ast month, I celebrated the 10-year anniversary of my consulting business. I had every intention of writing and posting this article in time for the actual anniversary date (March 19), but I also decided to launch an online mini-course to help others start service-based businesses and had a client go public around the same time, so this post is a little tardy. I’m really embracing the “better late than never” mantra right now!

First, I would not have achieved this milestone without a community (one my points below). So to every client, coach/mentor, subcontractor/vendor, peer, and friend who has been part of my journey, I offer a heartfelt THANK YOU! Second, I wanted to wrap up my 10 years of learnings with 10 things, but turns out, there were a few more things I wanted to share.

So, without further ado, here are 15 things I learned about business and myself this past decade (in no particular order).1. The joy is in the journey
Starting and running your own business is an adventure. It has lots of highs and lows, victories and defeats, moments of pure joy, and moments of “Holy crap, what the hell am I doing?” The key for me has been focusing on the journey and surrendering the outcome. This is a tricky balance because I am goal-oriented and think it’s important to clearly define objectives and devise a plan. The beauty, however, lies in the process of building, creating, and executing towards that goal. The outcome is simply gravy.

2. There is enough work to go around for all of us
This is a belief I’ve held since the very beginning of my business and it has served me well. Instead of looking at others’ success and feeling envious or defeated, I saw it as evidence that I, too, could achieve the things I was working toward. When it comes to consulting, the truth is that we are selling ourselves first and foremost, and the ways I serve my clients is very different than the ways other brand/culture consultants serve theirs. And that’s a good thing. We all have a unique way we’re meant to serve the world and we should lean into that for ourselves and celebrate that for others.

3. We can create an intersection of purpose and pleasure through our work
I was listening to organization psychologist Adam Grant’s interview with clinical psychologist Esther Perel, and she explained that we now look to work for things we, as a society, used to find in religion and community: belonging, purpose, and meaning. This is neither good nor bad, but we should recognize our work can fulfill those things if we intentionally design it to.  In other words, it won’t happen if we simply wish for those things or haphazardly let our careers happen to us. If we genuinely seek to serve our target audiences, if we purposefully build community (even as solopreneurs), and if we first and foremost belong to ourselves, we will enjoy our work (and can even have fun doing it).

4. We need to continually feed our creativity inside and outside of work
Within my business, I get to be creative all the time – from writing video scripts to art directing projects, I feel like I get to tap into this side of me often in a way that feeds my soul.  But I’ve also learned that tapping into my creative side in other ways helps me innovate, problem solve and grow into a better version of myself. For example, writing on my personal blog or playing the piano or guitar, though I admittedly don’t do the latter as much as I would like. Whether your work is considered “creative” or not, you have a creative side that can feed your soul too.

5. Relationships are still the most important commodity, even in a digital age
I have grown a business from scratch on the strength of relationships and referrals. I’ve had friends and former co-workers become clients and clients who have been become friends. I’m naturally a “people person” (I love meeting new people and getting to know them while nurturing the friendships I already have), and my business has been a surprising way I’ve grown my relational network. It’s simple: treat people as humans first, stay curious, show respect and kindness, do good work, and never burn bridges.

6. We’re not meant to go at it alone – find your people
One of the myths about being a solopreneur is, “It will be lonely.” It can be, but as consultants, we simply have to be more diligent about fostering community. From an executive women’s peer group and cohorts in my former business coaching program to my personal board of directors and friend-preneurs (I just made that up), I am constantly learning from and attempting to serve others who are on this journey with me. I would not be where I am today if I had tried to do all the work all by myself all the time with no consult, advice, venting sessions, and more from my extended community.

7. Work with a mentor
Second to community, in my opinion, is finding mentors and others who have gone before you to help guide your business/career journey. I was lucky enough to have managers who were amazing mentors during my corporate career, but when I started Rachel K Group, I had to go seek them out myself.  I have learned the key is to find mentors who are heart-, spirit-, and values-aligned to share their wisdom and reflect back to you the ways you can continue becoming the person you really want to be.

