We pretend we have it all together, in work, in life, but really: every day is a new learning process. FashionContainer has been around for 5 years now and we’ve learnt our fair share of things about business. But some things we simply wish we knew earlier…
24/7 doesnt give you the best results
Everyone who owns their own business has been there: you find yourself working around the clock. 8 hour working day what? Not enough. The insane responsibility that comes with owning your own business easily tricks you into believing that the more you work, the better the results. But the opposite is true. Us human beings are guaranteed to lose our creativity and focus when we stop having a proper work-life balance. So do yourself and your business a favour and try to stick to ‘normal’ working hours as much as possible.
Let it go
Yeah I know, you’ve heard ‘Let it Go’ a hundred times before. But what does it even mean? Contrary to what you might think,
‘Let it Go’ doesn’t mean ‘let’s sit back, do nothing and hope for a miracle’.
Letting go means that you’ve done everything in your power and THEN you let it go. The truth of the matter is (if you believe it or not), it’s already written anyway. What’s meant for you will never miss you.
You don’t have to be everywhere to make it
You have to network! you have to go this party and try to talk to this person! Shoot this person an email! STOP it:
If something is not your thing, like having forced conversations at shitty parties, don’t do it.
Work hard and network YOUR way. If you play at your strengths, you’ll make it. Your value as a business (or as a person) doesn’t come from being seen at the right parties talking to the right people. Sure networking can help, but stay true to what is YOU.
Don’t compare yourself to others
The biggest human trap: comparing ourselves to others. The biggest personal AND professional trap, that is. We see other’s highlights, not their behind the scenes reality or the road they’ve walked (or are still walking) to achieve something. What has worked for others, doesn’t necessarily work for you. Do your own thing, it’s really is the best advice you can ever take on.
Enjoy the journey
First a personal note: in 2016 we’ve travelled to over 20 countries. How many times do you get to do that? We don’t know. What I do know is, that I haven’t enjoyed it as much as I should. Always stressing about deadlines, emails, money, competition, the next step. So take it from us: don’t forget to ENJOY the journey you’re on. You’re never getting these moments back. In a few years you’ll look back at these years of progress and adventure, (with a million dollars in the bank, ofcourse) and then you wish you had just appreciated all those little moments a little more. GO ALL IN & ENJOY.
Never give up
We send SO many emails to businesses we want to work with and get rejected SO many times too. It’s really tempting to turn your active attitude into a passive one, simply because ‘nothing I do pays off’. But it doesn’t work that way. You don’t get to decide when your active attitude pays off. Take it from us: we see results from emails we’ve send (and heard NOTHING from) a year after date. Remember:
“Do not measure success by today’s harvest. Measure success by the seeds you plant today.”
Never giving up doesn’t mean you should get yourself in debts or make irresponsible life choices, it simply means that you don’t let yourself be demotivated by others or by the situation. Will the world think your crazy persisting no matter what? Probably. Should you care? Absolutely not.
Photographer: Tatiane Kozijn | Instagram: @tatianekozijn
