Popular Blogger and Freelancer, Mr Promise Excel who is the CEO of Maverick Excel and the writer of popular ebook “Be Phenomenal or Be Forgotten” has reflected on his 3 year journey as a blogger. Read this as it has some lessons and encouragement for you if you want to launch into online business.
It was 3 years ago, 3rd March 2015 that I published my first blog post.
That one blog post launched me into a new whole world of endless possibilities.
When I started, I didn’t regard my blog as a business. All I knew was to write, publish and spend the next hours worrying about traffic.
I made a lot of mistakes. I tried a thousand and one ways of monetizing my blog.
Many times I thought of quitting and go do something meaningful with my life.
But something kept me going despite all the challenges – the desire to impact the lives of people and be a blessing to humanity.
My journey into blogging is a dramatic one, you might already know about it if you’ve been following for some time now.
Looking back now these three years, I have grown and become a force to be reckoned with.
I’ve moved from being a shy and timid young man to being phenomenal and fearless.
I’ve grown from being just a blogger to a speaker, author and consultant.
I’ve been an inspiration to thousands of young people all over the world.
My life is an example of the quote, “you can be whatever you dream of becoming”
And in my growth, I have learned lots of lessons as pertaining to life and business.
I will share a few with you.
1. Never stop learning: You already know this but not many people do it. I never stop learning new things every day of my life. It is my consistent learning that has resulted to my consistent growth.
2. Be open to new ideas, opportunities and possibilities: I never say never. I jump on opportunities faster than a frog snap on an insect.
3. Change is constant: I moved from being just a blogger to being a digital media strategist and consultant. That transition has been a game changer for me. I figured out that calling myself a blogger or being just a blogger ( who writes and publishes articles) was not enough to get me to where I was going or help me reach people I wanted to reach. This is something I’ll write about later. Don’t be caught in one way of doing a thing. If it’s not working, change something.
4. Don’t trust anyone with your personal issue: I learned this the hard way. Never trust anyone (especially online) with your personal issues. Whether you’re broke, having a bad marriage or whatever, don’t trust people here. Someone you trusted most might be the cause of your tears and shame tomorrow. Be careful of the shoulder you cry on when you’re going through difficulties.
5. Never patronize mediocrity at the expense of your business or life: Nigerian web host almost messed up my business. I’m sorry to say this but if you’re serious about your business, don’t patronize anyone out of pity or loyalty.
6. Your business moves to a whole new level the day you stopped thinking like a freelancer and start thinking like a business owner. Don’t be a freelancer forever. Have systems and structures put in place as a business person.
7. It is not everyone you should partner with. Some are there to suck you dry. Then “see finish” kicks in and they start disrespecting or disregarding you. Yes, I regret some partnerships.
8. Not many people who call you boss really mean it. Most of them say it for their selfish benefits. Calling you boss is like a ticket to ask for help and disappear.
9. I am my own rescue. The day I realized that, I stopped waiting for one mentor or coach to come give me permission to be great.
10. Learn how to say NO and accept NO. Don’t take it personal when people tell you know. I know one person who has constantly told me NO about 4 times. I realized that I was in a way seeking for validation. So, I gave him the middle finger and gave myself the validation.
11. Not everyone is your client. The earlier you knew that the faster you will move to find your ideal client.
12. Not everyone will like you. It is not your fault. They’re just being human. Move on with your life.
13. When in doubt, do it afraid. A lot of things I did afraid turned out to be insanely successful.
14. If you wash your hands well, you will eat with elders. I’ve been able to sit with, partner and worked with a lot of amazing people because of my pursuit of excellence.
15. In business, know that there’s nothing as important as making sales and profit. Don’t be caught up in branding and packaging that you forget why you’re in business.
16. If you don’t say “I am” nobody will say “you are”.
17. In all your learning, learn emotional intelligence. It will help you avoid lots of unwanted drama.
18. Imperfect execution is way more important than the best idea.
19. People (family, friends, colleagues, partners, strangers, etc) are everything. He who has people has everything.
20. Never ever neglect the God factor in your life and business. It’s OK if you don’t believe in God but stop dragging everyone into your unbelief. As much as I believe in God, some problems require common sense and not fasting and deliverance.
I’m not where I dream to be yet but I am making progress.
Not only am I making progress, I’m enjoying every bit of the journey – not every time but most of the time.
Cheers to many more years of excellence, impact, wealth and being a blessing to humanity.
Maverick Excel is 3 years!
Which of the lessons resonate with you?
Ref: Maverick Excel
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