They say the first year of entrepreneurship is the hardest. Maybe they're right, maybe they're not. My first year as a creator-preneur building a brand and business on Instagram was a ride. I am so grateful for all the opportunities, connections, and challenges too.
In today's post I'm disclosing the biggest 5 mistakes I made during my first year on Instagram as a creator-preneur, in the hope that if this is your first year or first years of entrepreneurship, you don't make them too.
Because you know what they say "It is better to learn from the mistakes of others than to wait until you make them yourself."
Top 5 mistakes I made during my first year as a creator-preneur
1. Creating too much content on Instagram
Instead of content for growing my business!
I was so excited to see my content performing so well and my growth exploding. I can't deny this was feeding my ego too and I wanted more.
I spent most of my time thinking of new content ideas, creating posts, filming reels, and doing lives, and basically, most of my content activities were spent on Instagram.
While this helped me build a strong brand, I failed to create content that would actually grow my business like new lead magnets, new offers, or any other content that was geared toward driving sales or creating partnerships.
This year I'm cutting down in half the number of posts I do on social media and dedicating that to growing my business.
2. Not dedicating more time to education, especially sales copywriting
During my first year as a creator-preneur, I was so busy trying to make things happen, grow my community, and create more content, that I neglected to invest in myself and my knowledge.
Social media is a constantly evolving landscape, and it's important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices. By not dedicating enough time to learning, I missed out on valuable information that could have helped me grow my business faster.
Especially, when it comes to copy. I feel that every person trying to run an online business should become a student of copywriting. I did not learn how to write compelling headlines, descriptions, or calls to action that could convince my audience to buy my products. This limited my ability to create effective marketing campaigns and ultimately, cost me, potential customers.
Remember that one thing is social copy, but sales copy is a whole different story.
This year I'm dedicating at least 45 min every single day to learning something new, reading books, blogs, or articles, listening to podcasts, or taking courses.
3. Creating the wrong type of content that attracted the wrong type of audience
A huge mistake here! I focused most of 2022 on creating content that was solely focused on attracting followers and likes, without considering the type of audience I was attracting.
This happened when my Trending Audio Alerts started to go viral and I started to grow a massive audience in a very short amount of time. Of course, at the time I did not know better so, I created more of this to make sure my account kept growing.
The problem was that this type of audience was coming just for the trends, the quick growth, and the quick wins, but they were not interested in purchasing my products or services. This was a big mistake as it cost me money and time.
This year I've gotten very clear on my messaging, my content, and the type of audience I want to attract. I might not be growing that fast anymore, but I want quality followers, not quantity.
4. Not investing in my business sooner
When sales were coming in and revenue was high, I should have invested in a mentor, business coach, or some sort of guidance to help me maintain momentum and keep growing.
Even though I did hire an extremely helpful VA, I needed more hands-on, business guidance and I failed to see that.
Unfortunately, I didn't do this until the end of the year when my business was already starting to struggle a bit.
This year I'm going to invest more into my business and find a mentor or business coach that has done and is where I want to get.
5. Tracking the wrong metrics and not having KPIs
I spent too much time tracking my Instagram insights, which is not a bad thing, but I neglected my business insights. I failed to set clear goals or benchmarks to measure the success of my business.
Without tracking any business metrics, I was unable to identify what was working and what wasn't. This made it difficult for me to make informed decisions and adjust my strategies accordingly.
As a result, I wasted time and resources, and MONEY on ineffective tactics and missed out on potential growth opportunities.
This took a huge toll when at the beginning of 2023 I realized my business wasn't profitable anymore and I had to let go of all the people I had hired like my VA, Video Agency, and Online Business Manager.
Now, I'm back where I started, as a solopreneur looking to grow his business on social media. Am I scared, yes a little bit? Am I excited? Always. All these mistakes have been great learnings and they've made me grow so much as an entrepreneur.
I can't wait to see what the rest of the year will entail!
If you can learn something from this post is to always prioritize growing your business over growing your audience, create content that aligns with your business goals, invest in professional help, learn how to write compelling copy, and track your business metrics regularly.
Hope this helps you avoid some of the mistakes I made in my first year as a social media entrepreneur. Best of luck on your journey.
