Trying to start your own business and don't know where to start?

Trying to start your own business and don't know where to start? Not to worry, Jay and Jen are our go-to entrepreneurial gurus and are here to help. Together they created Hustle & Heels, a business support platform dedicated to supporting unrepresented entrepreneurs to start, grow and improve their businesses.

"We realised over 6 years ago that there was a huge need for business education and networking opportunities for those that were starting out alone and so we began curating experiences to bring passionate, like-minded women together in order for them to learn from each other, gain new business skills and build an ecosystem of support. We’ve now grown that into a platform that has supported over 16,500 people by providing business tools, resources and opportunities designed to increase their chances of success." 

We chatted with the girls a little about their WFH life and asked for their top 5 tips for someone starting their own business this year and this is what they said: 

1. Being passionate about what you do is great, but you also need the skills to build the actual business. Learn how to build a business and monetise your idea.

2. Find a network of other business leaders that you can turn to for support and guidance. 

3. Stay anchored to your “why” as that will fuel you to keep going, even when you don’t want to.

4. Make time to work on your business, as well as in your business. 

5. Remember, it’s OK to ask for help, you can’t do everything yourself.

Being agile is key for small businesses to survive. It’s so important that as business owners we continue to listen to what our clients and customers tell us in order to make sure we are meeting them at their point of need, this is how we remain agile. Listening and being connected to the needs of others is key.

 

Being in a position to be able to work from home has been a blessing!

It usually starts with us waking up in time for our Hustle & Heels 5:30am club. (This is basically a Power Hour where entrepreneurs from the network sign into a Zoom session in order to work in silence for one hour before everyone else wakes up! It helps us stay accountable to each other and spend one hour focused on working through the H&H Membership content or something else.)

After that first hour our days are filled with meetings, responding to the needs of the community and continually building the business to serve the network.

 

Jen: An early start (If you can get in your 7-8 hours the night before). The first few hours of the day you are most alert so getting the big tasks out of the way then have been a game-changer for me. Having separate rooms to sleep in and work in (if possible) also helps to make the switch between work-mode and down-time a lot easier.

 

Jay: A productive working environment with small tokens of inspiration and a seat facing the garden! Lots of coloured sticky-notes and a dressing gown with a hoodie for those late night and early morning sessions!

  

There’s nothing like a quick glance at the ‘to-do’ list to get you motoring at the start of any day. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve in one day is the best way to get started from my point of view. But for me this really starts from the night before: it’s about ending one day on a positive note and showing appreciation for all that’s been achieved, getting a good night’s rest and then starting the next day from that place of positivity.

 

Jen: I have a love/hate relationship with exercise, I really don’t enjoy it but I love the benefits of it so will alternate between 30min at home HITT Workouts or 5k runs Mon-Fri to mix things up.

 

Jay: I’ve bought a weighted hula hoop! Its so much fun! When I’m sat at my desk and begin feeling tired or my energy is low, I jump up and get my hula hoop on! Instant energy booster!

 

Jen: EVERYTHING but the kitchen sink before lockdown but now phone and a few bank cards are the mainstays!

Jay: I’ve almost always got my bank cards, phone and keys in my pockets. Those are the things that I need, everything else I can get by without.