16 Lessons Learned in Our First Year of Business
Originally posted on https://softwareharmonics.com/
Reflecting on our first year of business, we have learned so much. We were confident that we could do it, but we are consistently surprised by the amount of support we receive and the consistent growth we have had during our first year of business.
Our philosophy is that if we continue to help others, we will continue to receive that support! In reflection of this wild year, we put together a list of lessons we learned during our first year open in hopes that it can help you in your first year of business too. What started as a list of ten turned into a list of forty, and we whittled it down to our favorites below.
We hope you can learn from us, and from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your continued support. It truly is what keeps us going.
1. Time is Money
When you start a business, money doesn’t always flow consistently. This means your most valuable resource is your time. It may help to schedule out your day and pretend like your time is paid, even though it may not be.
It is incredibly important to be aware of how you are allocating your time each day. One of the best pieces of advice we received this year is to ask yourself, “Do I need to put more work on or in my business right now?”. There will come a time where your time becomes too valuable and you need to outsource help to do smaller tasks for you, so being aware of how you value and spend your time will help you determine when that needs to happen.
2. Build a Strong Foundation
If you don’t start with a strong foundation, anything built on top will not be stable. Hold true to your beliefs and only grow your business with things that support and benefit those beliefs. Stay strong in your core values, and revisit them often to remind yourself and your employees to stay aligned.
Keep these in mind when hiring new staff, taking on new clients, and expanding your products. Starting with a strong foundation and a solid core is the first step to sustainable growth.
