Woooooow we can hardly believe it has been a year since we launched our skin series products in Johannesburg and introduced Thoclor Labs to the world.
As much as we would love to say that this first year of our business has been a breeze, or a piece of cake, we all know that life doesn’t work that way. Running your own business, and taking risks, is a terrifying but ultimately rewarding experience.
We have learnt a few things along the way and thought we would share these with you, in no particular order. Who knows, perhaps these nuggets will resonate with you.
- People are not as open to new ideas as you would like them to be – no matter how great you know your product or idea is, not everyone is going to agree with you.
- There is always more red tape, and hoops to jump through than you could ever imagine. Stay organized.
- The old adage that “when one door closes another door opens” is true, just keep going.
- EVERYONE has their own agenda. If those agendas don’t mesh with what you believe or are trying to do - part company, accept it and move on.
- Support and encouragement will come from the most unexpected places. Never stop working towards your dreams.
- The excitement of receiving unprompted feedback, results and success stories from people you have never met makes it all worthwhile.
- The upset of each setback and disappointment is outweighed by every step forward and every win.
- Your best marketers ARE your customers – yup, word of mouth works!
- The reinforcement of each and every repeat order reminds you that you are doing something right, and people like it.
- It’s important to be in business for more than just making money - at Thoclor we decided to stand for “restoring dignity” to both people, animals and the planet. Seeing that manifest in our clients’ results and via the causes we support makes us happy.
- Unsolicited requests for info from all parts of the world will remind you of the connectedness of all of us on this spinning globe. This reminds us not to think too small and not to burn too many bridges.
- Learning when to say NO is an important and powerful lesson. Always trust your gut.
- People’s actions speak louder than words.
- Knowing the strengths of each of your team members (and their weaknesses) is vital. Letting each person concentrate on what they are good at makes the whole stronger. It’s cheesy but there really is no “I” in TEAM.
- Remember to Plan -> Execute -> Review and Adjust continuously.
Most importantly of all, we would like to extend a very big THANK YOU to all of you for being part of our first year. To those that supported and assisted us, those who embraced our products and what they can do, those who suspended disbelief as well as those challenged us (making us stronger) and all of you who were to learn something new – we could not have done it without you.
Charles Colton once said that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” and that rings true for us as we seem to have attracted a few pretenders along the way. It’s been a great year overall and we can’t wait for the next! Strap in for an exciting ride!!!