What An Online Business Owner At Bianca Lager Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Online Business Industry
Bianca Lager, a successful business consultant and online educator, reflects on career lessons learned, wishing they had realized sooner that this path was "always what I should have been doing," despite initial self-doubt. Building a clientele takes time, requiring a "six to twelve month" runway and strategic digital approaches to maximize efficiency; early adoption of such strategies would have been beneficial.
Business Development, Entrepreneurship, Digital Marketing, Client Management, Self-Employment
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Bianca Lager
Business Consultant & Online Educator
Bianca Lager Inc.
University of California, Santa Barbara
Pepperdine University - MBA
History, Art History
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. It takes time to build a clientele; give yourself at least six to twelve months to establish yourself, possibly starting as a side hustle.
2. Leverage inexperience as a superpower; don't be afraid to try things and experiment, as naivety can be an asset.
3. Master the digital approach; take courses or invest in tools to streamline processes and boost efficiency, especially when working independently and selling services online.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you entered the industry?
The one thing I wish someone had told me more than anything is that this is what I should have been doing all along. I believe I could have started this 10 years ago, and it would have been a good idea.
I struggled with confidence and fear, always wondering who would listen to me or what I truly knew. It’s easy to feel that way, especially when you’re young, and older people can sometimes make you feel that way. There's some truth to it, but after running a company successfully for seven years, selling it, and going through an M&A process, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and experience. This has given me confidence in my perspective, something I lacked 10 years ago.
However, there's value in learning on the job and leveraging your inexperience as a superpower. Sometimes, naiveté makes you willing to try things you might not attempt once you know better. It's interesting; there's something to be said for throwing caution to the wind and just experimenting.
It takes time to build a clientele. I would suggest giving yourself at least six to 12 months to really understand the process. You might even want to start this as a side hustle while holding a full-time job, as you need to establish some basic things and have a financial runway before going all-in.
The last thing I wish I'd understood sooner was more about the digital approach. I had an advantage from building a company and creating automation models before. But when you're doing it alone, leveraging your time against these things, there are now hacks I understand more quickly. Taking courses or finding all-in-one tools can be a smart investment when starting your own business, especially as a consultant selling your speaking abilities online.