When it comes to starting and building a small business, like coaching, patience is a virtue and realistic expectations are important. Learn why “Good things take time.” And how to grow smartly.
I started UESCA as side-gig in 2017, with it only becoming a full-time job in late 2018. Like many of our coaches, I always dreamed about being a small business owner and quitting my ‘9-5’ to pursue my passion. And… if I believed what most internet marketers told me on the many Facebook ads that I get served up on a daily basis, I would have made approximately $1,000,000 in my first year in business and by all accounts, I should be retired by now living on an island somewhere sipping on umbrella drinks.
Unfortunately, this was very much not my reality because well, it’s not reality. The reality is the below chart.
This chart denotes UESCA’s sales volume (dollar amounts redacted) from the inception of UESCA (2017) up until Oct 2024. This chart is telling for three main reasons.
- Look how flat the line is for quite some time starting in 2017 (period after launch)
- Note the large fluctuations in revenue from month to month
- Note the overall trend upwards in revenue
For now, we’re just going to focus on point #1.
Patience is a Virtue
As noted in the above chart, UESCA did not make any meaningful revenue for quite some time. If I’m being quite honest, it was depressing at best and downright scary at worst. I distinctly remember when I told my web designer at that time to launch the website. It was one of the most exciting and scary moments of my life. And then – crickets. Apparently, Kevin Costner’s line from ‘Field of Dreams’, “If you build it, they will come” wasn’t exactly accurate in my case, or at least not immediately. In fact, even though it’s been seven years since I launched UESCA, I can still remember the name of the first purchaser and how it felt to see that someone actually purchased something that I created. Magical!
I hear from coaches with some frequency that wonder what they are doing wrong and why they are not getting athletes to sign up. More often than not, when I ask them how long it’s been since they started their coaching business, it’s under 6 months in duration. While a coach can certainly start and scale their business to a meaningful size within 6 months, in my experience it’s fairly rare. Good things take time.
The fact is that building any sort of business takes time. Playing the long game is much more important than the short game. The time after launch and before meaningful sales start to come in is the most critical time in your business as this is when most aspiring small business owners throw in the towel.
To make it through this initial period takes persistence, determination and an unwavering commitment to your long-term vision. In other words, belief that your dream will come to fruition.
Play the long game.
Cash Flow is King
A business’s lifeblood is it’s cashflow, plain and simple. And therefore, if you don’t have positive cashflow, you’re out of business. This is why so many small business owners do not make it past the initial period after launch when sales are slim or non-existent. No matter how many projections you do or how many people reassure you that your business idea is rock solid, there is no way to 100% know how things will work out. For this reason, having savings and/or another stream of income (i.e., a day job) while you’re starting and scaling your business is critically important.
If I didn’t have my day job to rely on during the initial years before and after starting UESCA, UESCA would have died on the vine.
Feast or Famine
As illustrated in the initial graph, you’ll notice swings in revenue, both large and small. With respect to the large swings, it can often feel like feast or famine. One month you have great sales and your confidence is at an all-time high, and the next month sales are way down and your confidence is in the gutter. These swings of course also happen on a day-to-day basis.
The fact of the matter is that these swings are normal and to be expected. However, that does not mean that it makes it any easier to stomach. It is much easier to say you’ll take emotion out of sales cycles than to actually do it. To this day, I still get anxious if more than a few days go by with decreased sales.
Focus on the Long Game
Like an endurance sports training cycle that has its natural ups and downs, as alluded to previously, the sales cycle over time also has ebbs and flows. While it’s easy to get distracted by these fluctuations, it is critical to focus on the long game and thus, the overall trajectory of sales versus a more myopic approach.
You Wear All the Hats
Starting any business likely means wearing all of the hats. Some of the hats will be more familiar and comfortable than others and some of them will be downright scary and uncomfortable.
Fortunately, we live in an internet age where learning about something is just a few clicks away. Whether that means watching a YouTube video about how to create a profit and loss statement, or seeking out liability waivers online to use with your athletes.
Regardless of your comfort level with wearing these various hats, the bottom line is that many new business owners are overwhelmed by how much time (and money, in some circumstances) wearing all the non-coaching-based hats takes.
While I consider myself extremely fortunate to now have a great team, for the majority of UESCA’s existence, it has been just me. As a result, I had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable as I was far from being an expert in many areas needed to run and scale the business. Doubt me? Just ask my business partner Cindy about my proficiency (or lack thereof) with technology!
This is not a new concept or statement. My favorite phrase in this regard is, “Perfect is the enemy of done.”
When starting a new venture or a new product/service offering, it makes sense to want to make it perfect before hitting the ‘launch’ button – after all, it’s your baby. I get it and I was 100% the same way.
- The font had to be the exact size and type
- The spacing between sections on the homepage had to be precisely a set distance apart
- The opt-in button on my lead magnet had to be curved at the corners, not 90-degree angles
These were just some of my type-A, perfectionistic inclinations. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m still a bit nitpicky when it comes to… well most things, but I’ve learned one thing. What often appears in your eyes to be a glaring issue, more often than not, goes unnoticed by others.
In other words, you will likely be much harder on yourself than others will be. Strive for progress, not perfection!
Summary
Starting and growing a small business is hard and there isn’t any way around it. However, it’s my belief that one of the main reasons why small business owners get overwhelmed is because their expectations are not aligned with reality. For example, if a small business owner wears rose colored glasses and thinks that there won’t be many bumps in the road, they are in for a drastic reality check. However, if a business owner appreciates the reality of starting and scaling a business, they will likely be much better prepared to mitigate potential issues and appreciate the big picture.
So, remember, it ain’t easy, but it’s worth it!
