7 Things I Wish I Knew as a New Entrepreneur - The Adventure That Changed Everything! | Anya Smith

hey friends
welcome to our track your favourite entrepreneur
podcast with explore the real journeys
entrepreneurs
people pursuing their purpose
unique path
my name is Anya Smith
and today I'm excited to share my learnings
from starting this journey 2,023
as you have the year
I wanna share
7 top things I've Learned as a new entrepreneur
first of all
I want to show that
you do not have to figure everything out
immediately as you start
as I Learned
most people who start something amazing
didn't have it all figured out
they just had an idea
an issue some problem
that they thought they could help others with
and they started going with it
and they decided hey
I could use a little bit better
I can involve more people
but they leaned into it
to start everything
when they have everything laid out in a great game plan
so wherever you're at right now
what is something that's inspiring you inside
what's calling you
where can you start right now
it doesn't have to mean
that you have to give up everything and start a new
but what is one thing to do today
to lay the groundwork for the next step
maybe it's finding somebody who's done this before
maybe it's uh
starting a website
maybe it's finding one resource
maybe it's starting to talk about a subject
you wanna get familiar with
maybe it's finding a book uh
on the topic that you really passionate
it doesn't have to be monumental but every
every step is gonna guide you in that direction
the second thing I found it
is just how important it is to find that community that
inspires you
when I start
I knew pretty much nobody
around me who was entrepreneur
I didn't have this inspiring connection
I didn't have people who were on a similar journey
people around me
quite frankly
didn't get what I was trying to do
and that's okay
because I had a sense of purpose
I had a sense of what I'm gonna be doing
even though I was not an expert
so what I did is I had linked it
I had social media
I had the internet
and without having any long term strategy around it
really in mind
I decided to show people who
were talking about things that were interesting to me
people who were pursuing something similar
and I said hey
I'm starting this path
can you share with me your insights
how you went about something
what advice do you have
do you mind hearing about my deal
would you be interested
in taking this new podcast that I want to create
and one by one
those conversations evolved
sometimes they let
sometimes they let absolutely nowhere
sometimes people didn't respond
every time I did it a
I got over the fear of reaching out
and not hearing back
like nothing happened
I didn't die
but people that didn't have
some of them really became friends
some of them became the biggest allies
some people just inspired me
in that moment
give me the sense that this is possible
that this is something that others can do
even if their journey is slightly different
even though it took them some time
I can see that it's possible for others
so why can't it not be possible for me
so if you're just starting out
and you don't have that framework of people around you
who have it all figured out
or do something similar
it's okay that doesn't mean you should bother starting
it means this is your opportunity
that means what do you have in your disposal
what is your hints at something you wanna do
and who can you talk to now
or if you like five people
three people
two or one person
they can talk about this right
who can reach out to you
just ask for help
kindly sincerely
being curious and authentic
sure that hey
I'm thinking about getting on this journey
I have this vision
I wanted to more
and what I found
and I'm surprised by this
is entrepreneur community
is some of the kindest
community people I've ever met
because a lot of entrepreneurs
know what it's like to start a new
and feel alone on the journey
they know what it's like to look around
and not have people who really understand
and they know what it's like
to start something completely new
where you feel so uncertain
so doubtful
and so vulnerable and so
a lot of them can relate to people starting a new
especially if you do respectfully
patiently and authentically
so I encourage you
because there's nothing quite like having
other people around you
who are going through similar journey
or to share their experience
to help you along their path
and somebody told me from one of those conversations
is that doubt will never really
stop being there
but it'll be quieter
it'll become like a friend
an old friend
that you know hey
you're there
I know you're there
and you're trying to protect me
but I'm okay
I'm gonna keep going
and thank you for trying to keep me safe
the third part that I found is that
my limits were redefined
before this year
I was at meta
for seven years
and yes on paper
I had everything great
and I'm very grateful for that
don't take that
don't take it any other way
but during that time
I had a sense of my limits
were around
who's around me
you know what was my
manager like
what does it take to be
getting that next promotion
what are my financial
opportunities
within the sphere
and so these limits
became formed around me
and greened in me
around what I see
immediately around me
and that became a sense like
what can I do
in this world became
defined on what I can do
as what I know around me
and when I left the corporate realm
I realise how artificial
those limits were
I realise that
our limits are really defined on
what we set them to be
and that means
if you go out
and you start your own thing
or you just start doing your own thing
while you're working all great
you find that you have a world of possibility out there
there are billions of
dollars and
resources out there
there are billions of people out there
who are looking for support
and growth and
opportunities
so here you are
