What running taught me about self-employment

Two years ago, I started running. Aside from the obvious health benefits, it’s now something I genuinely enjoy doing.

This weekend, I went for a run with Sean Spooner. It was my longest run yet at 26km. Coincidentally, almost a year to the day, we ran together and completed what was then my longest run at 15km. By the end of that run, my pace was nonexistent.. I was hobbling along just to reach the finish. However, this weekend, we both celebrated our progress, reflecting on how far we’d come since that time.

Looking back on my progress as a runner, I see many parallels with starting out as a self-employed agent - or any business, for that matter. 

You can break it down into three phases:

Phase One: Surviving

The first time I went for a run, I was excited. I bought myself new running shoes and read up on training plans. However, the excitement quickly wore off. A few minutes in, it became a battle of survival. Quite literally. My heart rate shot up, I struggled to catch my breath, and I had to stop constantly. I realised how unprepared and unfit I actually was.

In the early stages of a business, you’re in a similar state of survival. You start full of excitement and optimism, but then reality hits. Cash flow is more challenging than you anticipated, finances are hand-to-mouth, and you don’t know where the next lead is coming from.

Like those who find running too difficult and give up, some give up on their dreams of self-employment.

However, if you can push through week after week, you start to see light at the end of the tunnel. 

In running, you notice you’ve gone a little further than before. In business, you start to see your prospecting pay off, or your brand begins to be recognised, and you’re invited to a valuation for the first time.

At this point, you start to build trust in your ability - whether as a runner or a business owner. You realise you’re making progress, and as the weeks go by, you start to believe you could be successful, and that you’re on the right track. 

Phase Two: Enjoyment

As a runner, the enjoyment phase begins when you’ve built an aerobic base that allows you to keep your breathing and heart rate steady. 

Once you’ve got control of those two factors, running becomes infinitely more enjoyable. 

You can appreciate being outdoors or running with others while chatting.

In business, the enjoyment phase is a mix of seeing financial rewards, having an established pipeline of properties for sale or sold STC, and building trust in your brand and reputation. You reach a point where new clients come to you, not just because you’re prospecting, but because of your reputation. 

The aerobic base in running, is your financial foundation in business. 

In this phase, while it’s important not to become complacent, you should take note of your progress. Be proud of where you’ve got to. 

Phase Three: Being ambitious

By the third phase in running, you’ve overcome the initial difficulties, built your aerobic base, and now enjoy the process. Now, you start thinking about goals that once seemed unattainable. Such as running a marathon, racing, or tackling obstacle courses. For me, these challenges that now feel within reach, though were unimaginable a couple of years ago.

In business, the same is true. Once, you focused on just finding your first few clients and paying your bills. Now, you’ve built a reputation to be proud of. Your business affords you a lifestyle and way of working that you once dreamed of.

And just as in running, you begin to consider ambitious goals. They could be anything, such as doubling the number of homes you’re selling, consistently charging 1.5-2% fees, or building a team around you.

Whatever the goal, by this stage, you’ve proven that all it takes is consistency and patience and you’re confident you’ll get there, even though, in your survival phase, it may have seemed inconceivable. 

Remember: Doing Anything Out of the Ordinary Is Hard

In my experience, going from not running to completing your first 5k, or from being comfortable in a PAYE job to going self-employed and achieving your first few sales, are often the biggest mental hurdles to overcome.

You approach every other battle in business or on your long runs, with the confidence that you can overcome them. 

But there’s nothing scarier, more daunting or that requires more discipline than getting started in the first place. 

What comes next?

You can only see the final stage as a realistic destination after moving through the preceding phases. As I mentioned, I had no idea I could run a marathon when I was struggling to catch my breath. Now, I can see it as an achievable goal.

What’s exciting is that after breaking through each stage, you see new challenges that weren’t even on your radar before.

In business, the same is true. You’ll discover possibilities that at the moment, may not have even crossed your mind. 

I find that is something that makes this journey so exciting. 

Stick to the basics, be consistent, trust yourself and have belief in yourself, and you won’t know where you can end up. 

However, it’s equally important to remember that you may find satisfaction in the stages you’ve already reached.

Clearly, not everyone wants to be an ultra-marathon runner.

The same is true in business. Not everyone wants to build a business empire. 

You might just want to reach phase two, feel comfortable with what you’ve accomplished, make it seem effortless, and really enjoy the process and the balance it gives you.

It’s up to you to define what success means.