You’re Never Too Old, Part Two

Last week, in part one, I wrote about starting my business, Eva Marie Workshops, at the age of 70. I encouraged you to nurture your dreams wherever you are in life and accept that you’re right on schedule for you.

In part two, I want to share some of the lessons I’ve learned in my first year as a later-in-life entrepreneur. As I mentioned in my previous post, the seed for my business was planted in 2008. However, actualizing my dream didn’t happen until a decade later. I had an actual dream while on vacation with my family at Sunset Beach, NC in August 2018! I vividly dreamt that my living room would become a classroom, and I knew that 2019 was the year I was meant to launch.

But I was scared. What if no one showed up to my first event? Then what?

My daughter told me to set a date and make an announcement, so I couldn’t turn back. I started planning my first workshop, “The Heart of a Woman,” for February 13, 2019, and began praying for the first group of women to invite. I wanted women who would give me honest feedback.

Seven women showed up, and I nervously taught my first class. It went off without a hitch, and I received the feedback that I needed to improve my ideas. I’d like to say that the whole first year has gone this smoothly, but it’s certainly had its challenges.

You know you are an entrepreneur when _________________. This fill-in-the-blank was posted a couple of weeks ago in a Facebook group I follow. It couldn’t have come at a better time because after the week I’d had, I wasn’t sure I still wanted to be one! It was an off week where I couldn’t manage my time well, and everything I did seemed to go wrong like the video I’d worked hard to create that wouldn’t upload. I was feeling discouraged and rundown, and I started down the dark path of negative self-talk and comparing myself to others: “Look how far ahead they are than you!” “They have better ideas.” “Why even bother?” “Maybe I’m too old.”

I shut everything down and walked away so I could re-focus. I returned to my gratitude journal to remind myself of all the blessings and accomplishments of this year like the compliments I’d received from the women who attended my workshops; forming my LLC and opening my business bank account; creating and launching my website; starting this blog; planning my first retreat. I ended up back at my computer, hosting a live video about turtles and never giving up.

With the onset of the pandemic, I’ve had to convert my living room classroom into a Zoom classroom, and it’s been a tough transition for a technology novice like me. But like everything with entrepreneurship, I’ve learned to be flexible and adaptable, and to understand what I can and cannot control. Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of work and dedication—long hours (especially when ideas come in the middle of the night!), learning new things, changing the way you do things, feeling overwhelmed, asking for help, listening to the right advice, investing in yourself when your income is limited, and managing your time well.

And my biggest lesson? Accepting that I’m going at my own pace, and I’m not where everyone else is and it’s okay. No comparing! When the challenging days come, I always return to my WHY, and embrace the adventure of it all.

Some other lessons I’ve learned this year:

• God and Prayer are the lifeline of my business.
• Believe in myself ALWAYS and trust my instincts.
• I’m not too old; my life experiences have prepared me for this time.
• Write down my dreams and set a date for each one.
• Hire the right coach and have a good support group.
• Surround myself with things and people that inspire me; stay away from negative people.
• Trust that I will have the audience I need.
• Give myself grace: I don’t have to know everything, and it doesn’t have to be perfect.
• The more I do something, the easier it’ll become.
• Always celebrate my victories, big and small.

NEVER GIVE UP!

E – energy, lots of it!
N – never quit
T – time management
R – refocus and refine
E – excitement
P – permission: grant it to yourself to try new things
R – relax
E – embrace the adventure!
N – natural unfolding: allow things to flow
E – engaging
U – unique
R – remember your “why”
S – self-care

I plan to revisit this next year and share the lessons I’m sure to learn in my second year!