you're not fighting for one rule
for one promotion
for one incremental
salary increase
right you are here
in a world that is full of abundance
opportunity
and the key thing is that
you don't have to question like
oh who am I
trying to do
something right
who am I yes
maybe there's all this
abundance on you
but you know
there's so many people who are already doing this
there's so many people who are already experts
and I feel that
I'm trying to get into
how could I possibly be as good as them
well the awesome thing is that
you don't have to be
you don't have to be second best at anything
because you can be
authentically you
the No. 4 part that
relates to this is
you find that this
entrepreneur
journey is really
an inner journey
and you realise that
being authentically you
is the best strategy
not holding
anything back
because in the world
with there are so many options
people a crave and sense
authenticity
and be you will build the
audience that use
uniquely drawn to
exactly yourself
saying something
the way you present something
is gonna be unique
even if you're saying the same things
the way you are saying them
are gonna be
uniquely felt
by people and so
that's your gift
is being you
not holding back
and letting the right
people see more of that
and be drawn into that
and we need more of that
we don't have an overwhelming
abundance of happiness
there are billions of people in the world
there are billions of people
who have problems
issues things
that they need to support in
and so here you are
even if you're
jumping into something
where you feel like it's
it's a busy field
there's some people doing something similar
if you have a pure
intention of helping others
and you are passionate about it
and you bring your full self
I promise you
there are people who were
just is so expired
by your path
and you will get
more and more
people drawn to your journey
because you are embracing
your unique style
and not limiting
yourself to
not even starting
or questioning
they have to be
more like somebody else
and so your limits
become redefined
but you see
and you see your potential
in a new light
and you realise again
that this inner workings is what's gonna limit you
more than anything
it's not just
you know how much money you're making
or not making
it's what's in here
in your head
that's really gonna stop you
before anything else
if you decide like
oh I can't do this
I'm not good enough to do this
oh it's really hard
I'm just gonna give up
and play it safe
that's what's gonna stop you
before anything else
and entrepreneurs who have
interviewed on this podcast
have said to me
hey even if they failed
even if they failed
their business
they said going back is not an option okay
so the biggest thing on this
entrepreneur journey is
what are you putting in your head
to be resilient
what are putting your head to say
this is not option to go back
and you know
what that means
it doesn't mean that you can't have an option
you know like
to maybe get a job
it doesn't mean that you can't have
other pivoting options
but you have a sense of what you wanna do in life
how you can help
that you can do more
and once you
ignite that vision
you can never
really put it back
you now see a different
potential where
you can live life on your own terms
where you can
contribute to life
versus just
being told what you can do
and even if other things go
differently than you expected
by following this path
amazing things will happen
and again it will be an inner journey
so you'll have to find
what makes you resilient
what pulls your energy
where are you strong
where are you not strong
you'll have to have a lot of honest
introspective
periods to get through this journey
No.5 is trusting your own gut
one thing that I realised
that was really important is that
at the beginning of this journey
not too surprisingly
I was listening to what everybody else had to say
I was like okay
has to be done
like this okay
that sounds very logical
okay yes that makes sense
okay you probably know more about this
cause you've been doing it longer
and so despite my inner
sense like ugh
that doesn't feel right
I went with that
for couple of months
I was doing things that
didn't quite feel right
but I was leaning into
okay I trusting
that there was other
expertise and
you know what
after a couple of months I said
this is not working
not only was it
functionally
not working
I wasn't seeing my
progress but inside
I knew it wasn't working all along
I could feel it
and so the biggest lesson
I wanna share with you
you have to trust your gut
there's an overwhelming amount of information
including mine
that I want you to
listen to but also
discern what
actually works for you
what is your gut
telling you
and the thing is
you can't listen to your gut
if you're exhausted
if you're always
just cramming things
if you're so stressed
you can't sense
your intuition
or quiet down
to understand
what's working or not
if you're constantly
burning the oil
so what that means is that
in order to follow something
that's actually
right for you
you need to
create space
you need to
slow down oh
my gosh yes
slow down I said it
you need to slow down
to create space
for reflection
to reflect on
what's working for you
and what's not
and then to
listen to your gut
when you're doing something
when you are looking
all these ideas
on how to grow
and what you can do
all the million things
you could be doing right now
of your time
slow down and
listen to your gut
what do you
actually need
to prioritize
what is really the key thing
what is the most valuable thing
a lot of times we want to do
do do feeling that if we do more
we get more
but that's not how it works
a lot of times
we're doing more and getting less out of it
and that's true
it takes reflection saying
what is the most important thing that I'm creating
and what can I be doing less of
it also takes that trust to say hey
I need to also have boundaries with myself
I need to have boundaries that say hey
