Suzanne Chadwick
Hey, gorgeous. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm excited to share this week's episode with you. It's a little late this week because I was in Queenstown, New Zealand on a family holiday, we zipline we lose, which is like a toboggan thing. We drove around and saw the sights Queenstown is stunning if you've never been, I went a couple of years ago, and I was excited to get back and it just doesn't disappoint. It's majestic. It is surrounded by incredible mountains. And it was just a very chilled and great break bit odd to do it at the beginning of the year. But it was all good. So listen, Today I am sharing 10 years of business lessons with you. Obviously, I'm just gonna give you the highlight. But in March 2014, I registered my business, did I have a clue exactly what I was doing? No, I just knew that I wanted to do something myself. And I thought, well, let's give it a go. Let's figure it out as we go. Let's start this and start making it happen. And I'm sure like many of you who started a business, you probably felt the same. And I feel like I've learned so much in that period of time. Like when I think about the different iterations of my business. I'm just like, wow, you know, when you look back, you think, Oh, I wish I had done that sooner. Or I wish I had moved quicker when it came to, you know, whatever it was building my courses, changing my business model, taking the leap into being a full time business owner. But at the end of the day, the ride is what it is it takes as long as it takes. And you learn a lot along the way. So these are my 10 lessons for you from 10 years in business.

So let's start at the very beginning. A little bit of context is that I was running an employer brand agency in a corporate when I first started my business, I just knew that there was something else that I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to do my own thing. My kids were around about two and four at the time. And I was working in the city. And I just followed my intuition. I think that is something that's so important. It's not one of the lessons, but it should be is that I had this gut feeling. And I just find the breadcrumbs. And if you've been around here for a while, you'll know that that's something that I say often is that when you sense that there's something that you can do something that could be an opportunity, you've just got a feeling about it. You've just got to follow the breadcrumbs and back yourself to have a go and see what happens. And so I registered the business in March 2014. I started a free Facebook group. And then I message to friends and family and said to them, I am going to be starting my own business. I'm going to be doing some career coaching. Crazy but true. So career coaching and some brand coaching, it was all a bit Higgledy Piggledy, but because I'd come from a recruitment and HR background, I thought, well, I don't know, maybe I should stick with what I know, as well, even though I was running a brand agency at the time, but I was conscious that I couldn't be in competition at all with the job that I had. So I thought well, let me sign career coaching. But as I always say, just because you can doesn't mean that you should and what 100% It wasn't what I should have done, but it was a start. And you can't be upset about where you start because it gets you moving in the direction that you end up going anyway.

So I got my first few clients from friends who referred people that they knew, and I did some career coaching. And that didn't last very long. I had a couple of clients and then I realized this is definitely not what I want to do. So I was helping out a girlfriend who wanted to leave corporate and she wanted to start her own business and she said how did you start the brand agency and I sat down and I worked through it all with her. And just on that dining room table over that glass of wine. I found my spark. Like I found the thing that really lit me up. And I was like

This is so fun. This just works for my brain. I love mapping it out. I love answering questions about what I did and how I did it and what worked and what didn't. And I'd been running teams like large teams. Prior to that, I had managed really large budgets, we had done a lot of sales work. So a lot of the business elements to me just felt very normal and natural. And so that's what I decided to do. My governor was like, you need to do this. So that's kind of how I got started. And then I opened the Facebook group, which ended up having like three to 4000 Women in it. And you've got to remember this was right at the beginning, I feel of the internet hype where Marie Forleo was like, really the only person as far as I knew, that was doing online business. Amy Porterfield, Kimra Luna was somebody else who was around at the time, then. And it just all felt very new, like, online business just wasn't a huge thing. And so it was a really interesting time when I look back on it now.

And then, for those who have been around a while, you'll know that I ended up running Epic Summit. Now, one thing that I don't always talk about is that I was supposed to run that in October 2014. But because we didn't sell the number of tickets that I needed to sell, we pushed it to March, was it March or April 2015. And it was a huge risk like the event cost $40,000. We broke even in the end. But there were many moments, during that period of trying to sell the event, Lisa Messenger was our keynote speaker. I've tried to sell that event where I just thought I could lose like 20 grand and this is the first big thing that I'm doing in my business.

