member into your ‘one wild and precious life’ (with thanks to Mary Oliver for the phrase).