I can't just keep giving or doing more
because I need to also replenish myself
and so we talk about always doing more on this journey
but really the inner work and the trusting of yourself
leads you to understand that
you also need to have boundaries for yourself and say
hey I need to restore myself
so I can be better down this journey
and if you I know
do you think that boundaries are like
oh when somebody offends you like oh
I have boundaries
but do you really have boundaries
what are your boundaries
what are your boundaries around work
when is enough work enough
when is it time for you to replenish
that's outside of vacation or the weekend
boundaries are just as important
for you to be successful
and they often time
require you to do less and to do more
and so I challenge you to trust in yourself
to reflect on what serving you
and what do you need to create
serve yourself better
and then the next thing that happens is that as you go
you find something that resembles your purpose
that's exciting place where you feel like hey
you know what
this feels good to do to help others
this resonates with others
I feel inspired by this
this is something I do feel good
about putting that work
and it doesn't quite feel like work
because it brings me to life
it has impact
I want to grow and be better in the space
and help others
and that's a beautiful thing for me
is that the six important part is that
as you get into this journey
you realise that it's not about you
but the way to actually get better
is to ask the question
how can I make my work more helpful for others
and that question actually makes me feel vulnerable
because I long time think well
I have to think about myself
how do I get more viewers
more followers
be better myself
ugh what if I actually lean in to help others
that will make me so vulnerable
you know I'm gonna give all this energy
not get anything back
but that's not true
by really leaning in to helping others
authentically
we create this reciprocity of energy
when we really want to help others
that actually serves us to be more in every capacity
that actually makes us more successful
because if we truly focus on being helpful to others
we will create better work
we will take the time to understand other people
with an open heart and open mind
that means the world we create
more impactfully right
and you follow the steps of setting healthy boundaries
and having the space for an inspection
you will have that space to also
care for yourself and get back
so this journey becomes really interesting
where you are feeling yourself
you are going on this journey
which some say are so risky
some say oh
it's so risky to go on this journey
but is it riskier to never live
isn't it riskier to never even try
to live with so much regret
in this place that feels so stagnant and full of
inner fear that we just never brush off
I think it's a lot less risky to actually
go for it and actually live the life we have
and the final thing I wanna share
is that it is so worth it
these last few months
of being laid off
starting this podcast
have really changed my my life
I have met incredible people who inspire me
and I talk to people around the world everyday
people who I would have never met
are now part of my daily life
I talk to entrepreneurs
people who have grown
social followings of millions
people who are changing the world
who are passionate about doing good
that's part of my life
everyday now
I have nominated my podcast for awards
I have now had speaking
opportunities for 2,024
that I'm so excited about
and it wasn't because I'm the best person
is because I dare to go for it
I'm not prepared for every step of this journey
I'm leaning into it
and going for it
and stretching myself
and trusting that this is what I need to do
because honestly
if you go to be an entrepreneur
and with that knowledge
if the new connections you've gained
it's only good and rich life
no matter what you decide to do from that point on
and so if you're listening to this hey
I'm so grateful for you being part of this
right off track journey
and I just implore you
to go for it
to take that step
to be brave
to not have regrets in your life
you were absolutely worthy
we say who am I to live this big life to go for it
and I tell you who are you not to do that
we have this life that has so many challenges
we need more people to be brave
to live their full authentic life
because in doing so
not only are you empowering yourself
you're also empowering others
you're setting the example of what's possible
and so I implore you as we wrap up this year
to just go for it
there's so much to gain
and if you need more support
please join right off track
please subscribe
please share your suggestions
on how we can make this work better
and was also exciting
is that I'm actually gonna be working with my friend
Earl Talbot
on a course
for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs who want to ignite
that path for themselves
who want the strategies
and we're also gonna be doing some awesome
YouTube videos this year
that are gonna be diving into courses
and different expert talks around certain
areas that can help you grow
so beyond just seeing
this resource to the podcast
where you dive into the individual
and see their journey and their learnings
along this entrepreneur route
you will get additional resources
if you follow right off track
so I'm so excited
I'm so so so grateful for you being on here
I'm so excited to see where you go
I 100% believe in you
that you can do more than what you think is possible
right now and that's always how to conclude by saying
let's take over the world together
right off track
see you next year bye
instead of trying to figure out the perfect moment
yourself in a new light
there's inner journey of doing something in the world
will actually resident people
and so when you focus on helping others
you're gonna learn so much about yourself