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Unprepared to Entrepreneur: A Method to the Madness of Starting Your Own Business
Business Book Awards 2022 - Start Up/Scale Up
Times have you can launch a successful enterprise with your phone, sell through social media and tap into a whole world of opportunities.
Unprepared to Entrepreneur is an honest guide to launching your own business, sharing real stories from real people who have tested, failed and won at business. It profiles the underdogs, those who brainstormed ideas whilst travelling on the bus, started a business from their phone and managed to create three income streams whilst maintaining a full-time job in the city to show you that you can do it too. From a working Google doc as your business plan, to ideation strategies that live and die off Instagram engagement; they won't teach you this at business school.
Sonya Barlow takes a look at the resilience needed to make it in business, the incredible tax on mental health and the non-negotiable steps to creating a viable business. This is the ultimate guide to side hustling, freelancing and entrepreneurial freedom of the future.
Times have you can launch a successful enterprise with your phone, sell through social media and tap into a whole world of opportunities.
Unprepared to Entrepreneur is an honest guide to launching your own business, sharing real stories from real people who have tested, failed and won at business. It profiles the underdogs, those who brainstormed ideas whilst travelling on the bus, started a business from their phone and managed to create three income streams whilst maintaining a full-time job in the city to show you that you can do it too. From a working Google doc as your business plan, to ideation strategies that live and die off Instagram engagement; they won't teach you this at business school.
Sonya Barlow takes a look at the resilience needed to make it in business, the incredible tax on mental health and the non-negotiable steps to creating a viable business. This is the ultimate guide to side hustling, freelancing and entrepreneurial freedom of the future.
- GenresBusiness
256 pages, Paperback
Published October 26, 2021
9 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
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April 15, 2022You don’t need to be an entrepreneurial prodigy or come from a privileged background in order to successfully start and run a business. In fact, all it takes is a solid grounding in the basics and the willingness to say yes to opportunities that come your way – even when you feel slightly underprepared. By coming up with a “good enough” business plan, taking advantage of social media, building your online presence, and taking care of your mental health, you’ll be well on your way to entrepreneurial success.
Before you go, here’s a rule to take with you:
The 3-2-1 rule.
It’s a guide to expanding your network. It works like this. Every month, start three conversations with three new people. Maybe you can ask your network for introductions. Then, connect with two of the three people on social media, which means actively exchanging business details with them. Finally, schedule one long introduction call or a coffee date with one of these new people. Try following the 3-2-1 rule for six months and see how much your network has grown and how much stronger your community has become!
---
Manage your mental health and fight off imposter syndrome.
Remember how, in elementary school, teachers used to give out gold stars as rewards if you got a correct answer or behaved well in class? You probably saw it as an award for doing something right – you deserved it! But, as an adult, you may have a hard time accepting any “gold stars” you receive. Maybe you feel like you don't deserve accolades, promotions, or recognition.
This feeling is so common, it has a name: imposter syndrome. In fact, according to behavioral scientists Jaruwan Sakulku and James Alexander, up to 70 percent of people will experience imposter-like feelings at some point. These feelings discourage people from seeking promotions, speaking up in meetings, and starting new entrepreneurial ventures. Sonya constantly felt like an imposter during the first two years of starting the LMF Network, and you may experience such feelings at some point, too, if you haven’t already.
What do you do when that happens? According to leadership coach and consultant Mamta Gera, the first step in managing imposter syndrome is to cultivate self-awareness. Consider how your own version of imposter syndrome manifests and which kinds of situations trigger it. For instance, are you a perfectionist? Do you set excessively high goals for yourself only to doubt yourself when you fail to reach them? Or are you someone who tries to do everything by yourself because you feel like if you ask for help you might be exposed as a fraud?
Once you’re aware of what kind of imposter you are, you can take steps to manage that feeling. For this, Sonya’s got three S’s you can use. The first S stands for skills or strengths. Let's try it. Make a mental note of all the skills and strengths you have.
The second S stands for success story. For each of the skills or strengths you identified, think of a story about when you used it successfully. For now, let's try doing it with one of the strengths you noted.
Finally, the third S stands for So what? This part is about considering the impact of your actions. So think about that success story you just recalled and what the result was.
How did that feel? If you liked it, make this exercise your go-to whenever you begin to feel imposter-like and down on yourself.
