Tag: entrepreneur

A little puddle of pride

Mia2 Comments
puddle of water
Photo: Openverse

I haven’t written about this, but today (April 18) was the last day of my entrepreneurial studies. It took 20 days. I took one course like it in 2018, but I wanted an update. Not much has changed, and I knew about having a business before since my father had one for 30 years. I’ve also studied it alone. I enjoy the small things in life, so I have a little puddle of pride in finishing the course. It might not be significant for others, but you can still feel pride nonetheless.

I don’t know why I keep postponing entrepreneurship. During the course, I felt maybe I’m still not ready for it. I don’t have much job experience in graphic design. Many of my classmates in the course were confident they would have their own businesses. But I’m still torn between whether I should or shouldn’t. I applied for a graphic design job but won’t get an interview because I lack experience. The same would probably be true if I were an entrepreneur. My biggest concern is not finding clients. Then, it’s the financial side of it all. I’ve used to get money in my bank account every month. I don’t have enough confidence to find clients; if you don’t have any, you can’t pay your bills. Registering your company is the easy part. What comes to having a business is a different matter. If I had a better portfolio, things would be easier.

That little puddle of pride takes a bump in the confidence department. But I have to believe in myself and find a way to overcome the uncertainty. If I don’t become an entrepreneur, I might regret it later on. I only need to find the right time to start.

Bloganuary: Nothing to be scared of

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woman looking scared
Photo by Moose Photos on Pexels.com

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

Mia2 Comments
blue book on pink background
Photo by Ann H on Pexels.com

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.