Liana Fricker, Founder of Inspiration Space
With over 15 years of experience in community design and grassroots marketing, Liana launched Inspiration Space in 2018. Inspiration Space is a community for Founders and ambitious ‘Companies of One.’ It is a place for new beginnings, acceleration, or scale where people solve problems quickly – without judgment using tried and tested methods.
Here is a summary of not three but four lessons Liana has learnt over her career.
You can’t be everything to everyone.
It’s unrealistic and a recipe for burnout. You must have clear boundaries and remember to follow the mantra ‘Good is Good Enough’. As an entrepreneur, you must explore your options before figuring out your niche.
You have to find a balance because you will have to try a few things before you figure out what works for you. It’s not a guaranteed thing. If you look at some large companies, what they are today is not what they were when they started.
Sometimes you just need to get your product out there, as feedback from others is crucial.
Ask for help before you need it.
Don’t get too wrapped up in your own head! It is much easier to surround yourself with people who complement your skill set and help you fill in any gaps.
When you do that early on, you learn to delegate and trust others, including yourself.
Get comfortable with asking for help before you get to the cliff edge; that’s going to help you progress and is great for your mental health. Entrupenerialship can be quite isolating, and when you have big ideas and vision, it can work against you.
Remember, you may ask for help from someone who has been there before and can offer you shortcuts to your end goal, protecting you from burnout.
It’s ok to take a break.
Especially when things are going great! Your mind can be very resilient, but your body can keep the score.
Sometimes, you really need to break away from the hustle culture and give yourself some space to go slow and be intentional. It also ties into lesson two: when you have people who can help you navigate the journey, they can step in when you need to step out.
This allows the people working with you to feel empowered and do what they do best while you recoup and rest. Learn to let go and rest to enable yourself to be the visionary within your business.
Creating space for joy.
Something we don’t discuss within a business is how the leader needs to be led. Making space for joy allows you to feel revitalised, and you will embed this into work and even your personal life.
Identify what will give you those moments of joy and embrace them.
Understanding that your energy is drained, and acknowledging that you need more fun in business and life, will help you reclaim that energy and will, in turn, energise those around you.
To learn more about Liana, Inspiration Space, or if you have any questions, check out the following platforms:
https://www.theinspirationspace.co/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lianawilsonfricker
https://www.instagram.com/theinspirationspace.co
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