Of course, imposter syndrome isn’t the only mental health problem that can surface within the workplace. The mental health charity Mind found in 2020 that one in six people suffer from a common mental-health condition in any given week. This translates into feelings of burnout, fatigue, guilt, and exhaustion. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs often feel like they must struggle silently and that experiencing burnout means they’re weak.
For starters, we must be willing to have conversations around mental health – people should know that they aren’t alone in their struggles. Additionally, it’s important to consider how your company’s work culture is affecting your health. It’s common for founders to spend 12 hours in the office. And for companies to pretend they support flexible working hours but then frown on folks working from home or taking their full lunch break.
Instead of these toxic norms, Sonya tries to implement healthy ones, including stopping all work-related conversation for at least one main meal per day, reducing all phone calls to 30 minutes or less, and encouraging flexible working as long as deadlines are met. What kinds of working norms might you implement? Remember: as a founder, you are the business. For the business to be its best, you must be at your best, too.
---
The process of launching a business is often messy.
In Spring 2018, Sonya had planned absolutely everything for her brunch – from what she would wear to what she would order and even to exactly which chair she’d sit in at the restaurant. It was the day of the soft launch of her business, and she’d spent three weeks considering and reconsidering every detail.
When she arrived, she ordered a breakfast, a coffee, and an orange juice. Then she waited. And she waited . . . until 45 minutes had passed, and the waitress asked for the table back.
The 12 RSVPs she’d been expecting had turned into 12 no-shows. In short, her very first experience launching a business had ended in tears and failure.
Like Minded Females, the organization that was supposed to have been launched at that brunch, was Sonya’s plan to solve a personal problem. At that time, she was a young, lonely, stressed professional trying to climb the corporate ladder in the tech industry. She felt like she didn't have any allies despite living in busy, metropolitan London, and she really wanted that missing community.
Sonya didn’t give up, despite this embarrassing failure. She may have been so ashamed that she fibbed a little and announced to the Like Minded Females LinkedIn group that seven people had showed up to the brunch. But after that she hosted another two brunches. It wasn’t until the third attempt that someone actually showed up – and that was all it took to break the ice.
Over the next weeks and months, the LMF community continued to grow; it became more active both on- and offline. Companies began contacting Sonya to help them create career-building communities. She received opportunities to speak in public about her story. Eventually, her LinkedIn group transformed into a limited company.
In many ways, Sonya fell into entrepreneurship by accident. She didn’t exactly have a starting plan. Instead, she followed a few basic, fundamental steps that she used to create, test, and launch her business. We’ll discuss those steps in just a moment – but, before we do, take a few seconds to stop and think about what brought you to this in the first place? How is everything going today? Are there any vital elements or resources you’re missing? What do you want for your life in the next 12 months? Don’t get too bogged down with the details. Whatever vision you have is enough to get started – welcome to entrepreneurship!
Before you go, here’s a rule to take with you:
The 3-2-1 rule.
It’s a guide to expanding your network. It works like this. Every month, start three conversations with three new people. Maybe you can ask your network for introductions. Then, connect with two of the three people on social media, which means actively exchanging business details with them. Finally, schedule one long introduction call or a coffee date with one of these new people. Try following the 3-2-1 rule for six months and see how much your network has grown and how much stronger your community has become!
---
Manage your mental health and fight off imposter syndrome.
Remember how, in elementary school, teachers used to give out gold stars as rewards if you got a correct answer or behaved well in class? You probably saw it as an award for doing something right – you deserved it! But, as an adult, you may have a hard time accepting any “gold stars” you receive. Maybe you feel like you don't deserve accolades, promotions, or recognition.
This feeling is so common, it has a name: imposter syndrome. In fact, according to behavioral scientists Jaruwan Sakulku and James Alexander, up to 70 percent of people will experience imposter-like feelings at some point. These feelings discourage people from seeking promotions, speaking up in meetings, and starting new entrepreneurial ventures. Sonya constantly felt like an imposter during the first two years of starting the LMF Network, and you may experience such feelings at some point, too, if you haven’t already.
What do you do when that happens? According to leadership coach and consultant Mamta Gera, the first step in managing imposter syndrome is to cultivate self-awareness. Consider how your own version of imposter syndrome manifests and which kinds of situations trigger it. For instance, are you a perfectionist? Do you set excessively high goals for yourself only to doubt yourself when you fail to reach them? Or are you someone who tries to do everything by yourself because you feel like if you ask for help you might be exposed as a fraud?
