negin sairafi

For Business Owners and Business Starters

neginsairafi — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:24:11 +0000

I want to share with you what I’ve learnt over that past few years in hopes that maybe you can take something valuable from this and apply it to your own business. If you don’t already have a business and are thinking of starting one this is a must-read.

Truth is, there is no right or wrong way to start and run a business. Some people will spend months researching and writing up plans and consulting everyone from their family and friends to experienced professionals in their industry. But I can tell you that I know plenty of people who have started and are running successful businesses that didn’t exactly take the traditional route, including my parents and myself.

Being self-employed is one of the most rewarding things in the world; there’s no one breathing down your neck, no set working schedule and limitless opportunity for growth. That being said, for those exact same reasons there is a greater chance for failure. People have the misconception that owning your own business is glamorous; let me tell you from personal experience, there is nothing glamorous about being self-employed. I don’t want to scare you off or make you think that the perks aren’t worth the stress and uncertainty, I just want to shed some light on the facts that most people overlook because they’re too excited or wrapped up in getting something up and running.

For starters, the fact that there isn’t anyone breathing down your neck makes your job way more difficult. You have to create your own projects, set your own deadlines and keep yourself accountable. It may sound easy, but it’s not. As far as being flexible goes, in the beginning (first 3 years) you will probably be putting in more hours than you would if you had a job and you will most likely be working everyday. Sure, you can take off a weekend whenever you want but you will have to make up for the lost time. Something to keep in mind is that majority of start-ups consist of one person doing all the work; you are the secretary, accountant, marketer, VP, CEO and the one who cleans up the mess at the end of the day. Having to be everything all at once can be daunting, if you don’t divide up your time accordingly you will be overwhelmed with tasks and chaos will eventually ensue.

Let’s talk about opportunities. Well, there are plenty out there but unless you’re starting out with reasonable capital you’ve got to get creative. Marketing is not cheap and it’s not easy, remember there are plenty of other people out there trying to reach the same customer base as you and they might be offering the same product/service at a better price with more years in the business. It’s a competitive world out there for entrepreneurs, regardless of what industry you’re in. You can’t plant a seed, send an email, make a phone call and expect a plethora of clients and cash to come rolling in, it doesn’t work like that. It might be months before you see the ROI on that email/call and you can’t sit around waiting for results; you have to plant seeds continuously, water them consistently and start reaping the benefits of your hard work as it slowly but surely comes along. I want to make it very clear that there is no magic button or formula for success, slow and steady wins the race and believe me when I say sometimes it’s very, very slow.

If you’re lucky and have put your eggs in the right baskets most of your clients and business partnerships will be great. But sometimes you will have to deal with a client that will make you wish you had never taken the leap of faith to start your own business. People can be demanding, rude and completely irrational but those instances should and will be rare. There will be months when you are busy, making a lot of money and don’t have a worry in the world; and then there will be other months where the phone doesn’t ring, the emails aren’t coming through and any clients you do have seem to be disappointing you in one way or another; this is where persistence and resilience are detrimental to your staying afloat. When the wave comes in you’ve got to be ready and strong and ride it until you come to shore (and then do it all over again); but when the water is calm and there doesn’t seem to be a hope (or client) in sight you have to stay positive, keep working and create new opportunities. Please note that I used the word ‘create’ rather than ‘find’.

When I started my business I didn’t have anyone telling me the harsh realities, I had to find that out on my own and I was usually completely unprepared for the lesson. What I have learnt though is invaluable, they don’t teach you this stuff in school. They teach you marketing and finance and many other fancy things but they don’t teach you how to pick up your emotions when they’ve been crushed and they don’t teach you to have faith when you can’t see anything clearly for miles ahead; these things you have to learn on your own. And the learning never ends, the stress and pressure isn’t alleviated, you just get better at dealing with it.

Starting something from nothing is not simple. There will be many moments of fear, doubt and unmet expectations; you will experience extreme joy, bitter defeat and everything in between. Anything worth having is worth working hard for, any path to success is going to meet with obstacles and adversity, but I’d only be telling you half the truth if I didn’t say that owning your own business is a very rewarding and exciting career path; there’s nothing like waking up in the morning and knowing that you’re going to spend the rest of your day working on something that started out as an idea and manifested itself into a company that is yours and on its way to immeasurable success.

Black Sheep

neginsairafi — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:50:39 +0000

We live in a society where our voices can be heard by the masses. Where our ideas can be manifested and thrive on ambition, determination and hard work. In this world inequality can be conquered, handicaps can be overcome and careers can shift from art to science over night. This is our gift and our curse. We have been given the rare opportunity to choose multiple paths yet end up at the same destination. That destination is success; how you choose to define the word is of no concern to me, but whatever your definition, there are many doors waiting to be opened by you.

