Showing up to this curriculum already makes you an entrepreneur! You have to start somewhere. You will make mistakes while you are doing your best. That is all part of the process.

Entrepreneurship comes with learning curves and failures because it takes time to find a rhythm. Sometimes, when you find what works for you and your business, things around you will change. When things shift and change, this is our cue to take a breath and reassess.

This practice of pausing and reevaluating before taking action is how we strengthen a growth mindset, which involves being open to feedback and failure as a part of the learning process. How human of you!

Every time you fail is an opportunity to learn. Since we already know that failure is a part of the job, we can use this as a strategy by making small moves.

Small moves or baby steps lower the risk of big setbacks. So, rather than taking out a $2,000 loan for a product launch, start with a “limited-edition product” a small batch, just to see how they sell. If it is a success, then you can see if the loan is worth it. If it flops, then you only lose a little bit of money, and you can likely get that back.

Let’s say a product you launched didn’t sell as much as you expected. This is feedback that something about the product didn’t land well with the people you are trying to serve with this product. Now that you have this feedback, here are some ideas to evaluate the product and how we sell it:

• Change the product to better fit what people want.
• Get creative with how you share about the product with potential buyers, like social media vs flyers or posters.
• Put the product on sale or discount.
• Create samples of your product for people to try before committing to purchase.

By starting small, we make fewer big mistakes and create a strong foundation to achieve our dream jobs.

Understanding your skill set. Know that there is abundance when we share our skill sets with others and scarcity when we don’t.

Understanding your skills will create confidence in what kind of entrepreneur you are and show you what skills you might want to learn or need to learn to grow your business. Knowing your skills will also show what your role you can and could play in your community. Maybe you are a tea maker, a gardener, or a fantastic hot chocolate maker. Everyone has skills to share. With a diversity of skills represented and celebrated in our communities, we create an abundance that leads to thriving.

Let’s get started: Skill sets!

1. Write down or draw at least five skills you have. This doesn’t mean that everyone thinks you’re the best at these things. It means you feel good about these skills for yourself. Which of these skills are you most proud of?
2. What skills would you like to learn? Do they connect to your existing skills?
3. With the skills that you want to learn, do you know anyone who has those skills? Could they be a mentor or teacher to you? Could they be a teammate in your business?