So lesson number one, and maybe not to this extent, but I would say you do have to take some risks. So that was a risk that I took, I could have taken a much smaller one. But one thing I really learned that I feel goes with taking risks is that when you decide to take a risk, you have to leave no stone unturned when you're going after big things. Like I could not sit there and go, Oh, well, we tried a few things and tickets didn't sell No, no. This was money I'd taken out of my mortgage, where I was said to my husband, we could lose 20 grand, my husband is a very calm and very level-headed person who was like, we'll figure it out. It's fine. We'll figure it out. And in that moment, crying, crying in that moment, I thought I will die before I let that happen. So I collaborated I contacted people I called in favors. I was like all over messaging people inviting them individually, like there was a no way that I was not going to make that a success. And on the day we had like 100 people in the day 125 In the evening, it generally went to plan there were definitely some hiccups. But at the end of the day, I did every single thing that was humanly available to me to make that a success. And I think the reason that this is the first lesson is that sometimes I feel like people go into business, and they get their socials up, they get the website up, and then they're like, "well nobody bought", or I just didn't really find any clients and that mentality of leaving no stone unturned. When you take a risk, like starting a business, I think is where we've got to start. You just can't be passive when you're starting a business. So that's Lesson number one, take risks. But when you do, you've got to be all in.

Lesson number two, you make your own opportunities, don't wait for others to give them to you. Because at the end of the day, nobody is coming to save you in business, you have to do that yourself.

And so when I first started, for those who have been around, I started speaking when I was 16. When I got into corporate and they would sponsor events, I was the one that they will doubt I would speak in front of hundreds of people in the jobs that I was in, I would run training. So for me speaking was a very natural thing. It was something that I really loved doing. I wanted to do it and so when I came into the entrepreneurial space, I didn't have a brand my business was really new. And so I you know, people didn't ask me to come and speak or be on podcasts or things like that. So I decided to create my own events. So I MCed Epic Summit 2015, then I MCed the next one that we did in 2016.

I ran workshops at Oneroof.  I put together panel events, and I was on the panel, things like that, where I just made my own opportunities. And once I started creating and making my own opportunities, then other people started to invite me to come and speak at their events. And I started getting paid to be the emcee of the day and things like that. So I just really want to encourage you to sit down and think about what is it that I want.

What do I want more of in my business? And how can I create those opportunities for myself, you know, another really great example is that I would love to be published in more online magazines and things like that from a brand perspective. And every now and again, I'll get asked to do that. But otherwise, I'm pitching articles, to online publications or to PR and things like that, and to podcasts, and you've got to be somebody who goes after their own opportunities. Don't be somebody that just sits back and hopes and wishes, that what you really want to happen is actually going to come to you. You've got to go and get it yourself.

Lesson number three is that there are always people who will help you and support you. But you have to be brave enough to ask for help when you need it. And so finding your inner circle, who you can laugh and cry with who will listen and be there for you, is so important. Now, we hear this all the time, but I really want to put some parameters around it as well. So I have got my little Facebook chat group with four or five other amazing women in business, who've got similar businesses to mine in different niches, who get my business who understand that the ups and downs and the challenges of a coaching and cost based business. And so when I need help I go in that group. And I'm like, Guys, I need help like, this is not working. This is what's happened. What do you think about this, they share their sales pages, they share things that they're testing and trying. But it's a very supportive group where sometimes it's like, this really crappy thing just happened. And I feel awful about it, or it's just made me feel really rubbish. And we all kind of go in and we support one another. And that is the kind of support that you want to try and find for yourself. Now you're not potentially it was just going to find that group already formed.

Myself and somebody else ended up saying let's create a group together. We knew one other person. And then she brought in two people that I didn't know. But because I knew her, they were my people as well. And so it just formed really naturally. But it was an intentional formation. And it's become a group that is a trusted advisory group, where we can have social chats as well as business chats. And I think that finding those people for you is such an important thing to do. Because you need a space where you can ask for help. And if you can't ask for help, you will I think you'll suffer a lot in your business, doing things alone.

Next lesson number four, you will never be great at everything. Sorry, I know it's a shock to you.

