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LIFE AND BUSINESS LESSONS

by | Jul 16, 2024 | Business | 0 comments

50 things I’ve learned from 50 years on earth

I’m turning 50 later this month, so I figured it was a good time to share some of the life and business lessons I’ve learned during my half a century on this planet.

Being one of those people that loves birthdays, I’m celebrating with a month of festivities, starting early next week when my sister and her family arrive. Then there’s a dinner on my actual birthday, a party for about 50 friends and lunch with my Barossa and Adelaide business lady friends.

Then I’m off to Sydney. It’s part fun (seeing Hamilton and hanging out with family and friends) and part business. Elise Doyle and I are running the Sales Page Rescue Workshop on Friday 2 August.

After that, I’m off to the Gold Coast for Kate Toon’s Six Figure Sleepover (which I’ll share next month).

But the fun doesn’t stop there because the following week, I’m off to my first Romance Writers of Australia conference.

A massive decade of change

Before I share my life and business lessons of the last 50 years (or at least the 45 I can remember), I wanted to reflect on the last 10 years.

I can hardly believe that a full decade has passed since we left Hanoi, left my diplomatic career and we moved to the Barossa.

Life looked different as a diplomat in Hanoi.

So much has happened since.

I ran my trade consultancy for 2 years, worked for a winemaker for 3.5 years and have been running my copywriting business full time for over 5 years.

My boys started and finished primary school, and are now both in high school.

Thanks to them, we’ve made amazing friends through school, hockey and basketball.

Simon was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in the cartilage of his arm, had surgery and has been clear for over 8 years. We will always be grateful that we ended up in the same state as the wonderful Dr Luke Johnson.

My mum moved to the Barossa, which has been fantastic for us. I don’t think I could do what I do without her help. And she’s a superb role model for continuing to make the most of life, still enjoying a busy social life in her 80s.

We bought and renovated our beautiful home, and while I wonder if we’ll ever get the shelves and pictures and curtains up, I love the space we’ve created.

We’ve immersed ourselves in the Barossa, thanks to amazing friends and great sporting clubs. It has also been a fantastic opportunity to be a member of the Foundation Barossa board and the Vintage Festival Parade committee.

Business lessons – I’ve learned a few

But enough about my last 10 years, I promised 50 life and business lessons. So here goes, in no particular order.

1. You don’t need a plan to make a career change. But if you don’t, having a parachute (in my case a redundancy) helps.

2. Moving to a place where you know only 2 people is hard at first. You have to make the most of the opportunities and invitations.

3. Friends really are for a reason, season or lifetime, and that’s OK.

4. Being the mum of teenage boys (when you didn’t grow up with brothers) is both entertaining and frightening.

5. Menopause, teenage hormones and running a business is a challenging combination.

6. Getting older is a privilege.

7. The people you think are your business competitors will probably turn out to be your best friends and biggest cheerleaders.

8. Getting to the point where you no longer care what people who don’t know you (or don’t care about you) think about you (or your business), is liberating.

9. Being prepared to laugh at yourself is essential.

10. Open and honest conversations about mental health, therapy and medication need to happen more.

11. You will lose people you care about way too soon and regret the times you didn’t get to spend together.

12. Good friends will appear from the strangest places.

13. Business success doesn’t happen overnight – those that make it are those that are prepared to stick with it through tough times (COVID, cost-of-living crisis etc etc).

14. When you’re a solo business owner, you need to get comfortable blowing your own trumpet by sharing wins, entering awards and basically being your own marketing manager.

Business lesson - blow your own trumpet

15. Marketing your business never stops. You need to market when you’re busy and when you’re quiet.  

16. Getting comfortable with money, pricing and your finances is crucial to success.

17. Surround yourself with experts and trusted advisors, but not at the expense of trusting your gut and learning enough to make your own decisions.

