I recently celebrated my twenty-fourth birthday. I went to a wedding the night before, then breakfast with my best friend, and had dinner with my family. We ate some truly delicious cake and a enjoyed a night around the fire. My fiance and I celebrated a week later by exploring Wilmington, Vermont, and eating an ungodly number of maple cookies (You know, the sandwich cookies shaped like a leaf and filled with maple cream? Yeah, they’re my kryptonite right now.)

Twenty-four looks a lot different than I thought it would. I didn’t think I’d be getting married in 8 months. I definitely didn’t think I’d be living in New England. And honestly? I didn’t think I’d enjoy coffee as much as I do, but you can find me with a vanilla latte on any given day (as long as it’s before 2pm). 

At this point in a reflection-style blog like this one, the writer says something about how they NEVER expected to own a business. 

But for me, that’s the one thing that actually makes perfect.

I never believed I’d follow a traditional career path. My parents are entrepreneurs. My sister started her own nutritional therapy practice. Her husband owns a construction company. 

I guess we just really don’t like being told what to do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

I love running my own business. I love the freedom it gives me, and I love the challenges I’m faced with every day. Okay, maybe I don’t love the challenges… but I appreciate them in the long run. Because of the challenges,  I have to learn to think differently and approach problems creatively.

I love working hours that fit my life schedule, not the other way around. I love going to the library (where I currently sit as I write this!), and disappearing into my work. 

Honestly, I just really love writing. And I am SO grateful I get to write for amazing women every single day. 

But entrepreneurship isn’t exactly easy, either. I prefer it to the alternative, absolutely, but I’ve still learned some lessons the hard way. 

So, for this birthday blog, I am sharing twenty-four things I have learned as a twenty-four-year-old business owner. 

(Spoiler: most of them are life things, not business things. But as business owners, is there really a difference? Yeah… I didn’t think so, either). 

24 things I’ve learned as a 24 year old business owner 

1. There is always room to grow. 
2. Celebrate where you are. It might not be where you want to be yet, but it’s a heck of a lot better than where you were! 
3. It’s okay to get tired. That doesn’t mean you’ve made the wrong choice. 
4. Knowing when to say no is just as important as knowing when to say yes. 
5. Slow does not equal bad. 
6. Put yourself out there. You’ll never know who you’ll connect with. 
7. Kindness always – to your clients, to your “competition,” and most of all, to yourself. 
8. Community over competition. There is enough room for everyone to succeed. 
9. You won’t be everyone’s favorite (and that’s okay!).  
10. There ARE people who are better than you. Learn from them instead of being jealous of them. This goes back to community over competition. Their success does not diminish yours. 
11. Put boundaries in place – with your clients, with your work, and with yourself! Know your limits and respect them.  
12. This is the worst you’ll ever be – aka, you will only get better, but you have to start somewhere.
13. Sometimes stepping away when you don’t feel up for a task is better than beating yourself into submission. Learn how to tell what you need. 
14. Age doesn’t matter. 
15. Ask. Always ask. Whether it’s a question that might make you seem dumb, or an opportunity to connect with someone you might think is too far out of your league. It is always better to ask.  
16. Rejection sucks, but it will not kill you.  
17. Not everyone is right for you. Just like some clients won’t want to work with you, you may not want to work with every client that comes your way.
18. For the love of all things holy, get out of the house. You need fresh air. And to talk to another human. 
19. Take your time. There is never as big of a rush as you think there is. 
20. Eat breakfast. 
21. Reach out for help. Whether you’ve run into something new, or you just need help reminding yourself that you can do this. People love you. People believe in you. Sometimes you’ve just gotta reach out and tell them what you need. You do NOT have to do this alone. 
22. It’s okay to change. Just because you started in one niche doesn’t mean you have to stay there. Heck, just because you started a business doesn’t mean you need to do that one thing for the rest of your life. It’s okay to try something and then decide it isn’t for you. 
23. Find a hobby. Do something that tells your brain that the workday is over. For me, that’s reading. I feel my entire body relax when I finally sit down and pick up a book. It knows that the braining part of the day is over. 
24. Confidence is an exercise. At its core, confidence is belief in yourself. The belief that you can do something. Accomplish a task. Not crumble under the pressure. And the only way you find out if you can do something is by trying it. And then trying fifteen more times. 

In summary, I think the most important thing I’ve learned this past year is this: there is no one right way to do things. 

I still struggle with the concept of “should.” I “should” wake up at 6 am and have an unchangeable morning routine. I “should” run my business a certain way. I “should” be married, or not married, or eat these certain things, or not those things… the list goes on. 

So often this year, I have felt inundated with advice. Everyone on social media has the perfect formula to scale your business to six figures, or change your diet, or cleanse your home… the list goes on. 

And at first, I was resentful. I didn’t want anyone to tell me how to live, and I thought everyone peddling their “key to success” was a terrible person. 

Thankfully, I’ve grown since then. 

Now, I don’t really care. I’m learning how to accept the advice that works for me and let the rest go. Because what works for someone may not work for me, and what works for me may be terrible for you. 

And that’s another thing I love about running my business… I get to find out what works for me. 

There’s a lot of trial and error involved, and sometimes things work for a little while before they lose their effectiveness. Currently, I’m swearing by the Pomodoro method, but when I tried it a few months ago, it simply didn’t help. 

So, my biggest advice? Find what works for you. There is no shame if something that worked for your friend, or mentor, or half the human population, doesn’t work for you. 

There is no one correct way to do life, or business. 

That’s the beauty of it.

Anywho, I hope this blog was helpful. I hope it made you feel a little less alone in the journey of entrepreneurship. Because you really, truly, are not alone. 

My entire business is designed around community – around the belief that we work better together. So if you want to work together, or grab a virtual coffee, or learn more about community-driven copywriting, I’m your gal. Click here to schedule a call. 

I would love to connect with you. 

P.S. I forgot to introduce myself, whoops! My name is Jo. I’m a copywriter for wedding vendors, which means I write SEO websites, blogs, and email campaigns for creatives in the wedding industry. I help you find your brand voice and write copy that helps you rank higher in search results and get found by your ideal client. 

Should we be friends? Shoot me a DM on Instagram!