But you've got to stick with your zone of genius, learn as much as you can and hire for your weaknesses. Now, one thing that I wish I'd done earlier was hire more of a team earlier on, I know that there are certain people I would love to have on my team and that's still something that's in kind of development as well. And I do kind of struggle a little bit with this as well because I know that there are online businesses that have just got one person that helped them and then others that have got you know more of a team, but I think it's just deciding what you really need. So for me I have somebody like if I need a contract written that I go to I have an accountant that's you know, in my business all the time I pay the monthly and so it's an investment in some people I've got my on my business manager I pay for that monthly, there are people who I have decided to commit to who helped me in my business but I'm really aware that there are things that I do not do as well and so I really need to ensure that I get help with those things as and when I need them. And just being the person who's willing to invest in that I think is really important. You know a lot of times we might invest in a website and in copywriting and and things like that, but when it comes to support for us, we don't, whether it's a coach, whether it's a VA, whether it's whatever else you need in your business, I think you've got to make those decisions and decide when you're going to invest, and how you're going to invest as well. And being able to make those decisions is really, really important. And so think about who you might need to outsource to, so that you can continue to do the things that you want to be doing. And that that's really going to help you to grow as well.

Lesson number five is grit, focus and tenacity and determination matter when times get tough. At the end of the day, business is a rollercoaster ride. If you're new, FYI, if you've been in business for a while, you'll know. And so there's a couple of things here, this has got multiple points to this lesson number one, your ability to focus and be tenacious and matters. Number two, in this lesson is learning to deal with the ups and downs and the roller coaster of business. And the third part of this lesson is being able to bounce back fast from your failures. So when you are in the dip of the roller coaster, how long does it take you to get back up. And I've had clients before where this has been something that we've really had to work on, because sometimes things will not go to plan and it'll just take them out. And I'm kind of like, come on, we're gonna get back in the game here. And so I think you've also got to know what's my contingency plan here, like, not having all your eggs in one basket is a big one, because business is a roller coaster ride, you know, for people when COVID here who they only had one revenue stream and that revenue stream go here, that was kind of it unless they were able to be agile. And yes, I'm gonna use the P word pivot. But one of the things that you have to really think about is, okay, I'm going to be really determined, I'm going to have a lot of grit, I'm going to know exactly what it is that I want to be doing. I'm going to have multiple revenue streams, when things don't go the way that I want, I will have contingency plans, like I know how to manage and run a business so that I don't have all my eggs in one basket. And I think this is a really big lesson because you're a bit your ability to not only be agile, but also be really resilient as a business owner is a lesson that I have to say, I have learned many, many times the business over the last 10 years we have you know, we started with nothing. We went 200k months, we came back down from that we've gone back up, we've come back down, like literally it is a roller coaster ride. And you've got to really think about okay, how do we win when we've got lots of money coming in? How do we make sure that we think about the longevity of the business so that when we go into a dip on the roller coaster ride, we're prepared for it? How do we ensure that we're investing back into the business? How do we make sure that we know what's going on with money and how we're managing it? From a mindset perspective? How am I continuing to manage my mind so that I'm resilient and that I'm focused and that I'm determined when I'm marketing the business and when I am, you know, selling and when I'm connecting with new clients and helping them to grow their business, like what are all the things that I need personally, as a business owner, in order to be able to have longevity when it comes to business as well, which leads me to point or...

lesson number six, which is to be continuously curious, and hungry to keep learning and growing. Because and I heard this at an event the other day, I've heard it before, but it just kind of was a fresh hit for me, which I loved is that your business can only grow to the extent that you're willing to grow personally. So you've got to keep pushing yourself exploring new ideas, testing new things, because otherwise business gets pretty stale. And so I had a call this morning with a new person in my network. She's in London, and we had such a great conversation. And I just said to her, you know, I really feel like I am a glow stick. Because every few years I have to break in order to shine brighter. And, and she just said she's so related with that, because we had similar businesses, where, you know, we're now going through the growing pains of big becoming community first changing platforms, changing a lot of systems, having to learn and develop these whilst I'm still working with clients, and we're still managing our community and all the rest of it. And sometimes you've got to break in order to go to that next level. Sometimes you've got to go through really hard things. But at the end of the day, I already know that I'm going to learn so much in this process and one of the

Things that I've really loved is, you know, we're really focusing on community first this year. And so moving to a new platform is going to help me to do that. But I've been listening to so many great podcasts on building communities in 2024, and how the market has changed, and what people are looking for how their behaviors change, how to build more engagement, you know, really thinking about what do I want from this community, to what am I trying to build, what's the vision for it. And so I'm very curious, and I'm very hungry to keep learning, because the markets always changing and our behavior is always changing. It's so important for you to be in that mindset of continual growth and self improvement, because you can't grow your business further than you've grown personally.

