Three years ago at midnight on May 31, Pyrois Media’s website officially went live and we were in business! Looking back at those three years, owning my own business has taught me enough lessons to fill a book – but in honor of our three year anniversary, I condensed today’s blog to three things I’ve learned and three pieces of advice I’d give someone about business ownership.

For those of you who have been with Pyrois Media from the beginning – whether it be as a client or just a supporter, thank you! For those of you who have recently discovered Pyrois Media, welcome and thank you for joining us!

Three Things I’ve Learned

Keep A Schedule

When I first started Pyrois Media, I made the mistake of not having a set schedule. I told clients that I was available 24/7 and stuck to that. Within a year and a half, that wasn’t working and things had to change. It took some trial and error but I found a schedule that works well for my clients while also giving me at least a day off most weeks.

Pyrois Media is now open Wednesday through Friday and Sundays from 9am to 5pm, Saturdays from 12pm to 9pm and Tuesdays from 12pm to 5pm.

Today, my clients know that they can contact me any time and if there is an emergency I will get back to them as soon as I can. I also adjust my schedule on big sale or racing weeks on the occasion where Pyrois Media is needed outside of normal hours. But because I learned how important time off is both to my business’s success and my own mental health, I always make sure I can find some time off to make up for those days.

Always Keep Learning

I LOVE learning so soon after starting Pyrois Media I made sure that I spend at least a few months a year taking classes. I’ve taken a variety of classes over the past three years – some lead to actual services being added to Pyrois Media and some have just made me a better business owner.

My most recent addition to the Pyrois Media service roster – Website Management – actually came from a combination of these classes. I took a web design course my first year operating Pyrois Media and have also taken other classes that advanced the knowledge I’d already gained from experience for the many components I offer in that service. Technology and marketing never stops advancing so I also make sure to stay involved in paying attention to the newest releases so I can be up-to-date on everything going on.

Focus On Your Goals

The biggest mistake I made when starting Pyrois Media was not sitting down and planning out my goals. I wanted to be everything for everyone and had grand visions of working in 10 different disciplines doing everything they needed. Life was very chaotic trying to market to all these different groups and I didn’t get very far.

Six months in, I finally decided to do a honest evaluation. I wrote out my goals, my strengths, my weaknesses, and some people/farms I wanted to work with. I continue to do this every few months now that I’m three years in and many of the people/farms I have had on my list over the past few years are ones I now count as friends and clients.

Three Pieces of Advice

Write It Out

Sit down and really think about what you want and how you get there then write it down. I am admittedly am impatient so slowing down and writing out everything I had on my mind is something that I just consistently started doing last year. One of the best habits I’ve gotten into is utilizing the “Sticky Note” app on my computer. I leave it open so I remember to use it and have both personal and business-related notes reminding me of appointments and my short- and long-term goals.

Even more important for the success of my business is writing out my to-do lists on the Sticky Note app every day/week. One of the things I do on Sundays before shutting down the computer for the day is plan out the next week with those to-do lists. There are some things that I do every single work day so they’re the first things to go on the list and then I fill it out from there. Paying attention to both the small and large details of what you’re hoping to accomplish and taking time to put it down on paper (or a Word document) not only helps you in the long term but the short as well.

Know Your Niche

Figure out what you’re best at and embrace it. Everyone has something they’re best at that is just a little (or big) different than anyone else so really take advantage of using that and growing whatever it is. My personal niche comes from my love of finding interesting facts about pedigrees and sharing them, something that my clients have noted as a reason they choose Pyrois Media.

So if you have something that you enjoy and think could be useful to others, dig into it a bit more to see if there’s something there. I personally never thought that my pedigree obsession would be more than a hobby but it’s turned into one of the cornerstones Pyrois Media’s success is built on.

Embrace The Uncomfortable

Something that life as a business owner has taught me is to try new things. I may fail at whatever it is, but I’ll at least take home some useful lessons.

Stepping out of my comfort zone has led to some exciting opportunities (starting with the opening of Pyrois Media) and helped me grow as a person. While there were uncomfortable times in other jobs, when you own your own business it goes to another level. The business’s success depends on your actions and if you shy away from anything that is “hard” or out of your comfort zone, you could be costing yourself the chance to reach your goals (which goes for personal life too!) Note that this doesn’t mean you should go skydiving to win over a potential client but it does mean that if that client has an idea for a project that steps outside your normal, you should at least look into it.