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October 6th 2016: Teluna Turns One
One year ago today I sat at my tiny desk, in my tiny bedroom, and waited with my finger on the enter key for the clock to turn 11am so I could publish my company Teluna. You’ve all read how I started the company, but nothing compares to this first year of business. You know what no one tells you? Good Luck…because its hard as sh** to run a company. In all the research and planning and marketing articles I’ve read, not one delved into the world of stress, failure, let downs, unbelievable excitement and the emotional roller coaster starting a company really is. But that’s where support comes in.
I’m so lucky to have friends and family that have supported me every step of the way. And a special thank you to my parents who allowed me to move home to save money and quit my job to pursue building my own company. With out them I wouldn’t even be close to a one year birthday of Teluna.
Trying to start and keep a company alive in the first year can be grueling to stay the least. Especially when you move, change jobs, and go through a few hardships in that same year. There’s a a lot of things I’ve learned along this journey and I couldn’t be more excited for all the things I’ll continue to learn and accomplish in this second year. Within this first year I’ve learned:
- what you put in is what you’ll get out
- “don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle”
- work to make connections. you never know how a new friendship can help you
- eventually something will fail…miserably. pick yourself up, choose three things you can learn and take away from the failure and move one. no body has time for whining
- not everyone is your friend or there to help you
- not everyone will love what you’re doing… and that’s okay. not everyone is your target market
- constantly check all of your technical support (website hosting, email configuration, etc.) I once went 2 full months without receiving emails because the routing from my website hosting was messed up. Insert panic attack here.
- remember why you’re doing it. life and let downs can overwhelm you while you’re trying to keep a company alive. take a moment each day to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and why you’re working so hard to build your company.
I hope these little tidbits help while you’re focusing on your own company. From one small business owner to another… don’t forget to enjoy the ride.
