Episode 34 - The Hard Times in Business

Welcome to Building a Bigger Table

The podcast for misfits, mavericks and magic makers who want to create a profitable, sustainable business that makes as much impact as it does income. 

 

In This Episode:

 

Welcome to episode 34 of the Building a Bigger Table podcast where I’m talking about the hard times in business. This is off the back of a post I saw by the lovely Hannah Rose Cluley ... I loved it so much that it inspired me to dedicate an episode to it.

The truth is, almost all of us have more than our fair share of hard times, but not all of us share them or talk about them. And I actually think that's doing people a disservice because we're painting a warped view of the reality of our business. 

I’ve hit 10k months, 100k months, 500k months, but I’ve also had some losses too. I’m not just talking about finances here either, I’m spilling details of how I ended up in court early on in my career, how I’ve been backstabbed after making the wrong hires, and how I’ve had high hopes for launches that were epic fails. I’m not holding back … I’m sharing everything with the hope that these stories will make your hard times easier to bear, and help you understand that these things happen to everyone.

Let’s face it … in entrepreneurship, there are dark days, but there are also wonderful days. And trust me, there have been times when I have woken up in a morning and asked myself if I really want to continue doing this… but the answer is always YES! So let’s start being open about the highs and the lows, let’s own our mistakes, and let’s lighten the load for everyone else on the same journey as us, afterall, we’re all in this together.






Key Takeaways:

Right products, right time, right audience

Luck is where prep meets opportunity

The good far outweighs the bad

Hard times happen

 

Quotes:

“I have run online workshops or webinars with thousands of people on them. I've also run them with a handful of people on them when I was expecting hundreds instead... not everything I do works, not everything anyone does works.”

“It's much better to lose 10k than it is to lose 100k… so if you're going to have to learn a lesson, learn at the beginning.”

“There are many, many, many times that I wake up and I think, ‘can I even be bothered anymore?’, especially, I've got to be honest with this online world. Sometimes this online world is just so toxic.[...] I've never found that in the offline world, I remember in the offline world, all the female founders used to support each other, we used to cheer each other on.”

 

 

Meet Your Host:

Hi, I’m Shaa.

I’ve been called a serial entrepreneur … but I’ve never been one for labels! I’ve done SO many things in my career, including starting and scaling multiple 7 figure businesses, and am grateful for being recognised with some lovely awards - most proudly, an MBE from The Queen “for Services to Business and Entrepreneurship”.

I’ve been featured in major publications for my efforts (named one of the UK’s Top 20 Most Influential Entrepreneurs by The Sunday Times and one of the ‘Most Influential Women in the UK" by the Institute of Directors), and have written 4 straight-talking, bestselling books; Stop Talking, Start Doing; Stop Talking, Start Doing Action Book, Do Less, Get More; and most recently, How To Fix Your Sh*t.

 

Where To Find Shaa:

Website - https://www.shaa.com/

Facebook - https://en-gb.facebook.com/shaawasmund/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shaawasmund/

Clubhouse - @Shaa

Episode 34 - The Hard Times in Business
Welcome to Building a Bigger Table
The podcast for misfits, mavericks and magic makers who want to create a profitable, sustainable business that makes as much impact as it does income.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
In This Episode:
&nbsp;
Welcome to episode 34 of the Building a Bigger Table podcast where I&rsquo;m talking about the hard times in business. This is off the back of a post I saw by the lovely Hannah Rose Cluley ... I loved it so much that it inspired me to dedicate an episode to it.
The truth is, almost all of us have more than our fair share of hard times, but not all of us share them or talk about them. And I actually think that's doing people a disservice because we're painting a warped view of the reality of our business.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve hit 10k months, 100k months, 500k months, but I&rsquo;ve also had some losses too. I&rsquo;m not just talking about finances here either, I&rsquo;m spilling details of how I ended up in court early on in my career, how I&rsquo;ve been backstabbed after making the wrong hires, and how I&rsquo;ve had high hopes for launches that were epic fails. I&rsquo;m not holding back &hellip; I&rsquo;m sharing everything with the hope that these stories will make your hard times easier to bear, and help you understand that these things happen to everyone.
Let&rsquo;s face it &hellip; in entrepreneurship, there are dark days, but there are also wonderful days. And trust me, there have been times when I have woken up in a morning and asked myself if I really want to continue doing this&hellip; but the answer is always YES! So let&rsquo;s start being open about the highs and the lows, let&rsquo;s own our mistakes, and let&rsquo;s lighten the load for everyone else on the same journey as us, afterall, we&rsquo;re all in this together.
 