Number seven is doing things even when you don't feel like it. I think that it's what separates successful businesses from businesses that fail. So I talked about this as far as professional practices go, and just doing the things that you said that you were going to do. This is like such a huge thing. And it's one of the main lessons like, for example, I was wearing holidays, this week, I've got loads of business to sort out. And I didn't really feel like doing the podcast today. But it's not something that is a negotiable thing in the business. It is something that I do every week. And we had a whole lot of podcasts batched. And, you know, we've gone through those. And so today, I needed to record the podcast. And so that's exactly what I'm doing. And I'm going to show up, and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. And the other thing is that this is like the third time that I've had to record certain parts of this podcast, because my tech has failed me. Now I could easily throw in the towel and just say I'm not doing it, nothing's working. But at the end of the day, that's not what I have made the commitment to you to do. And so one of the things that I say is you don't want to be an emotional toddler, you want to make decisions as a CEO in your business, you want to make commercial decisions, you want to commit to the things that you have said that you're going to do. When you create strategies and plans, you show up and you make it happen. And I think that there are businesses that start and then they're like, oh, I don't really feel like doing it. And then their business fails. And they wonder why. And I will say this till the cows come home to my clients, you have to do the things that you said you were going to do. When I do time blocking in my diary, that time is for me that time is to get done what I need to get done, and I show up and I do it, whether I feel like it or not. And I think that when you can make that those commitments, it means that the time that you're working in your business is so much more productive, it means that you're getting things done in more efficient and effective way, instead of putting time in your diary. And then faffing about procrasta-scrolling, like being unproductive. So really think about, are you committing to the things that you said that you were going to do? And are you doing the things that you need to even when you don't feel like it?

Lesson number eight, which is a bit of a interesting one. But it's something I've been thinking about a lot is that clients and friends will come and go, value everyone but don't live in the past and don't hold on to things that don't help you to move forward. And the reason that this has been a lesson for me is because it's really easy to get attached to clients, it's really easy when you've been working with them for months or years, it can be hard to let go. And I've had business friends who I had years ago, who were no longer around. And it's just kind of once again, managing that roller coaster of relationships within business as well. And not becoming too attached. And what I mean by that is, it's not that you don't value the people that you have around you, but just seeing it for what it is. So people come for a reason or they come for a season. And you might have relationships that you'll have for a really long time. But you'll also have relationships that you only have for short periods, and just being okay with that. I was chatting with my new connection this morning. And we were talking about clients who sometimes live rent free in your mind after you've finished work with them like a long time ago. And there might be different reasons for that we were talking about the different reasons, and there may not have been closure. The relationship may not have gone exactly the way that you wanted. Maybe you felt like the there was more of a relationship there than what they was, whatever it might be. And so I think that when you are a solo business owner, it's natural to build relationships with people by

You've just got to make sure that you're building relationships with the right people who are really there to support you. And also just being okay with letting go when the time comes to let that friendship go as well.

Number nine is find a space for rest, reflection and peace. As Aussies, we love to work to live. And that is something that I just want to remind you that we want to be doing. Because your business is something you do, it's not who you are. I'm just gonna say that, again. Your business is something you do. It's not who you are. And I really loved this conversation recently, where we're talking about if you were to introduce yourself to somebody, but you weren't allowed to say what it is that you do, what would you say?

