Everyone always says that there are no guarantees in business, that you can never be sure of anything in the world of self-employment, but I beg to differ …

Here are 10 things that I have learned in the last (almost) 2 years that I have been in business:

• Being an entrepreneur is like a roller coaster ride
  Being in business for yourself is full of ups and downs and highs and lows, not very often will you find that your business will sail along on an even keel. You are bound to experience periods where things are better than great and periods where things are worse than horrible. This is the nature of business.
• No two clients are ever alike
  No matter how similar your clients are, every client is an individual with their own set of expectations, personality traits and characteristics. What works for one client may or may not work for the next. Just when you think you have it figured out how to handle a situation, the next time you are in a similar situation you will need to handle it differently to get the same results
• No two businesses, no matter how similar, are ever alike
  I have several friends that are also Virtual Assistants, yet I have yet to find two VAs that provide the same services in the exact same manner for the exact same target market. It is the same with any business (unless of course you are talking about a franchise). Each entrepreneur brings their own ideas, skills and personalities into their business which results in a totally unique business even when they might look the same in every other way
• It takes a thick skin to be an entrepreneur
  Many businesses have come and gone because the owner could not separate from their business. When someone is upset with your business or your services, it is hard not to take it personally. In order to survive in business and thrive, you need to be able to look at that situation and realize what it is that will allow you to learn from the situation and grow. More importantly, you need to learn how to disassociate from these situations and be able to take that “constructive criticism”. Without the ability to do this, your business will never survive.
• It takes a lot of hard work to make it work
  Gone are the days when you can cover your head with a pillow and forget about things. In business when things are tough, they need to be faced head on and dealt with. Some days will be extremely hard and will take all of your effort to get through. Then just as I suggested in the first point, the roller coaster ride starts and the next day reminds you why you are an entrepreneur.
• Those that forget to find a balance between family and business will never thrive in both areas
  There are those that spend all their waking moments immersed in business and then there are those that see their business as a hobby, something to work on when there are no family obligations. Although I am not saying that either of these don’t work, I am saying that without having that balance one or the other area will never grow and prosper. Finding a work/life balance is a key in business and something that many fail to master.
• You need a strong support system to survive
  I think this is pretty self explanatory except to say that it doesn’t matter who or what this support system is; just that you have one in place.
• Business can be very rewarding
  It is a very exhilarating feeling when things go well in your business. The satisfaction that all the efforts and work that you put in are rewarding yourself and are for the benefit of yourself and your business.
• You will find the best support system from other entrepreneurs
  Just attend any networking event and you will see just how true this statement is. It is so surprising how much an entrepreneur is willing to help another entrepreneur. It is like having a big extended family watching out for you and supporting you.
• It is usually the “sure things” that never work out and the “unsure” things that do
  Funny how this happens, but in business it is usually the clients that you think are going to be the easiest to work with and guarantee the sale that turn out to be your hardest sale and the ones that we think are going to be the easiest sale that take the most work. It can’t be explained, but it is just one of those funny things about business.

Finally and most importantly the biggest guarantee about business is that THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES!!