Key Takeaways:
Right products, right time, right audience
Luck is where prep meets opportunity
The good far outweighs the bad
Hard times happen
&nbsp;
Quotes:
&ldquo;I have run online workshops or webinars with thousands of people on them. I've also run them with a handful of people on them when I was expecting hundreds instead... not everything I do works, not everything anyone does works.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It's much better to lose 10k than it is to lose 100k&hellip; so if you're going to have to learn a lesson, learn at the beginning.&rdquo;
&ldquo;There are many, many, many times that I wake up and I think, &lsquo;can I even be bothered anymore?&rsquo;, especially, I've got to be honest with this online world. Sometimes this online world is just so toxic.[...] I've never found that in the offline world, I remember in the offline world, all the female founders used to support each other, we used to cheer each other on.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Meet Your Host:
Hi, I&rsquo;m Shaa.
I&rsquo;ve been called a serial entrepreneur &hellip; but I&rsquo;ve never been one for labels! I&rsquo;ve done SO many things in my career, including starting and scaling multiple 7 figure businesses, and am grateful for being recognised with some lovely awards - most proudly, an MBE from The Queen &ldquo;for Services to Business and Entrepreneurship&rdquo;.
I&rsquo;ve been featured in major publications for my efforts (named one of the UK&rsquo;s Top 20 Most Influential Entrepreneurs by The Sunday Times and one of the &lsquo;Most Influential Women in the UK" by the Institute of Directors), and have written 4 straight-talking, bestselling books; Stop Talking, Start Doing; Stop Talking, Start Doing Action Book, Do Less, Get More; and most recently, How To Fix Your Sh*t.
&nbsp;
Where To Find Shaa:
Website - <a href="https://www.shaa.com/">https://www.shaa.com</a>/
Facebook - <a href="https://en-gb.facebook.com/shaawasmund/">https://en-gb.facebook.com/shaawasmund/</a>
Instagram - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shaawasmund/">https://www.instagram.com/shaawasmund/</a>
Clubhouse - @Shaa

Shaa is the original misfit, maverick and magic maker. 

Despite an Economics degree from The London School of Economics and a proud recipient of an MBE from The Queen, her real talents come from the school of hard knocks.

Growing up on a council estate, Shaa learnt early on, that the only way to level the playing field was to first believe you could. Then go all in on making it happen. 

Shaa’s first book, "Stop Talking Start Doing" became WHSmith's #1 Bestselling Business Book for 14 months in a row, breaking all industry records. 

Shaa has never been one to sit on the fence or rest on her laurels and today her sole mission is to level the playing field and create real social mobility for all.

The Sunday Times recently named her as “One of the top 20 most influential entrepreneurs in the UK”.

Shaa is the original misfit, maverick and magic maker.&nbsp; Despite an Economics degree from The London School of Economics and a proud recipient of an MBE from The Queen, her real talents come from the school of hard knocks. Growing up on a council estate, Shaa learnt early on, that the only way to level the playing field was to first believe you could. Then go all in on making it happen.&nbsp; Shaa&rsquo;s first book, "Stop Talking Start Doing" became WHSmith's #1 Bestselling Business Book for 14 months in a row, breaking all industry records.&nbsp; Shaa has never been one to sit on the fence or rest on her laurels and today her sole mission is to level the playing field and create real social mobility for all. The Sunday Times recently named her as &ldquo;One of the top 20 most influential entrepreneurs in the UK&rdquo;.

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