2022 is here, and everything certain has become uncertain. The things I’ve grown to know have transformed into unknowns. The comfort and safety of predictability have quickly faded away.  I am now a business owner. There are responsibilities I must now bear and many hats I must now wear; I welcome my new life with courage, faith and hard work.

Learning and Doing

I had been preparing to open my own tint shop over the last year. Although I researched and studied all the necessary things like taxes, inventory management, profit and loss, balance sheets and employee retention, I never could have prepared enough for the mental hurdles of becoming a business owner.

All the books I’ve read, the classes I’ve taken and self-development podcasts I’ve listened to over the years have helped with this journey. But the real work is happening now that I’m implementing all the information into action. It’s almost like learning to tint. You can read instructions, watch videos and take classes, but the real challenge begins when you step up to your first window on your own, squeegee in hand, putting all the information you learned into action. The only difference is that it’s a little harder to redo a business than it is to re-try a window. But there are worse things than missing a target—it’s not even taking the shot at all.

Shifting Gears

There is a mindset shift a business owner must embrace, and it’s equally essential to the technical knowledge they’ve acquired. I could spend every waking hour trying to analyze, predict and map out every step to take to avoid making mistakes. But I’m finding it beneficial to use that energy to prepare my mind to accept the unknowns, welcome uncertainty and be fearless in the presence of discomfort.

On that same note, I can’t sit around, hoping and wishing that my business is successful. This must be done in conjunction with all the physical work that has to happen. Where would I be if I didn’t know how to manage my inventory or know what cash flow is?  This month has put my preparation to the test. So many things did not go as planned and are out of my control.  What I can control is my mindset.

Choosing Growth

I can be relentless, consistent and hungry for more knowledge. I can wake up when my alarm goes off the first time. I can schedule my day to be as productive as possible. I can work on my personal growth and my business. But I can also choose not to do any of those things and that is where the business owner mindset must be present. I could spend my day at the beach in the beautiful Hawaii sunshine instead of working on the business. I could cut myself a hefty paycheck that I can spend frivolously. I think we can get a pretty good picture of where I would be headed if I did those things and that is why it is so important to me to make sure I’m adopting this new mindset.

With no write-ups for late arrivals, no steady paycheck to pay the bills and no way to predict how much business I will get, I must activate a new mindset. I aim to turn complacency, worries and fears into persistence, opportunities, accountability and hard work.

As a new business owner, I’ve taken on many new roles. I am marketing, accounting, a shop designer, human resources, a role model and a tinter. These “hats” are constantly shifting and overlapping throughout the day, and I wear each one with passion to improve and tenacity to succeed. Come along with me as I share the journey of my first year in business and my experience and growth from moving from employee to business owner.