Yet many of these doors remain untouched. It seems as though the more options we are given, the more paralyzed we become. And time continues to tick, not having a care in the world. So we wait, and ponder and think and plan and draw mind maps and hold meetings and confide in family and close friends until one our very ideas are plastered on a massive billboard; a sinking feeling follows and the only words one can formulate are, “I thought of that.”

“That was my idea. If only I had…” If only you had let go of your conformist hold on how one should execute an idea. If only you had broken a few rules. If only you had taken a few risks and ignored a few people and sprung into action. If only.

And therein lies the problem; that we are taught to be afraid. We are forced to believe that there is a wrong and a right way to do everything, some sort of chronological order or a formula. Great results come from brilliant people who choose to stray from the conventional path. People who don’t always listen. People who refuse to wait, to accommodate and cooperate. People who choose not to conform.

I have found on my journey thus far that everyone who’s anyone will have something to say about what you should do and how you should do it. None of them are necessarily wrong, or right. But they are influential, or at least they try to be. Allow the influence of those around you to motivate you to do what YOU believe is right. Anyone who’s aim is to help you will only guide you by sharing their unique experiences and wisdom so that perhaps you can avoid some of the obstacles they have faced and make fewer mistakes. But those who consciously (or subconsciously) try to deter you from following what you believe is the right path and tell you what you should be doing instead, don’t have much experience with nonconformity. Anyone who’s done something extraordinary with his or her life will tell you to follow your gut, after all, most of the individuals that have shaped our world and changed the way we think and live have at some point in their lives been called crazy.

In my opinion, being called crazy for having ‘unrealistic’ ideas and goals is a compliment. In a world where possibilities are endless, you’d be fool to listen to those who continuously limit their own potential.

Gone too soon

neginsairafi — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:13:20 +0000

Watching “This is It” last night was an almost surreal experience. I went in not knowing what to expect and left feeling incredibly inspired, but terribly sad. I’m trying to find the perfect words to describe Michael, but every time I come up with a list of adjectives, I feel that I’ve fallen short. I know people have mixed feelings about him (and I don’t particularly care), but no one can deny his brilliance, not even the skeptics. The media portrayed Michael as a shy, weak and crazy man time and time again, but in this documentary I saw a side of Michael that put the media to shame.
When you see Michael in this documentary, you don’t see the black man that turned white, you don’t see the ‘weirdo’ or the plastic surgery. You see Michael, a powerful and compassionate genius. Michael was a perfectionist; he knew what he wanted and how he wanted it done to the most microscopic detail. It is amazing to watch him manifest his vision until it is simply flawless. And while I watched I realized that this is why he is brilliant, because he puts an immeasurable amount of emotional, mental and physical effort into his work. Michael never settled for good enough, he wanted his work to be perfect and everyone around him respected and loved him for that. His presence was larger than life; you could feel it even while watching him on screen. He was a star…there really is no other way to describe him.

Chasing Success – What I’ve learned so far

neginsairafi — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:38:41 +0000

Focus
Narrowing your focus and concentrating your energies on one thing is the most important first step to take when chasing success. There are only so many hours in a day, so no matter how much of an over achiever you may be, you will eventually run out of fuel. Have a committed relationship with your career; try not to stray, stay faithful and loyal and the results will astound you.

Get comfortable with getting uncomfortable
Put yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable. Don’t hesitate to contact anyone, regardless of their position or how little you may know them. You will only succeed when you step out of your comfort zone and take risks. Sometimes they work, other times they won’t, but they are essential for growth.

Persist
Sometimes there will be objections and rejections and failures and a lot of other horrible things that make you feel as though you’ve hit rock bottom. Sometimes you will hit rock bottom. “Brick walls are there for a reason, they make you prove how badly you want something”. Don’t give in, don’t give up, don’t be a slave to circumstance. In the beginning there will be more downs than ups, but keep going and the tables will soon turn.

Ask questions
When you hit a wall, ask yourself, “what can I learn from this? What is this experience trying to teach me?” The answer will come, eventually, and it will enlighten you and teach you the kind of wisdom you could only learn from making mistakes. Every situation, whether good or bad, can teach us something about our work and ourselves.

Make it work
You can complain, but only if immediately afterwards you find a solution. Take an unproductive situation and make it productive, don’t let anything or anyone paralyze you to indecisiveness. Complaining about a situation rather than doing something to change it is like being hungry and not eating…the solution is simple if you focus on creating one.

Confidence and Pride
This is a tricky one. Have enough confidence in yourself and what you do in order to push forward, without letting your pride get in the way. Don’t sell yourself short but be flexible and open-minded. Make a list of 5 things you refuse to compromise on, and allow modifications and exceptions for everything else.

