18 years as a self-employed entrepreneur - a reason to celebrate

On 18 February 2000, a grey February day, I paid the 50 D-Mark fee to the clerk in a neon-lit office and put my signature on a piece of paper. This made it official: I was self-employed and the owner of Down to Earth. I was a newborn entrepreneur. At least a little bit. I still had to grow into the role. That was going to take a while.

Now, 18 years later, I look back on many challenges and successes and reflect. 3 x 6 aspects.

What I am proud of as an entrepreneur

There are many things that fill me with gratitude and pride. Here are my top 6:

• Down to Earth is still here. Unlike 90% of all start-ups, we have survived.
• My team and I never stand still, we are constantly learning.
• We were able to strengthen and inspire many people and help them move forward in life.
• We have found a way in which I can authentically express my convictions.
• I have worked well with some people and business partners for many years.
• We didn't copy what everyone else was doing, we found our own style.

What I find difficult as an entrepreneur

When I look back, I realise that I lost a lot of time and energy in unnecessary places. My top 6 mishaps:

• We were never super good at controlling - it would often have been good to check a process once more.
• Because I'm not really into working with technology and tools, our processes were often too time-consuming and cumbersome.
• I often shied away from marketing. I didn't want to be too vocal, so I was often too quiet - people we could have helped didn't find us.
• Too much of a good thing can be wonderful - or a burden. We have often done too much (at the same time).
• Out of consideration for others, I have often acted too late and then had to bear financial or organisational burdens.
• We were too cheap for a long time and still are in some areas. Because we have to give other retailers high discounts, sometimes over 50 %, it is often too tight.

In my English blog I learnt even more about the intensive internal processes of being an entrepreneur.

What I will do now

Standing still is not an option. I suspect that I have not yet fully realised the potential of what we have developed so far.

• Keep learning! I've signed up to a few online courses to gain the knowledge and skills I need. Among others at Marie Forleos B-Shool, but hope to win a scholarship #winBSCHOOL. I have created an English Video with a German accent, which you are welcome to watch and comment on. I look forward to your feedback.
• I want to actively seek ways for people who don't know us yet to discover what we have to offer.
• Optimise processes and use suitable tools to streamline workflows.
• I want to learn to think things through even more carefully than before.
• Less is more: I want to be more selective about which projects we invest time and energy in.
• I want to combine travelling, projects and tasks instead of jumping back and forth.

You can give me a present - a few ideas

Perhaps you have been enriched by what my team and I have done for you and you have the desire to give something back to us.
If so, we have a few ideas here:

• Feedback: Comment and tell me how Down to Earth has enriched you, and/or send good wishes and blessings.
• Memory pictures. If you have photos of events with us, please send them to us.
• Support, to finalise the solar system for the ship (2500 euros are still missing) so that we are completely environmentally friendly.
• Valuations of our titles, e.g. on our website or on the major online portals.
• Tells others from Down to Earth - this helps us to inspire more people and also to work more efficiently.
• Social media: Why don't you share something from us on social media: for example, your favourite titles, the link to Down to Earth, to the ASign up for our free fortnightly inspiration letter or to one of our great Free ebooks.

All of this would help us to become better known and to inspire and empower more people with the same work.

Now I'm celebrating and I'm excited to see what I'll be looking back on in 18 years' time!