The Nauti Yachtie Coach Launch!
The top 10 things I learned from launching my first business and how this can be applied to almost anything!
If you’ve ever launched a new business before, I’m sure you can relate to that overwhelming mix of feelings that comes with it. After months of hard work, anticipation, back and fourth with web designers, days of self doubt, frustration, learning curves, excitement, anxiety- arghhhh- you get my point! Especially if like me, you’ve always worked for somebody else and never braved it alone! It’s safe to say I felt all of those things and had all the usual questions lingering that only launching it would answer-‘What will people say?’, ‘Will anybody even be interested?’, ‘Will it all be for nothing?’, ‘Will I be criticised?’- I’m sure even the most self-assured, confident people have asked themselves those questions when launching a new business.
For me, creating this was such a huge learning and growth experience. Yes I have years of experience in my field and confidence in being able to educate people about super yachting BUT that is just the tip of the ice berg when actually building an online business. I had no idea about marketing, building a website, business banking, how to create an ebook- I didn’t even own a laptop let alone know how to use all the different programmes on a Mac- Yep, Grandma Brooke strikes again!
The Nauti Yachtie Coach is just 5 days old, so in no way do I claim to be the expert, but in the last few months, these are the top 10 things I’ve learnt that I believe can be applied to almost any business start-up-
- Don’t dwell on what other people are doing- there’s always going to be competitors in every single market you look at. Be mindful of others, but push on in your own direction! Worrying about this is only going to drain your time and energy.
- Don’t allow failure to be an option- you either have to be all in without a plan B or nothing at all- if there’s only a plan A, then there’s no room for halfheartedness.
- Be authentic and honest. You truly have to be passionate about what you’re doing and 100% stand behind what you’re putting out. People like a human, relatable voice and this inspires trust in whatever it is you’re supplying. If you don’t believe in it then no one else is going to.
- Focus- Don’t try to do a million things at once and don’t take on more than you can handle.
- Surround yourself and seek advice from positive people who only have your best interests at heart. Unfortunately there are so many jealous people out there who want to poke holes in everything you do- CUT THEM OUT! How to recognise them? If you have to question whether they are actually happy for you.
- Always go with what your gut tells you. If you feel a decision is wrong for your business then it’s probably because it is.
- Be realistic! Rome wasn’t built in a day and if you have unrealistic expectations then you’re only going to be disappointed when you should be proud of how far you’ve already come(Yes I am hugely guilty of this one!)
- Allow yourself to switch off from it- get off your laptop, reset and come back with fresh eyes. Use your downtime productively- go to the gym, get some vitamin D, listen to self development podcasts- BREATH!
- You can’t always be nice if you want to be taken seriously. If you’re using the service of others to create your business, agree on clear deliverables so that there is accountability- and don’t tip toe around it if it’s not met.
- Create a physical agenda for yourself each day so you constantly keep pushing forward. When it’s just you, you don’t have to answer to anyone so you need to make yourself accountable!
So for those of you wondering how the launch went…Other than a few technical glitches- I was so overwhelmed by all the support from people who reposted for me. So much love from Below Deck cast members, the ones I know and the ones I don’t. So many encouraging messages and great feedback on the website and even my first purchases by some aspiring Yachties! Thank you so much for all your support and subscribe to keep up-to-date with everything Nauti Yachtie and… Watch this space!
Hi Brooke, really nice and openhearted article. Like where you’re taking this new adventure of yours