Once you’re aware of what kind of imposter you are, you can take steps to manage that feeling. For this, Sonya’s got three S’s you can use. The first S stands for skills or strengths. Let's try it. Make a mental note of all the skills and strengths you have.
The second S stands for success story. For each of the skills or strengths you identified, think of a story about when you used it successfully. For now, let's try doing it with one of the strengths you noted.
Finally, the third S stands for So what? This part is about considering the impact of your actions. So think about that success story you just recalled and what the result was.
How did that feel? If you liked it, make this exercise your go-to whenever you begin to feel imposter-like and down on yourself.
Of course, imposter syndrome isn’t the only mental health problem that can surface within the workplace. The mental health charity Mind found in 2020 that one in six people suffer from a common mental-health condition in any given week. This translates into feelings of burnout, fatigue, guilt, and exhaustion. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs often feel like they must struggle silently and that experiencing burnout means they’re weak.
For starters, we must be willing to have conversations around mental health – people should know that they aren’t alone in their struggles. Additionally, it’s important to consider how your company’s work culture is affecting your health. It’s common for founders to spend 12 hours in the office. And for companies to pretend they support flexible working hours but then frown on folks working from home or taking their full lunch break.
Instead of these toxic norms, Sonya tries to implement healthy ones, including stopping all work-related conversation for at least one main meal per day, reducing all phone calls to 30 minutes or less, and encouraging flexible working as long as deadlines are met. What kinds of working norms might you implement? Remember: as a founder, you are the business. For the business to be its best, you must be at your best, too.
---
The process of launching a business is often messy.
In Spring 2018, Sonya had planned absolutely everything for her brunch – from what she would wear to what she would order and even to exactly which chair she’d sit in at the restaurant. It was the day of the soft launch of her business, and she’d spent three weeks considering and reconsidering every detail.
When she arrived, she ordered a breakfast, a coffee, and an orange juice. Then she waited. And she waited . . . until 45 minutes had passed, and the waitress asked for the table back.
The 12 RSVPs she’d been expecting had turned into 12 no-shows. In short, her very first experience launching a business had ended in tears and failure.
Like Minded Females, the organization that was supposed to have been launched at that brunch, was Sonya’s plan to solve a personal problem. At that time, she was a young, lonely, stressed professional trying to climb the corporate ladder in the tech industry. She felt like she didn't have any allies despite living in busy, metropolitan London, and she really wanted that missing community.
Sonya didn’t give up, despite this embarrassing failure. She may have been so ashamed that she fibbed a little and announced to the Like Minded Females LinkedIn group that seven people had showed up to the brunch. But after that she hosted another two brunches. It wasn’t until the third attempt that someone actually showed up – and that was all it took to break the ice.
Over the next weeks and months, the LMF community continued to grow; it became more active both on- and offline. Companies began contacting Sonya to help them create career-building communities. She received opportunities to speak in public about her story. Eventually, her LinkedIn group transformed into a limited company.
In many ways, Sonya fell into entrepreneurship by accident. She didn’t exactly have a starting plan. Instead, she followed a few basic, fundamental steps that she used to create, test, and launch her business. We’ll discuss those steps in just a moment – but, before we do, take a few seconds to stop and think about what brought you to this in the first place? How is everything going today? Are there any vital elements or resources you’re missing? What do you want for your life in the next 12 months? Don’t get too bogged down with the details. Whatever vision you have is enough to get started – welcome to entrepreneurship!
December 19, 2021
This book is and easy read with a good basic information for the entrepreneurs who just start their journey. I liked that the author does not out pink glasses on the reader about startups business and provides realistic descriptions of different areas. Being pragmatically pessimistic supports your entrepreneurial journey especially in the road ramps. I think the book is nicely and logically structured too.
January 5, 2022
Really good read. Actually has some set graphs, "proper" information from research that is definitely the starting point for entrepreneurs.
Easy read, well written. Keeps your attention and the interviews/ real life stories gives the chapters a well rounded finishing touch.
Gifted an extra one to my friend who's starting her own business journey.
Easy read, well written. Keeps your attention and the interviews/ real life stories gives the chapters a well rounded finishing touch.
Gifted an extra one to my friend who's starting her own business journey.
September 5, 2024
Probably the best 'busineess book' I've ever read. Easy to follow basic hints and tips with key anecdotes along the way. Excelllent!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews