_Entrepreneurship
Back to basics Realising your business dreams takes hard work, dedication and an honest appraisal of your own strengths and weaknesses, as Kyra Campbell (BA Creative Writing, 2014) discovered
As an entrepreneur it’s easy to fall in love with your own ideas. You plug away, investing time, effort and money, waiting for recognition that never comes. You see what others
are doing, and envy their success. With their glossy photographs and glowing press coverage, they make it look so easy. ‘You put on a brave face and act like your
brand is bigger than it really is, in the hope that will somehow translate into reality. But the truth is you haven’t gained any followers in months, and the ideas are drying up. The idea of starting from scratch is scary, and you can’t face another rejection, so staying where you are – in limbo – feels like the only option. ‘Sound familiar? It’s actually my own story.
Having studied Creative Writing at LSBU, I dreamed of turning my passion for writing into a career. My business idea – to create an online lifestyle hub for female creatives – was my baby. For six painful months, I toiled away, unable to understand why it wasn’t working. I knew the content was good – so why wasn’t I getting results? ‘Looking back, I can see that my
expectations were unrealistic. I hadn’t realised just how congested the online lifestyle market had got, and how vital it is to create a truly distinctive identity. Lost in the fog, I found myself following the crowd, latching on to fads and trends and losing sight of my original vision.
08_South Bank | Spring 2016
KYRA’S LESSONS FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS Grab each opportunity that comes your way – it could be the best one you’ll get. Get online: listen to TED Talks, subscribe to business newsletters, read journals. You’ll be amazed what you can learn for free. Get to know the nuts and bolts. Doing my own SEO, editing and photography has made me quicker and more efficient – and I also know my business better. Be consistent. I learned the hard way that you can’t take a week off from updating your content. A good website and a strong logo will give your business a clear identity and encourage clients to take you seriously. Ask for help. The input I got from LSBU really helped me to turn my business around. And keep The Lean Start-Up and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by your bed to dip into when you can. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
‘I knew I had to make big changes, but finding the energy to start again was tough. I got the push I needed from LSBU’s Enterprise Team, who encouraged me to apply for their Rocket business accelerator scheme. The process forced me to be honest about what I wanted my business to be: far from scaling up, I wanted to go back to basics and develop something truly personal that reflected my values and experiences. ‘Since then, Style Your Lifestyle has
acquired a new section, “Thrive”, where entrepreneurs can share their stories and – I hope – be open about their failures as well as their successes. I still love writing about beauty, but now my focus is on inner beauty rather than the latest “must haves”. ‘I’m seeing results already. I’ve gained more
than 100 Instagram followers in the past six weeks, and I’m getting more comments on my blog posts. It’s so encouraging seeing this community grow, and planning for the future. I want to add new types of content, including interviews, and launch an online magazine. The solution was simple, really. I always knew what was right for me and for my brand: I just needed to realise that.’
Style Your Lifestyle is an online lifestyle hub for female entrepreneurs with a distinctive editorial voice that strives to inspire its community”
www.styleyourlifestyle.com
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