defining:WOMEN Magazine Volume 2, No 2 Spring Issue 2016 | Page 16
Defining: Your Life
Graffiti Artist: Zio Ziegler
My Journey as an Entrepreneur:
11 Life Lessons That Helped Me in Business
By Christina Aldan and Photography Courtesy of Ms. Harmind Rull Butler
Maybe you consider yourself an entrepreneur. Maybe you aren’t self-employed, but
you have the entrepreneurial spirit. Maybe you are in a network marketing business
and you are working full-time on your job, but part-time on your retirement.
Perhaps, like me, dear reader, you are a solopreneur… a one-woman show.
Or maybe you are an employee
and you are considering becoming
an entrepreneur. Whatever the
state of your career, if you are
reading this, chances are that you
have the entrepreneurial spirit in
some way.
So who am I? They call me
Luckygirl because I believe we
have the power to create our OWN
luck. My job title is: Entrepreninja.
Most of what I’m going to
say isn’t new. And I don’t claim
to be an expert by any means,
since there is always room to
grow. In this article, I am going
to share experiences that shaped
my journey in becoming an
entrepreneur and 11 life lessons
that I hope will help you as you
create your best life in business
and in your personal life too.
16
DefiningWomenMagazine.com
Lesson #1 Just show up
I had the privilege of
celebrating my 40th birthday at
the Defining: WOMEN in Business
Power Luncheon in February.
I was impressed that about 50
business women showed up to
learn business skills and share
my birthday with me. As I looked
around the room at smiling faces,
I congratulated them, “You made
it! You are a step ahead of the
people who didn’t show up today.
You could have stayed home
for any number of excuses and
instead you chose to show up
for yourselves and connect with
other women. Sometimes just
showing up is enough of a step
forward.” Show up terrified. Show
up insecure. Just show up. Keep
showing up.
Lesson #2 Experiences do not
define you
One of my favorite quotes
comes from my mentor, Ms. Betty
Chavis “Experiences are the sum
total of who you are, but not
of what you can become.” This
quote has guided me through the
most insecure times of my life.
Whenever I feel guilty about my
winding path or when I feel guilty
about bridges burned. I remember
this quote and it gets me through
those times.
Lesson #3 Start where you are
I did what most women do when
they decide to start a business. I
went to this great resource that
walked me through a tutorial to
create a comprehensive 30-page
business plan that instantly