Don’t Apologize For Your Business Decisions
Stay true to the customers you serve and the boundaries you’ve set.
The startup world is eager to dispense advice.
“Do this, not that.”
“Follow these metrics.”
“Here’s the best strategy.”
As if one company’s success is easily transferrable to another company. Spoiler alert: it’s not.
But one thing most founders have in common is that they’re unapologetic. I don’t mean arrogant, but they have a clear vision of what they want and aren’t afraid to go after it.
I spent 15 years in the startup world as both an executive and product manager. Now, I run a successful six-figure business as a solopreneur.
I don’t listen to most of the hustle culture advice. And I also don’t apologize for running my business in a way that makes sense for me and my clients.
Ask for what you’re worth
Pricing is fun, isn’t it? It’s so easy to compare yourself to other businesses, wondering if you should charge more or less.
In some cases, the market will dictate your pricing, especially if you’re selling a product. But if you’re selling services, it’s much more nuanced.
There’s nothing quite like having a prospective client tell me that I’m “too expensive.”
I’m not too expensive. I’m outside your budget.
You should be able to justify your fees (with expertise, a proven track record, etc.) and have confidence in your pricing. Don’t be tempted to back down just to win a client — it’s a slippery slope that will end in the client not respecting your work as much.
Grow at a sustainable pace
2021, in particular, was a “growth at all costs” year. Venture capital money was free-flowing in the tech world, leading to massive spending and hiring.
And we’ve all seen the fallout from that, with widespread layoffs, budget cuts, and even contributing to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
The lesson, even for entrepreneurs outside the VC and tech worlds? The good times may not last forever.
I work in content marketing and spent time at two different agencies throughout 2021 and 2022. They were reaping the benefits of VC-backed tech. And now they’ve both all but collapsed. Why? They weren’t prepared for a market shift.
It’s okay to rake in the cash while you can — but it can’t all be an investment in growth. If you do that, you’ll get to a point where you’re ill-equipped to handle a downturn.
Grow sustainably, think about the “worst case scenario,” and plan for the day when your revenues are down and you still have expenses.
Anna Burgess Yang
Learn from past experiences
Founders are often intensely proud of being A Founder. I know people who have gone from one startup to the next, each time creating something new and successful. I also know people who started their entrepreneur or solopreneur journeys early in life.
They had that itch and dove right in.
But if you worked for an employer before striking out on your own, don’t feel like you wasted your time. Maybe you had big dreams, but it wasn’t the right time. You still learned something from the corporate world (even if the lesson was “I could do this better”).
And age is just a number, as the adage goes. I had no designs to strike out on my own while working at a startup. I didn’t start my own business until I was 37.
Do I look back on those years and wonder, “What if I had started sooner? Where would I be now?” Sometimes. But coulda woulda shoulda. I have to be thankful for my experiences and how they fueled my success as a solopreneur.
Prioritize people over profits
People should come first. Always.
If you’re a founder and have employees, you are responsible for their livelihoods. You’re responsible for a work environment that can help people thrive or drive them into the ground. Which one sounds better for business?
Even if it’s your dream to hustle and make a business successful, it may not be their dream. Their dream is to continue to collect a salary so they can pay their bills. You have to make business decisions that keep that at the forefront, especially regarding risk.
And whether you have employees or whether you’re a solopreneur like me, there’s no one looking over your shoulder telling you to take care of yourself. If you don’t keep your own workload in check, you won’t be able to make smart business decisions, or you’ll burn out.
Set boundaries
Everyone has boundaries, and sometimes you’ll be pushed to your limits as an entrepreneur. This can range from the boundaries that answer the question, “What is the goal of our business?” to the boundaries that you’ve set around work itself. Such as:
- Reaching outside your ICP before you’re ready to expand
- Adding product features that may not make sense
- Taking on the wrong business partners or investors
- Working late nights or weekends
Usually, these come in pursuit of profits, but they give you pause. You’re not sure it’s the right business decision because you’re compromising something you said you’d “never do.”
It’s okay to listen to your gut. It’s okay to slow down and let things play out before you make a business decision.
I had a client ask me to do some creative work that would have been very misleading to the audience. Maybe some people would have been comfortable dancing near the edges of “truth,” but it was an ethical boundary I didn’t want to cross. I turned down the work.
When I was an executive at a startup, the company began to go down some very bad roads, chasing the competition rather than remaining true to its core. It led to complete flops (and that’s how I knew it was time to leave).
You can hold firm to your boundaries, and you don’t need to apologize for them. You have them for a reason.
Pivot with the ups and downs
Boundaries and pivots aren’t mutually exclusive. You can maintain your boundaries while still pursuing a new path.
Maybe you’ve started out to serve a particular type of customer, and that customer’s needs change. That’s a pivot. You’re adapting to market demands. It’s necessary in business over the years — customers will always evolve.
Your job is to stay ahead of the curve. Call it a founder’s intuition and the reason your business will succeed when others fail.
I became a solopreneur at a time when my ideal clients (tech companies) were slashing their budgets. Yet I saw a way in by offering a different business model than most of my peers. As a result, I’ve had no shortage of work.
I’ve thought about downturns and how I might shift if needed. It might mean working harder now (but still within my boundaries) so I can build something sustainable for the future.
If you employ people, be clear about change, why it’s needed, how it will continue to serve the company’s purpose, and how you’ll support them along the way.
You need to be clear and decisive. Make the right change at the right time.
And trust yourself.
You can read about the future of work and career pivots on my Substack.