Tag: entrepreneur

Bloganuary: Nothing to be scared of

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What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?

Bloganuary 2024

I wouldn’t call it being scared, but becoming an entrepreneur is worrying. I’ve been to a course about it and researched about it. But the course was some years ago. I still haven’t gotten around to it. It’s a big step to take and many things to think about. You can’t claw your way to success. At least I don’t have it in me. What worries me the most is the financial prospect of it. The other is if I have enough skills to run a design business. I don’t have work experience in the field I’ve studied. I don’t even know what kind of services I want to provide. I don’t know if I can ask the right questions and if I fulfil clients’ requests. Even getting clients is a worrying thing. Networking is not my strongest suit, and neither is my portfolio. I only have schoolwork there. I don’t have any family or friends for whom I could do projects to fill it. I’m like a fish out of water compared to others. Many graphic design entrepreneurs have the same services and much more experience than I do. How can I compete with that? And they are younger too. They also show their faces, which I don’t want to do. It won’t help much if someone says I should do it because I’ve tried, but there never seems to be enough time to start.

If I got a part-time job, I could run a business on the side, but it is a different matter if I have the strength to do it after work. If I had a job, I would at least get paid. The trouble with having a job is getting up early in the morning. As an entrepreneur, you can have your own schedule and don’t need to go anywhere. You also don’t need to endure the pain of applying for jobs. If it was easy to find a client, becoming an entrepreneur would also be easier. It’s more challenging when you don’t have a great portfolio. The business owner makes it look so easy, but the truth isn’t as easy as it looks. Maybe I need more confidence in myself. I didn’t think entrepreneurship would be for me, but not finding a job has changed that thought. The other reason why I started to think about it was when I worked with clients during web design education in 2017. I could do the projects at my own pace, which felt good.

I should claw myself out of this insecurity and just do it, or I’ll regret it. I only need to get a grip on myself. I know I don’t want to be without work forever. Life must be something more than just being without anything to do. If no one else won’t give you a purpose, then you should give it to yourself.

Bloganuary: Not that crazy business idea

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Come up with a crazy business idea.

Bloganuary 2024

I did a serious business plan when I studied entrepreneurship. It isn’t a crazy plan; it could be a serious one. My ideas aren’t crazy. They try to be as realistic as possible. The plan has changed since then. It was 2018. I must have been mad if I thought web design would be one of my services. You can call me a serial offender when it comes to making plans. But you are allowed to change your plans.

The general idea was to do digital graphic design. I would use my own photography and maybe sell them separately as well. My business would be for small and medium-sized companies based in Finland. Especially female entrepreneurs. My clients would also be foreigners living in Finland, so my clients could work with me in English. I can also work in the Swedish language. I’ve had clients when I studied web design, so working with people isn’t new. I liked it when I could work whenever I wanted, and for a while, I kept thinking about starting a graphic design business. I’m not a brave person who can start something like that. I don’t even have work experience in the field, and my portfolio isn’t super good. I thought about getting a part-time job, but I had no luck. I sent an application a few days ago but haven’t heard from them. Maybe that is a lost cause. It’s probably hopeless to get any work experience.

Having a business is a little romanticised. It’s hard work; they say it can take a few years to profit. That’s a bit of a turn-off. I don’t want to wait that long. I need to get money somewhere. It feels like I belong to a group of people who are destined to live on welfare. What worries me the most about having a business is finding paying clients. I don’t even get likes on Instagram. I have to like my own posts. Likes differ from getting a client, but marketing your business isn’t easy. Maybe it’s a crazy business idea of some sort, but it could also be a true one. I hope I can make a decision about what I truly want.

Hurrah for the Bloganuary Challenge 2024

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©️Mia Salminen 2023

What are your biggest challenges?

Bloganuary 2024

Welcome 2024. Hurrah for that and for the Bloganuary. The question for day 1 is, what’s the biggest challenge. Well, I have had those over the years, but that is the past. The biggest challenge has been getting a job, which is also one of them this year. I’m tired of getting ideas for jobs I don’t want. Why can’t I get a job that I have studied for?! It’s a bit frustrating. I wish I was brave enough to become an entrepreneur, but it’s complicated. I studied entrepreneurship some years ago because I had never gotten started. Maybe I don’t believe in my skills enough. You can’t start a business cold turkey. I don’t know if I could handle a part-time and keep a business. The last time I had a part-time job, I was too tired when the day ended. I couldn’t think clearly, and I only wanted to do relaxing things. It would be better if I would be a total entrepreneur instead. I could choose my own business hours.

That aside, the biggest challenge right now is getting out of bed. I like to sleep a little too much. I think I will start with some at the beginning of every year, but I never do. I should do better because I know I can and want to. We’ll see how things will go in 2024. Many things will happen this year in the world, so you never know what could happen. Let’s hope things won’t get worse. Hurrah for the new year, though.