January 11, 2021
7 Must Follow Do's & Don'ts
You've decided to Get GeekD in your online business and tackle your tech. And for that I say, congratulations! If you're anything like me, you'll find a lot of gratification in doing this yourself. Anytime we start a new project, its exciting and we’re itching to get going! But I must warn you, this is a journey, not a race. I've learned this the hard way. I know you're excited to get to the end, but the professional result you’re looking for cannot always be the hurried approach.
Your mind will go through many stages and emotions as you take this on, so I wanted to provide you with my 7 Must Do's and Don'ts to help you along the way. Feel free to download this and post it somewhere nearby, to use as a tool of encouragement and support.
DO's | DON'Ts |
|---|---|
#1. Take your time. Be patient with yourself. | Do not get ahead of yourself and lose patience. There are so many steps involved it's easy to become overwhelmed when Getting GeekD. We all want a shiny, optimally functioning business…but you can’t build Rome in a day. Do not put so much pressure on yourself that you lose patience and give up. Know this is going to take time…especially when doing it yourself. |
#2. Research options for yourself. | Don’t listen to friends, family and people who just want to give you their opinion. Especially if they don't have a successful example you want to follow. There are a plethora of options out there, and depending on what you’re trying to do, your choices may vary from other people/businesses/gurus you know and follow. |
#3. It's YOUR thing...you can do it YOUR WAY. | Don’t try to be like other businesses, bloggers or gurus in every way. Definitely take inspiration from who is doing it right, and make note of why. But trying to copy another business or brand is a recipe for disaster. Your passion, product or service is unique. And serving it up in your own way is what will draw your customers (followers or readers) to you. If you're trying to be like that other brand (or person), why come to you when I can go to them? Plus, it can come across as forced. |
#4. Learn to walk away. | Don't push yourself to the point of destruction. When you're done for the day, you're done. This is a part of patience but I feel it deserves it's own section. We often need breaks when we've hit a road block in our learning, but don't want to take them. If you hit a block, it's your subconscious telling you it's break time. Go do something else and the solution will come to you later. Maybe when you're in the shower, on your yoga mat or driving. Strange...but that's how that stuff works! |
#5. Set realistic goals. | Don’t cut your deadlines so short that there is no way to achieve them. If you already have a business that is scheduled to launch in 30 days and there is no getting out of it, you may be past the point of DiY. But if you have the time, be real with what you can do and when you can get it done. |
#6. Think out of the box until you can get what you want. Or…make do. | When you're getting started on something and the budget does not permit for all of the bells and whistles, you need to do what you gotta do until you can do what you really wanna do. Don't get hung up on the dumb sh%$! You may later decide that you don't even need that thing you thought you had to have. • If you can't afford a DSLR, use your smartphone to shoot that video. • If you can't afford a custom UX designer to design the perfect site, use a template. There are millions to choose from. • If you can't afford to hire a social media manager, take a class and do it yourself! Bottom line...figure your sh%$! out, get it done and be okay with it until you can afford more. You may just have to make that part of YourBusiness 2.0 (or 3.0). |
#7. Don't let perfectionism prevent progress. | Nobody's business, website or product is perfect. Everyone has areas in which they need to improve. And it will always be that way. You want to achieve a professional outcome, but don’t be such a perfectionist, that you're paralyzed from moving forward. If you shot that landing page video 20 times and you still flubbed a word or two, nobody cares but you. It almost makes it more charming! Post it and keep it moving so you don't waste time where it shouldn't be wasted. |
I've got a story that goes along with every Don't on the list. Trust me! You GOT this! Every don't I've listed can develop into little self-inflicted torture sessions if you let them! So try to avoid all of these don'ts and just have fun with it. It's a big deal (which others may not understand), but keep at it. Have a good time with this because the emotional and spiritual highs you'll get from accomplishing this goal are well worth it!
With love for the Geek in you,
Erin, The Rebel
Tags