I've never had a job. Here's what I did to build my dream business
Since leaving Uni 5 years ago, I’ve never had a job.
I’ve never had an interview or sent out a CV.
And it’s all been because I’ve figured out how to turn a business idea into an income-generating offer that has allowed me to build my life on my terms.
On reflection, it’s been a series of decisions stacked on top of each other that have helped me unlock the next level.
The good thing is, you can steal these and try them for yourself.
Some offer instant wins, others take time to see the rewards, but they are the secret to building a life and career that gives you the freedom you are looking for.
Here are my 3 rules that I’ve followed to build my business over the last 6 years.
Rule 01: Seek out founder communities and apply for every opportunity
I secured £65k in grant funding from applying to opportunities in the first 2 years of building my business. I sought out funding for young founders, and once I secured the first opportunity, I made the most of the community it gave me access to, connecting with further funding programmes and networks of change makers.
From the Virgin Money Foundation to Big Change and Ingenuity Impact, these communities have helped me get into the right rooms and meet the right people.
Rule 02: Learn from those who have walked the path you’re on
One of the best things I did at the start of my business journey was find a mentor.
Fun fact: Graeme Tidd was my first ever business mentor back in 2019, which is how we met.
Over the years, I’ve been supported by over 10 different mentors from Santander to L’Oreal, and each one has brought a new perspective and insight to the work I do. It’s what inspired me to become a mentor, and I’ve worked with over 30 amazing founders and freelancers to support them on their journey.
Another great place to find short-term mentorship is the Virgin Start-Up Community.
Rule 03: Get comfortable getting out of your comfort zone
As an anxious, naturally more introverted founder, I feel you if this one makes you shudder. Trust me, I used to hate the idea of public speaking and networking, but pushing myself out of my comfort zone is a huge contributing factor that has helped me get this far with my business.
The trick is not to start with the scary, overly corporate business events if that doesn’t feel natural to you. Find the events that are social first, like the Adobe Community events or a local small business group - this is a great place to build your confidence and get you meeting people.
P.S. We often run relaxed co-working and content creation events. If you’d like to see more of these events this year, let us know by liking this newsletter.
I hope you found these tips useful. If you’d ever like to chat about building your business, personal brand, or anything we mention in this episode, feel free to reply to the email, and we’ll get back to you!
Enjoy the rest of the episode, it’s a good one!
Emma x
Hot Take 🔥 Your competitors can steal your product, but they can’t steal your community
Here’s what I’ve learned building my business over 6 years: everyone’s using the same tools now.
Same AI. Same tactics. Same everything.
It’s getting harder and harder to stand out.
But that’s where out-of-the-box thinking comes in.
I know a lot of you in this community consider yourselves to be creative.
So this gives you the biggest advantage.
This year, you should be thinking about building a brand world for your customers.
A way for the people you want to work with to spend time with you without being in the room with them.
A way for you to build trust, making you the go-to option in your industry.
Create a brand world where people don’t want to leave.
Look at Adobe. Sure, the software’s great. But people stay for the events where you meet other creatives and chat for hours. The fact that they actually pay creators who believe in their product and build long-term relationships instead of chasing influencer clout.
They built a place people want to be, so their customers stay loyal to their product because they feel like they are part of something bigger.
You don’t need thousands of people; you just need to start with the people you already have in your network.
How are we building our brand world this year?
→ Launching this community of Lucky Founders
→ Hosting events to bring together people like you to share ideas and build connections
→ Building our content ecosystem so we can give more value (and you can spend more time with us 😉)
And you can do this too.
Start by making your community feel like they’re part of something.
Steal our Strategy 👀 Be the Guide, Not the Hero
This week we’ve been thinking about our content strategy for the year.
This is where it gets exciting 👀
At the start of the year, this is the perfect time to build strong, sustainable systems that can help you stay consistent.
Here are a few frameworks we’ve been loving at the moment.
Flip your thinking as Donald Miller emphasises the importance of positioning yourself as the Guide, not the Hero.
As a founder providing the solution to a problem, it’s all too easy for us to get caught in the trap of marketing ourselves as the hero. But, as Miller explains, by positioning the customer as the hero, we build empowerment within them, showing a level of understanding that speaks directly to their problems.
At Studio Self-Made, we always put our clients at the heart of the narrative - only then can we facilitate a strategy that allows them to do the same for their customers.
Content Should Prove, Not Just Post.
This is a game-changer if your head hurts just thinking about creating content, and what you do post barely gets a like. In this insightful video, you will discover an acute “Ah-ha!” moment in the form of a simple framework that will allow you to focus on what you want to achieve from posting and how to get it. As Grace explains, starting with what you want and focusing on the signals you need to convey to get there informs the content you produce.
At the start, we struggled with the same issue: performative content that went nowhere. When we began to create purposeful content, everything changed.