Really interesting, right? And I think a lot of times we put all these labels on ourselves. So I'm a business coach, I'm a speaker, I'm a mother, I'm a wife, I'm a this I'm a that. And it's what I am to other people. And the question is, Who am I to myself. And for me, I'm a traveller, I'm an adventurer, I'm a singer, I'm a dancer, I'm a creative spirit. I'm a connector, I like want to laugh, I want to cry, I want to experience all of the emotions. And I want to build incredible friendships and relationships. And I think that when we get into business, it's really easy to become all consumed. And it's really easy to overwork. A lot of the times, like when I first started my business, I would work all the hours that God sent, I loved it, I would do it for free. I was like this is the best thing ever. And then obviously, a few years later, you kind of find your balance, you set some boundaries, you learn what works and what doesn't work. And then you put that in place. And so now, it works really well. For me, I love the fact that I can get up early work, finish my day early, take a Friday off if I need to go on holidays, as and when I need to as well and still pay myself really well. And I think that just making sure that you find that space for rest and reflection, and just peace so that you can live the kind of life that you want to live and be the person that you want to be like What do you need to create for yourself? What space do you need to create for yourself, in order to live the kind of life that you want to live? I think sometimes we forget that a lot of times we get into business to have the freedom to not be on the corporate, you know, treadmill and to be at the beck and call of other people, but that we get to choose how we work when we work what we work on. And sometimes I think we become slaves to our business, that whole thing of, you know, I left a nine to five to work, five till 12, or whatever it is where you're working all the hours. That's a choice. I think that we have to look at what am I spending my time on? Is it productive isn't helping me move forward? And how can I set my life up and my business in a way that makes me feel good, and not like I'm driving myself into the ground. So that is lesson number nine, set your boundaries, find your space. Remember that your business is what you do. It's not who you are.

And my friend, were on the home stretch. Lesson number 10. The most important lesson I think, is to back yourself every single day. Don't look for external validation, learn to find that in yourself.

And I think that has women in business, which is who most of my audience are for the guys out there, sending her Hello. But just learning to be your own cheerleader, managing your mind, to remind yourself that you are great at what you do, you wouldn't have gone into business if you didn't think that you were capable, and competent, of doing a great job and actually running your business as well. And I think sometimes we have to remind ourselves of that is that you have to be the one that's like I'm really good at this, I can help my clients, I want to sell what I have so that I can work with more of the people that I want to work with. And that I can achieve what I want to achieve, like I have these goals, and I can figure out how to make this happen. And I think if you back yourself every single day, and I'm gonna say every day because that's what is required to build your confidence and build your courage to be able to continue on this journey. Yes, 10 years later. I do it every day. That yeah, I can do this. Like let's go I know that I can help my clients to grow their business. I know I can help my clients become more confident and courageous and build their personal brand. Yes, I'm gonna run the workshop even though I don't know whether I'm gonna get the signups or not. I'm going to take the risk, get it back myself every day. I'm going to show up and I'm going to mark it because I'm going to back myself today.

that the right people are going to find me. And that I'm going to build the relationships that are going to help me to continue to grow my business. And so this is your big call to action. This is the lesson that I've learned, that has carried me through 10 years successfully in business. And when I say successfully, it means that I've worked with amazing people, my business has grown, I have paid myself Well, every single month. To me, that is what success is. I don't need to be making a million dollars a month, I don't need to have awards and accolades, which are all nice and well and good. But you have got to define what success looks like for you. And then you've got to work towards that. And whatever that looks like, you've just got to continue to back yourself every day that yes, I can work the hours I want. Yes, I can take the holidays that I want. Yes, I can be the human that I want to be. Yes, I can work with incredible clients. Yes, I can create my own opportunities. Yes, I can learn whatever it is that I need to. Yes, I have the tenacity and determination.

I really want you to think about are you backing yourself every day? Are you doing what is required to become the kind of competent, confident courageous business owner that you want to be. And if you're not, then this is your reminder to do it. Because that is what gives you longevity, that is what will help you to continue to grow. And that is what will help you to become magnetic to the kind of clients that you want to be working with. And so my lovely, those are my 10 lessons from 10 years in business. I hope that you've learned something from me today, I hope that you've taken something away.

And if you have been around for the last 10 years, or even the last, you know, 10 days, I just want to say thanks, thanks for listening to the podcast. Thank you to my clients, thank you to my community, thank you to people who have supported me, thank you to my family, even though they're not going to hear this. Like I'm so grateful for the people that have come into my life. And I'm so grateful for the incredible women that I have had the opportunity to work with. And I think about so many of them all the time. And I just think that I'm so lucky. I'm so proud of the business that I've built, and I've got so much more to do as well. So this is just the thanks to you. And you know if you've got any questions or anything you want to share with me then you can always DM me at Sue's Chadwick. I would love to hear from you. But that is it for another week. Even though I didn't feel like it. I did it.

And you know something? I did it just for you.