Dream and Believe
There’s nothing wrong with having your head in the clouds once in a while to dream about the life you want to lead. In fact, I encourage visualizing the kind of life you want to have and where you want to go with your career because it will excite you into action. Believe in your dreams and the life you imagine for yourself, no matter how unrealistic it may seem. “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.”

Now it’s time to get back to work!

Possibility

neginsairafi — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:40:33 +0000

Possibility. Essentially the ability to do to be to foresee. To rearrange the current circumstances into something more favorable. The desire and drive to inspire to make a difference to act. To become the individual you envision. Believing in the realization of imagination. Grabbing moments and opportunities with a relentlessness that even surprises you. Entering a belief system that is unbreakable, despite the odds. Becoming strangely comfortable with nonconformity. Possibility. Changing your perspective to align your dreams with your life. The need and want of something more bigger better greater. The slow crawl walk run leap to success and achievement.

I lay in bed last night thinking of how much my life has changed in that past few months and began to wonder how it all came to be, how such drastic alteration was implemented with seamless execution. The answer is so simple it is almost unbelievable. A shift in perspective and believing that all things no matter how tangible or unattainable are absolutely and completely possible. I used to say this some time ago when I regiliously read ‘self-help’ books in an attempt to figure out what to do with my life and how to change my circumstances. But today, as I write this, I can truly say that I’m living proof that anything is possible, life can turn from black to white in a matter of months weeks days moments. It’s so incredibly difficult to stress this point without over dramatizing it, but this is really the only way I can explain it.

Take it from me…

Whatever you dream of, even those things you think are impossible, put in the efforts (both mentally and physically) in order to make it happen. Soon you will realize there is nothing out of your reach, nothing physical, mental or emotional that you can’t attain. Everything you imagine can be realized with genuine belief, unmatched effort and endearing persistence. Want what you want badly enough that the option of not having it simply does not exist.

Finding Happiness vs. Creating Happiness

neginsairafi — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:25:01 +0000

We can blame this on language, the misconception that is, making us believe that happiness is something to be found rather than created. Does the idea sound foreign? It’s not; it’s merely practical and highly attainable. You see for years now pop culture, media and people you hang around with have been referring to happiness as something that one must seek out and find…like the perfect pair of shoes, If only it were that easy.

Recently, on my ‘quest’ to find happiness I came to the shocking realization that if one goes out on a search to find happiness, one will find it. Yes, when you go looking for joy with open arms it will come to you willingly. So where then lies the issue? The issue hides in the undeniable fact that when you find happiness, you can lose it. When you find the ‘perfect’ relationship, the amazing job, empowerment and a new outlook on life, these are wonderful yet temporary feelings and circumstances, comparable to ‘band-aid solutions’.

How then, does one create happiness? By learning to manipulate your feelings and thoughts, even when they are attempting to get the best of you. It’s easy to be happy when life is great and everything is going according to plan and working in your favor. It is, however, a great deal of work to create happiness when there are significant voids in your life. Happiness begins internally and ends externally. Once you understand that your happiness is not dependent on anything or anyone, but on you and you alone, you are on your way to creating constant purpose, meaning, and joy in your life, which will bring you permanent happiness. Think of it as a long-term commitment to your mental, emotional and physical well-being, and here, I’ve made you a small to-do list…

8 Steps to Creating Happiness (I could elaborate but it’s pretty straight forward)

1)   Eliminate worry
2)   Stop blaming
3)   Take action
4)   Think positive
5)   Feel good
6)   Surround yourself with likeminded people
7)   Eat well and be active
8)   Let go of the past

On Making Decisions

neginsairafi — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:27:32 +0000

Making decisions is important, just as, if not more important than having brilliant ideas. During one of those ‘I don’t know what to do with my life’ conversations with a close friend some time ago, he boldly stated, “making any decision, even the wrong one, is better than making no decision at all.”

And what does that really mean? It means that when you choose to make a decision, whether small or big, significant or insignificant, you are no longer floating in mid-air; you are (maybe slowly) but surely heading in a direction. Direction is what can give you purpose and meaning, it can open up doors, grasp opportunities, inspire and influence.

When you are stuck in the mindset of indecision, everything becomes complicated, even choosing a domain name or a color for your logo can become an obstacle. But by making these small decisions you are actually projecting yourself forward and moving along on your journey. Believe me when I say not being able to choose between A or B can be incredibly frustrating and stressful, two things no one should have to consistently deal with, especially those of us who are trying to start our own business ventures.

Being indecisive has caused many a problem in my life, both in my personal life and my career. But being indecisive is just another bad habit, nothing that can’t be improved or overcome.

So I made the decision to start making decisions! Sometimes I make good ones, sometimes I make ones I wish I hadn’t made (this happens a lot), but I finally feel like I’m in control of my life. I encourage you to start looking at all the options set before you and make decisions that could alter your life and inspire others to follow in your steps.

-ns