8 Surprising Lessons from My First 8 Months as a Full-Time Entrepreneur

Back in January, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life: I left behind a career I enjoyed in Product Management and went all-in on Joiful Yoga, this little studio I had owned for a little over two years.

I loved my corporate career. But after too many months of overworking and the toll it was taking on my health, I knew I had to make a change. You can read about that journey and decision here.

Now, eight months later, I look back and feel like I’ve been on a road trip—sometimes cruising, sometimes hitting traffic, sometimes missing an exit, but always moving forward. And wow, have I learned a lot along the way.

Here are 8 lessons from 8 months on this entrepreneurial journey:

Your corporate habits don’t magically disappear.

When I quit, I thought I’d finally have all the time and focus in the world. Instead, I realized I had carried a lot of my old habits right into this new venture.

I used to say, “If I had more time, I’d do XX…” Well, suddenly I did have more time—and I was still procrastinating and avoiding certain tasks.

That was a tough pill to swallow. I had to face the truth: it wasn’t just the job keeping me from showing up the way I wanted, it was me. The lesson? You carry your energy with you wherever you go. If you want to shift your results, you have to shift your inner patterns first.

“Bad news doesn’t get better with time.”

This was something my old boss at Oracle used to say. At the studio, I’ve seen how true it is.

Whether it’s a clogged sink, a member cancellation, or a difficult conversation with an instructor, ignoring it doesn’t make it disappear. It’s like seeing the “Check Engine” light on your dash and hoping it’ll turn itself off if you just keep driving. Spoiler: it doesn’t.

Now, I try to address challenges as soon as they appear. What you resist, persists. When I clear the challenges quickly, I keep my energy free to keep moving forward on the bigger things.

Pay yourself like you mean it.

For a while, I wasn’t paying myself for running the studio. I told myself there “wasn’t enough.”

I was venting to my mentor that it seemed like we were always barely scraping by. She gave me a surprising challenge: “Give yourself a raise. Decide what’s fair, and start paying yourself. Immediately.”

It sounded ridiculous. How could I pay myself more when we were scraping by?! But I picked a number and started paying myself that each month. Some months I had to stretch my faith and wait a few days before transferring the money, but the money always came.

And here’s the wild part: as my faith grew, so did my income. Energetically, it was a lesson in abundance: by not paying myself, I was unconsciously telling the Universe that it was ok to work for free. When I decided that was no longer the experience I wanted to have, the Universe rose to meet me and gave me what I asked for. In my heart, I knew the Universe was abundant and unlimited, but I wasn’t acting that way.

Create space for growth.

For months, our membership numbers plateaued. Then it hit me: I was only planning for the size of the studio we already had. If we needed 30 new blocks, I’d replace 30. If I thought we had enough classes for now, I’d keep the schedule the same. My energy was saying, “We’re staying the same.”

One day, I asked myself: If I believed growth was coming, what would I be doing differently?

So I bought 60 blocks instead of 30. I added new classes. I finally scheduled that retreat I’d put on the back burner. And wouldn’t you know, it was like cleaning out the trunk so I could finally pack for the trip I wanted to take. Once the space was open, growth started filling it.

Throw every “should” out the window.

“I should post about this.” “I should reach out to that person.” “I should send a newsletter.”

Sound familiar? I realized “should” was code for obligation, not inspiration. And when I forced myself to do things I didn’t really want to, the results always fell flat.

Now, I focus on what excites me and try to delegate the rest. Your energy always precedes you. People feel it before they ever see your work. 

Hire a VA (or two).

Speaking of delegating, one of the best shifts I made was outsourcing. Answering emails at 10pm, formatting spreadsheets, or tinkering with the website wasn’t the best use of my time. (Ok, maybe I still do this occasionally).

There’s a common entrepreneur exercise where you calculate how much you want to make a year, figure out what the hourly rate is, and then you delegate everything less than that rate. Maybe you are a $200 guy or gal, but you find yourself spending all your time on low level tasks. 

When I let go of the $10/hour tasks, I freed myself to focus on the things only I can do—connecting with people, creating programs, setting vision, etc. And bonus? You create a living or a little extra income for someone who needs or wants it. Whether that is a professional, like the wonderful VA that does my admin tasks, or my 20 year old son who will wash the mirrors in the studio for $40. Win, win.

Revisit your mission, vision, and strategy.

A couple of months in, I realized I hadn’t looked at my vision or strategy since the day I opened the studio almost two years prior. Bad former Product Manager! Don’t tell my old bosses. 🤫

No wonder I felt like I was spinning my wheels!

When I finally sat down to review it, the vision was still the same—just clearer. But the strategy needed an overhaul.

Running a business without revisiting your vision is like getting in the car with no map and just driving. You’ll stay busy, you’ll burn a lot of gas, you might even see some cool sights—but you probably won’t end up where you wanted to go.

Learn from the pros.

There’s no prize for doing everything the hard way. Plenty of people have already taken this road trip, why not ask them where the potholes are?

I’ve leaned on coaches, books, mentors, podcasts, and former studio owners, and every single time I walk away with insights that save me time and energy.

If you are not where you want to be yet? There is room for growth. The student who keeps learning will always keep growing.

Closing

Eight months ago, I thought entrepreneurship was about running a yoga studio. Now I know it’s also about running myself—my energy, my mindset, my habits, and my vision.

If you’re thinking about making a leap, or if you’re already on the road, maybe these lessons will give you a few shortcuts (and save you from a few wrong turns).

And if you’re local:

🚗 In Atlanta area and looking for a yoga studio? Come take a class with us at Joiful Yoga. Simply add a Drop In to your cart, and it will auto deduct to $0 for your first class. 🗺 Curious about building a mindful business? Let’s connect on LinkedIn.  

🚦 Hosting a networking group or event? I’d love to share these lessons (and stories) as a speaker. Available in person or remotely, and available to customize the presentation to a wellness topic that fits the need of your business or group. Contact me here.

Libby P., Atlanta Women’s Foundation Spoke to ~30 women on The Balanced Leader: Bringing Your Best Self to Every Role in Your Life

Dr. Melody Kelley, North Fulton DeKalb Small Business Spoke to ~25 small business owners on Developing and Executing a Vision for Your Business

Here’s to the next stretch of the journey. I can’t wait to see where the road leads. 🚖