3 lessons I’ve learned in my first year as an entrepreneur

It’s been a year since I founded momkind. I threw myself into entrepreneurship not knowing much about pretty much anything. I knew that I had built resilience through many years of working on more or less chaotic projects – one of them becoming a mother – but many of my learnings I had to do by not doing it right the first couple of times.

To me, failing is important in order to learn and grow – I actually believe that the inability to recognize one's past failures is self-deception or lying. This is also why momkind as a brand is about honesty and having the courage to expose vulnerabilities and missteps in motherhood.

I’ve learned a lot over the past year. The learning curve has been extremely steep, so highlighting just three areas does not cover the list. But these are three of the most important ones.

1. Coffee meetings? YES! But not without an agenda.

Don’t waste my time. And don’t waste your own. I appreciate and I highly encourage having coffee meetings with inspiring people that you think can help you in the right direction. Yes, it includes coffee, but it’s not a chit-chat. It’s a person who offers you an hour of her time and probably also some invaluable insights.

Too many times I’ve found myself across the table from someone and thought: where is this going? And I can only blame myself – why didn’t I ask for an agenda or posed the simple and fair question: “What is your intention?”.

This might sound harsh and cold to some, but time is the most valuable asset I have. Therefore, I’ve learned to ask for an agenda. In some cases, the conversation ends there – and maybe that’s fine.

2. Ask others, but trust your gut!

“What about selling baby food?”

“I think your artwork is not the best”

“You pay way too much for that product!”

Learning to navigate other’s opinions and inputs is tough. Especially if you’re the sole founder of a young company who hasn’t really gained proper foothold yet. Then – I believe – your gut feel is your best ally.

It means inviting other’s opinions in, but at the same time being really attentive to your gut feel and your brand DNA. Some of the best money I’ve spend so far was conducting a brand workshop to really understand the inwards and outwards perceptions of my brand and hence based on what I should make the best decisions for my business.

I still struggle with this. Because I know that I’m not good at everything and because choosing to walk one path means choosing not to walk the others – and I’m the only one accountable for that choice.  

3. Surround yourself with people that are different from you

We tend we surround ourselves with likeminded people – especially when, as an entrepreneur, you have to establish your own work community. Who should I collaborate with? Who should I share my thoughts and ideas with? Who should I share an office with? Who should I hire?

When I at first tested my idea – surely, I loved those meetings where I could spend an hour brainstorming with other moms on what products should go in the momkind box. Cheers! Pat on the back. And hurray, we’ve got it all figured out!

But what really challenged me and made me aware of my blind spots and poked holes in my “perfect” strategies was talking with people who was totally different from me. A man with a thriving business in New York and no kids who said: where are your revenue streams? This model does not look sustainable to me – please explain?” And now, my 24 year old student assistant Lea who are constantly questioning my choices and makes sure that I will also be relevant to the next generation of mothers out there.

Does the above resonate with you or do you disagree? I’d love to hear your inputs or contributions to the list.