It was 2019 and I had just registered my sole proprietorship. I had an idea, a laptop and a completely unreasonable amount of optimism. Here's what I didn't know.
One: the money doesn't come right away. I sent my first invoice on day three. It was paid on day 60. Accounting and cash flow are not the same thing. Always have a buffer.
Two: your first pricing is too low. Every new business owner prices too low. Double what you're thinking. Seriously. If nobody complains, you're still charging too little.
Three: nobody cares about your logo. Your customers care that you solve their problem. The logo can wait.
Four: the network is everything. The first three customers came from people I already knew. Tell everyone what you do. Everyone.
Five: it's okay not to know everything. You learn along the way. Everyone does. Anyone who says they had a perfect plan from day one is lying.