18. Not every client or customer can afford you (now). Their budget is not your problem.

19. If you don’t value what you do, no one else will.

20. In the same vein, if you’re not confident about what you’re offering, your clients will smell it a mile away.

21. You don’t need to have everything figured out. Just start. Imperfect action is better than no action. Test and change. And stop using training as an excuse to delay starting.

22. Don’t take yourself too seriously in life or in business.

23. It’s never too late to make a change or try something new.

24. Wear what you like when you like. Stop worrying about what you look like and get comfortable in your own skin.

25. Don’t waste money on things you don’t need – in life or in business.

26 Get involved in your community by volunteering. Giving back not only feels good, but you’ll learn new skills, build connections and make friends.

27. Don’t be afraid to let your kids see you working, especially if you work from home.

28. Make the most of the opportunities to talk about your business, and network with people that can support and enrich your business – or even become clients.

Business lesson - make the most of opportunities to share. Image of my  sales page workshop for DMC.

29. Respect your own boundaries or others won’t.

30. Remember, you are enough.

31. Your mental and physical health is essential for the long-term success of your business.

32. Never stop learning.

33. You don’t always have to say yes. If it’s not right for you or not the right time, you can say no.

34. If you get too high on the highs, you’ll crash on the lows. Learn to ride the roller coaster of life and business and take the ups and downs of life and business equally.

35. You haven’t come this far, to only come this far.

My favourite quote and business lesson - I haven't come this far to only come this far.

36. Friends don’t expect friends to work for free.

37. You don’t have to do it all at once.

38. It’s true what they say – be yourself – everyone else is taken.

39. Business isn’t about the end point, but the journey. When you get to the end, it’s probably time to quit.

40. New level, new devil.

41. Don’t compare your ‘baby’ business/career/hobby to someone who is in their ‘teenage’ years.

42. You won’t always love your business and that’s ok. Focus on why you do what you do and your values.

43. Seize opportunities for new experiences, challenges, and adventures.

44. Nurture old connections and make new ones.

45. Don’t let past failures stand in the way of success. Business and life aren’t always rainbows and lollipops.

46. All experience is good experience, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time. And when it comes to experience, don’t discount your own unique experience and the value it provides to people.

47. Don’t be afraid to take a break. Rest and recharge when you can – and before you’re forced to.

48. Wherever you are, be all there. Throw yourself into things even if you’re not sure what the outcome might be.

49. If you wait until all your ducks are lined up, they’ll all be dead. Just grab one duck and start.

50. Don’t forget to smile and laugh and always be kind and curious.

Here’s to the next 50 years of life and lessons

While I don’t really fancy living forever, I have a lot of living left to do.

My business is really only just taking off and I’ve got plans to write at least 2 or 3 novels.

There is travel to be done and adventures to be had, and many more good meals and wines to enjoy with Simon and those closest to us.

And now that I’m officially shorter than my boys, I can’t wait to see what they do in the coming years. It’s crazy to think that 10 years ago they weren’t in school and 10 years from now they’ll probably be finished study all together and making their way in the world. Hopefully, they find the life and business lessons I shared above useful too.

Thanks for being a part of the adventure so far

And in closing, thank you for being part of the last 50 years. Building a business wasn’t something I was planning when I made my career change 10 years ago. But I am grateful I did. And I’m grateful to you for your support, whether it’s as a client, friend or reader.

I hope you can take something from these life and business lessons, and if you know someone else that would enjoy them, I’d love you to share this post.


P.S: Next month, I’ll be sharing my review of Kate Toon’s Six Figure Sleepover. Make sure you come back and check it out.

Hi, I’m Angela Pickett, an approachable copywriter with stellar communication and organisational skills. 

I’ll help you transform your ideas into logical arguments and engaging copy, creating straight-talking sales pages and winning websites.

I acknowledge the Ngadjuri, Peramangk and Kaurna people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I live and work. I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. I pay my respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

I work with people from all backgrounds, beliefs and experiences. I believe everyone should have the freedom to be themselves and be valued for their differences. It’s what makes our world go around.