8. Keep revising your Soul Boomerang
As Simon Sinek encourages, we should always start with why. But we can’t just start with why – we have to continue going back to our Soul Boomerang,  my term for our unique genius or spiritual mission. In the same way successful companies remind their employees about their mission and vision on an ongoing basis, solopreneurs can keep returning to the reasons we went out on our own in the first place. For me, this keeps me grounded when I feel discouraged. The solopreneur’s journey is not linear, so having this center place to come back to has been critical.

9. Set aside time to dream
Traditionally, I have prioritized my weekdays for client work, and this is good and important. But in the last few years, I’ve also realized that it’s important to set aside time to dream and plan for my business future. I now do this once a week during my “morning rituals time” and it has led to some powerful questions and fun ideas (including my online mini-course). Giving myself permission to dream, to visualize the future I want in my business and my life, and sitting still (usually in meditation) to allow creativity to flow, is one of the most important things I do in my work week.

10. Celebrate (and share)  wins
Celebrating and sharing wins is an important tool to stay motivated, build confidence, and simply enjoy the present moment. Now, when I sign a new client or contract, when I get a new course subscriber, or when I have a milestone like 10-years of business, I stop, reflect, share with my community and treat myself in a small or big way. Sometimes, it’s an almond milk latte from my favorite neighborhood coffee shop and sometimes, it’s a fancy dinner with friends. I believe doing this with our own work gives others permission to do the same.

11. Adopt a growth mindset
I have had many situations in my business in the last 10 years that could be considered “failures,” but the truth is, I have learned exponentially more from these circumstances than I have from my wins. From disappointing one of my first clients because I didn’t set the right expectations to pivoting what was going to be a one-on-one business coaching program to an online course, I have gained insight, knowledge, skill, and more because I knew the goal not being achieved is exactly what was supposed to happen in order to lead me to my next thing. Reframing things positively comes naturally (I’m an Enneagram Type 7) and it has helped me stay motivated, iterate, and innovate to serve my clients even more authentically and effectively.

12. Set clear boundaries for yourself
When you own a business, the lines between work and life become more than a little blurry. The truth is, if you’re passionate about your work, it might be hard to turn off your “work” brain and be present for the people in your life. I learned this the hard way early on when I would work until 8 pm or 9 pm at night, and many people are now experiencing something similar after having worked from home this past year. I quickly realized I had to create boundaries for myself because no one else was going to. For example, I had clients who would email me late at night or over the weekends, so I clearly communicated and set the precedent that I don’t check email after work hours or on weekends. I also started time blocking to make sure I was planning my days efficiently and scheduling clear work cut-off times.

13. Ask questions
I’m not sure when asking questions became a sign of weakness or that you’re not a subject matter expert, but I myself have fallen victim to this mentality. I’ve learned from others that asking questions is the opposite – it’s a sign of courage. Plus, asking questions shows you are curious, want to understand the topic being discussed more deeply, and have the willingness and humility to learn. I have embraced the fact that I am not an expert in everything and am more comfortable with the vulnerability (and courage) of asking questions of those around me.

14. Hire help when needed
Similar to the find your people admonition, I’ve learned the hard way that there comes a time in business when you simply can’t keep doing it alone. If you have any perfectionist or control tendencies (I mean, I have no idea what this is like), it can be hard to relinquish duties to someone else. It takes some upfront time and training to hand projects off, but the more I’ve done this and relied on others who are better at certain tasks than me (like graphic design or administration), the freer I have become to focus on things I am passionate about. Of course, there are always going to be things I don’t love doing, but I try to minimize those, outsource the things others are better at, and then spend 80-90% of my time on work I enjoy. I believe this is one of the keys to building a sustainable business that will last.

15. Trust your own intuition
I started my business 10 years ago with no clear roadmap, no mastermind, no business guru, and really, no help. I took the learning I had from my 12 years in corporate America, studied everything I could, talked to other people doing what I wanted to do, and grew my business organically from the ground up my way. And while there is wisdom in following guidelines or a plan to make your journey easier, the most true thing I know is this:

At the end of the day, being true to yourself and following your gut is the most important thing you will ever do.

Thank you again to everyone who has contributed to this milestone. Here’s to 10 more fun, business-building, adventure-filled years!

What have you learned in your business building journey?