What if, instead of planning what we want 5 or 10 years down the line, we focus on what we want one year from now? This is the question that entrepreneur Hailey Thomas has built her system of career coaching around. This week, Hailey explores the concept of first-generation entrepreneurs, who are the first in their family to have a successful business, and the seven common challenges she encounters with her first-generation entrepreneur clients.
1: Overdelivering vs Overcaretaking
Several of Hailey’s clients put too much “stuff” into the services they offer. This undermines the value of their work and fails to deliver their customers what they actually want: transformation and satisfaction, instead of just “more”.
“The more I focus on the transformation and the value of the things I sell, the simpler and the cleaner it gets.”
2: Model vs Beacon
A model has to be perfect and do every single thing by the book. Instead, Hailey challenges first-generation entrepreneurs to be a beacon, carving their own path to success without adding the pressure to do everything a certain way.
“When you are a beacon, it requires vulnerability and exposure. It requires you to really lean in to what you know is true for yourself and about yourself.”
3: Doing Everything Yourself
While independence is something to take pride in, Hailey finds that too many entrepreneurs think that running their own business means they can’t ask for help. Without mastering the skill of delegation, many business owners burn out before they build the business they want.
“Doing everything yourself is the most expensive and most time-consuming way to do things.”
4: Armor of Excellence
Putting a wall up so that others don’t see your vulnerability actually hurts your chances to learn. Hailey encourages all of her clients to show up in business opportunities as their true selves. Be human, be vulnerable, and don’t be afraid to not be excellent all the time.
“They use excellence as a way to protect themselves from vulnerability, but it ends up being like real armor in the sense that it’s very heavy.”
5: Disregarding Your Humanity
If you don’t take care of yourself, who will? A common thread among first-generation entrepreneurs is putting everyone before themselves. This only leads to fatigue and failure, as your body can’t handle the wear and tear of being disregarded.
“Whenever you honor yourself first, it’s actually good for everyone else.”
6: Never Celebrating Because You “Haven’t Made It”
Hailey has personal experience with pushing off the idea of “making it”. It can be an abstract thing to define, but it’s important to set concrete goals and bring this concept to life. Don’t be afraid to celebrate your victories, because hard work deserves and needs to be rewarded.
“You have to decide what making it means.”
7: Working Hard vs Making Money
First-generation entrepreneurs know how to work hard. Making money is not always the same as working hard, even though they go hand in hand. To make money, you need to understand and engage with the mechanisms of revenue.
“Working hard is good, but it is not the same skill as creating money.
—
You can connect with Hailey through her website.
You can schedule a clarity call with Hailey here: https://oyfn.co/clarity/
Recent Comments