My short, happy life as a creative entrepreneur… so far

I’ve been a creative entrepreneur for the last six months.

What I do is help small business entrepreneurs get what matters on video and help tell their stories of the amazing work they are doing.

I thought it would be a good time to look back, reflect, and share progress so far.

Here is some of what I learned in the first six months of being an entrepreneur:

I love being creative and collaborating with clients to get their best stuff out in the world.

It makes me extremely happy to be able to provide a useful service that can do this.

I love designing my days and having the freedom of working when I want to, on my own terms.

I appreciate that I’ve gotten to work with the most awesome clients so far.  They continue to inspire.

It takes time and a lot of effort to grow a successful business.  I am learning to be more patient and enjoy the process.

Money is coming in, but I’m not making the amount of money I want to… yet.

It’s perfectly fine for me to do freelance TV gigs (my background is working as a tv post-supervisor) to help with cash flow when necessary.

This doesn’t mean I am not successful at my small biz.  To me it means I have resources, skills and experience that come in very handy.   In reality, the money from these TV gigs is what enabled me to start the business in the first place.  For this I am grateful.

You learn a ton about yourself when you start a business.  One thing I can share is that even though I enjoy my alone time, its definitely been an adjustment to spend most workdays solo.

I am getting more comfortable with the unknown, and letting go of the need to know exactly what’s up next.

It’s beneficial to have a mindfulness or meditation practice, or some activity that grounds you and calms the mind. This can be just sitting quietly for five minutes, taking a walk, going to a gentle yoga class.

Doing exercise and moving the body is crucial.  It helps my stuck energy get flowing and re-sets my mood.   Last weekend I attended a dance workshop/retreat and didn’t realize how much creativity could be unleashed through the fingers, toes, elbows and feet.  Awesome!

Also time spent in nature, at the movies, seeing art, or meeting a friend for coffee all contribute to more creativity and ideas when I return.

It’s beginning to feel like I made the right choice to take the leap into entrepreneurship.

It’s beginning to feel like I can make a difference.

I am committed to the journey, to this path that probably has no end, but has many bumps and twists along the way.

What talents and passions do you have to share with the world?  I’d love to know.

4 Responses to “My short, happy life as a creative entrepreneur… so far”

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1. Rachael says:

   July 13, 2010 at 5:37 pm

   YAY!

   I am enjoying this peek into what it’s been like for you. I also realized that moving my body helps me immensely, and I am actually trying out yoga for the first time now.

   
2. James Chartrand - Men with Pens says:

   July 13, 2010 at 6:51 pm

   Good for you, Karen. I’m glad to see that you’re doing well and feeling success happening. This is what it’s all about, and it only gets better.
3. karen says:

   July 13, 2010 at 6:52 pm

   Thank you Rachael for being such an inspiration. And double yay for doing yoga. Enjoy it. I just realized i wanted to mention about the importance of having community support… then I forgot to. Oh well, in the next post!
4. karen says:

   July 13, 2010 at 8:20 pm

   Thank you James. I have learned so much from reading the posts on Men With Pens. Just awesome!