I’ve been reflecting lately on everything business has taught me.
Not just about marketing, strategy, clients or making money. But about myself, the people I surround myself with and what success actually means to me.
I’ve been in business in different forms for years, and it’s taken me a good couple of years to really find my feet with MarketHer.
I’ve changed my services, rewritten my messaging, questioned my direction and had more than a few moments of wondering what on earth I’m doing. 😂
But looking back, I wouldn’t change much.
Because every experience has taught me something.
Here are eight lessons I’ve learned along the way.
01. You don’t need to have it all figured out.
I used to think I needed to have the perfect business model, the perfect messaging and a really clear picture of where I was heading.
Turns out, sometimes you just need to start.
MarketHer has evolved so much over the past couple of years. I’ve tested services, changed direction, worked with different businesses and slowly figured out what I genuinely love doing.
And I’ve realised that clarity often comes from doing, not thinking.
You can change your mind. You can outgrow an idea. You can decide that something you thought you wanted isn’t actually for you.
Your business is allowed to evolve as you do.
02. Learn to trust yourself. Your intuition matters.
This has probably been one of my biggest personal lessons.
I’ve always been quite intuitive, but I’ve spent a lot of time questioning myself, overthinking decisions and looking outside myself for reassurance.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve become more interested in Human Design, spirituality and understanding how I naturally operate.
Learning about my Human Design as a Projector has been particularly interesting. It’s given me another lens through which to reflect on my energy, the way I work and the importance of being intentional about where I put my time.
I don’t see it as a rulebook for running a business. More as a tool for understanding myself.
And one thing it’s reinforced for me is that I don’t need to build a business the same way everybody else does.
I’ve learned to give myself space to think, trust my instincts and make decisions that feel right for me, while still looking at the practicalities and numbers.
Strategy and intuition don’t have to be opposites.
Sometimes the best decisions come from listening to both.
03. Someone else’s success doesn’t take away from yours.
It’s so easy to look around at what everyone else is doing.
Someone launches a similar service. Someone has a beautiful website. Someone seems to be growing faster, doing more, achieving more.
And suddenly you’re questioning everything about your own business.
But I’ve learned that competition doesn’t have to be threatening.
There is room for different people, different approaches and different businesses.
The people who are right for you will connect with your personality, your values, your experience and the way you do things.
You don’t need to be the loudest person in the room.
You just need to be yourself and do what you do well.
04. Not everyone is your customer. And that’s a good thing.
When you’re starting out, saying yes to every opportunity can feel like the sensible thing to do.
But I’ve learned that the right clients make an enormous difference.
The people who trust your expertise, respect your time, appreciate your approach and genuinely align with what you’re trying to create.
I’ve also learned that it’s okay to say no.
Not every enquiry needs to become a client. Not every opportunity is the right opportunity.
And sometimes making space for the right people means being willing to let go of the wrong fit.
05. Boundaries are a form of self-respect.
Oh, this one has been a journey. 😂
When you genuinely care about your clients and their businesses, it’s very easy to take on more than you should.
A little extra work here. A quick message there. One more thing to help someone out.
And suddenly you’ve created a business where everyone else’s priorities come before your own.
I’ve learned that clear expectations, contracts, communication and processes aren’t just administrative things.
They’re essential to a healthy working relationship.
I can care deeply about my clients and their success without being personally responsible for every outcome.
I can offer my expertise, guidance and support, but I can’t control every part of someone else’s business.
Knowing where my responsibility starts and ends has been one of the most valuable things I’ve learned.
06. Know your worth. And don’t be afraid to charge for it.
This is something I think a lot of women in business struggle with.
We underestimate our experience. We discount our services. We worry about what people will think if we put our prices up.
And sometimes we forget how much knowledge, time and energy goes into what we do.
I’ve learned that pricing needs to reflect more than the hours spent completing a task.
It needs to account for experience, expertise, responsibility and the value of the work.
Not everyone will be able to afford your services.
And that’s okay.
You can be approachable, kind and genuinely want to help people while still running a profitable business.
07. Your business should support your life, not consume it.
I love ambitious women.
I love seeing people build beautiful brands, grow successful businesses and create financial independence.
But I’ve also learned that bigger isn’t always better.
More clients, more revenue, more responsibilities and more hours don’t automatically equal success.
Sometimes success is having the flexibility to be there for your children.
Sometimes it’s choosing the projects you genuinely enjoy.
Sometimes it’s earning enough, working less and having the headspace to enjoy the life you’ve created.
I’m learning that I don’t need to follow somebody else’s definition of success.
I get to create my own.
08. You can be proud of yourself and still want more.
I think this might be the most important one.
We’re so quick to move the goalposts.
We achieve something we once dreamed of, celebrate for approximately five minutes, and immediately start thinking about what’s next.
And we forget to acknowledge how far we’ve come.
I recently found myself reminding another woman in business just how incredible it was that she’d created something from the ground up.
And it made me think about how rarely we say those same things to ourselves.
So to the women reading this...
Please be proud of yourself.
You’ve taken risks, made decisions, learned things you never thought you’d need to learn and kept showing up when things felt difficult.
Some of you are raising tiny humans while building businesses. Some are balancing jobs, relationships, financial pressures and a hundred other responsibilities nobody sees.
And yet, here you are.
Building something that once existed only as an idea in your head.
You can be incredibly proud of where you are today and still have big dreams for tomorrow.
Those two things can exist together.
One last thing...
One of my favourite reminders is something Marie Forleo says:
“Everything is figureoutable.”
And I genuinely believe that.
You won’t always know the answer.
You’ll make mistakes, change direction, question yourself and occasionally wonder why you thought running a business was a good idea in the first place. 😂
But you’ll learn.
You’ll figure things out.
You’ll become more confident in your decisions and more comfortable building something that feels right for you.
And somewhere along the way, you’ll realise that success isn’t necessarily about creating the biggest business.
It’s about creating one that you’re proud of.
One that reflects your values, supports your life and gives you the freedom to do things on your own terms.
And that’s something worth building.
With love,
Tara x
MarketHer