You all. Officially. It's been a year since Sigil became my full time career. I wouldn't say that it's been sustainable the whole time, but here are a variety of helpful tips that I wish someone had told ME when I first began my business.
First, a little background. I launched Sigil full time because, well, it was time to make a change. I didn't have a full roster of clients, I wasn't making a sustainable income (yet) but I had faith that I would. Additionally what always helps - a savings with six months worth of expenses and a supportive partner. I don't feel comfortable telling people to take significant chances like these if you do not have access to a similar level of privilege, but when it comes to self employment, there is always a bit of a trust leap involved.
My first tip for you all is this: celebrate every single victory, no matter how small. Starting your own thing is paved with failures, mistakes and missed opportunities. That's okay though - it's more than okay. Because ultimately, what's right for you is going to work out. So, anytime someone messages, you, every view you get, every comment, everything that leads to generating traffic, please hold that space to celebrate. Smile. Cheer. Whatever signals your brain into "hurray!". Seriously - celebrating every onboard, and every contest entrant, or every comment on a post has ABSOLUTELY brought me more joy than Another tip is that the path to success isn't linear. Notttt even a little bit. This means that you might have an amazing month and then the next month is not as awesome. Maybe a global pandemic happens. Who knows! But making sure that you're celebrating and holding space for every single success, but not being defined by the negative and inevitable declines. Don't worry. It's part of it! Nothing is linear. Keep your eye on your goals and the path will unfold, probably all weird and squiggly, but it will indeed unfold. You should absolutely and completely trust. the. process. Can I tell you how many times I have expected something to work in a particular way, only to be sorely, sorely disappointed? Or even for example, all of the speaking events and travel for work I was going to do over the last four months? A lot. Just have faith. Believe in yourself and that it's going to work out. I know that seems super super hard sometimes, but I want to tell you if you continue to show up consistently, research, do the work, you are going to afford yourself many many opportunities. They also might not be ones you expect! I hope these are helpful for you - keep pushing - keep going - you have this.
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