Sometimes I just stop and think about how crazy it is that I have been a full-time entrepreneur for a year and a half. My personality type is very driven and always focused on the next thing so it takes real effort to stop and actually appreciate how far I’ve come. Things look different in my business than they did when I first started, and I know it will continue to evolve as time goes on. Maybe you are considering making the leap out of your 9-5 too. Here are a few things that surprised me looking back:
- I didn’t expect affiliate marketing to make up a significant portion of my income.
I had done some affiliate marketing in the past but it wasn’t a real consistent source of income and the commissions were too low to make it worth the effort. The more I grew in the online marketing community and through networking, I was able to land higher commission affiliate partnerships that have quickly become a significant portion of my annual income and also helps create more financial stability.
- I didn’t expect 90% of my clients to be out of state.
When I worked at an agency, all of our clients were local and when I went on my own, my plan was to focus on getting local clients since it was what I was familiar with. I didn’t know that it would actually be easier to get clients nationally, and in some cases, internationally. By expanding my reach and efforts, I’m able to work with clients that are of real personal interest to me rather than exclusively local clients who might not be in my wheelhouse. I always prefer to work with clients I would actually want to follow and buy products from. It makes me more excited to wake up and do the work.
- I didn’t expect copywriting to be my most in-demand service.
When I started my business, I offered social media management exclusively but after getting many requests for copywriting work, I added that as a service. I LOVE copywriting and had plenty of experience in it so it wasn’t hard to add on. I just wasn’t expecting it to be part of my services when I launched.