Join a tribe

You have taken the plunge.  You are acting like an entrepreneur.  You have your business registered with your local, state and federal government.  You have a business bank account.  You have business laptop. You have business cards.  Now what.  You need to join a tribe.

There are many tribes.  You will need to do some research.  Look for one on Meet Up.  Look for one on Facebook.  Look for one on Twitter.  Check out your local Chamber.  Check your local community colleges.  There are many organization that bring like mind business owners together on a regular basis.

When you find a tribe or two. Look for a mentor.  Ask them out for lunch.  Use them as a resources, but do not be a burden on them.  Ask for advice.  How to secure your next client? How do they get clients?  Can you shadow them as they conduct business? In the early days, your phone is not going to be ringing. You will need to find out how to get business in the door.  How to develop a process?  How to under promise and over delivery?

Be weary of too much free work.  It is a balance act, as you do need to create some examples of your work.  However, you also need to think and act like a for profit business.  Lean on your tribe for direction on this kind of thing.  Check out how they dress.  You might be surprise that most entrepreneurs are not in their pajamas or worn jeans.  Most dress like you did, when you was working for someone.  Most are well groomed, and have a very tight schedule.  Be mindful that they are running a business, just like you.

Lastly, do not be afraid to ask for work?  But be mindful of your level of experience and relationship that you are building.  Feel free to ask them, how much should you charge?  What is fair, given your experience level and run with it. Remember you are building relationships and experience.  You are not going to be a millionaire in your first couple of months.  You have to walk before you can crawl.  Make sure that you vet your mentor.

Lastly remember the old saying. “Fall down seven times, and get up eight.”  You will fail.  You will struggle. However, if you just keep getting up, then it (your business) will succeed.

Image courtesy of Joshua Hanson.