Entrepreneurship Struggles – Here’s How To Get Up Again.

Entrepreneurship is hard and not for the faint of heart. So why do we do it, every day, over and over again?

I have a long-time disdain for puzzles. When I was a teenager, I house sat for a wonderful older lady who used to do puzzles. The only house rule she had for me was not to touch her puzzle table. So I always thought, good grief, how can someone get so into puzzles? The same lesson can apply to why someone gets into entrepreneurship. Stay with me, I promise there is a good lesson here!

Fast forward to the wonderful COVID days of us being locked down with many hours spent at home with the four beautiful humans in my immediate family – my husband, three-year-old and six-year-old. My husband suggested he and I do a puzzle as an activity we could accomplish together. I just gave him a WTF look – like you really must be scraping the bottom of the activity barrel with that one?!

Nonetheless, I bought the 1000-piece puzzle he requested with the roll-up mat. 

The afternoon we started working on it, my kids decided to join in. Oy! I was anticipating an event of frustration, short tempers, and broken puzzle pieces. But I was met with something totally opposite. My six-year-old worked with us for over two hours, helping sort colours and using his eagle eyes to find missing pieces in a sea of colours. My three-year-old buzzed in and out sorting pieces by colours, playing in her room, and handing me pieces I needed. 

I was amazed at their patience and my own. 

The lesson I took from this experience on entrepreneurship is this –  and yes, you had to know one was coming. As an entrepreneur, my mind never shuts down. 

The lesson, my friends  – just try! Bite the bullet and do it – whatever IT is!

Swallow your fear, take the leap and do it. That is the essence of entrepreneurship. It is the moment we choose to reach deep within ourselves to find the courage and take the leap into the unknown to start a business, expand a current company, launch a new service, hire new team members or switch to a new business model. 

You never know if you don’t try. Yes, it can blow up in your face, but it could also be wonderfully amazing and a catalyst to something even more significant. You won’t know unless you TRY! Take the leap intoentrepreneurship or down a different path.

The best business owners of our time failed miserably over and over again but still got up and tried again. Need inspiration? See this article on the founders of Dyson, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so many more who failed numerous times before finding success. 

If you are uncertain, take the step to start researching. That is still a step forward. 

The key is to simply keep moving forward, even if it is tiny baby steps. 

A few things that help me along the way inentrepreneurship are: 

• Have faith.

They say worry ends when faith begins. I believe in that to my core because I have suffered from debilitating fear and anxiety throughout my life, not just inentrepreneurship. But when I let go, have faith in myself and the process of life, magic happens. This does not mean letting go of the wheel and letting everything guide me. It means acting with intention and having faith that every action I take will lead me one step close to my goal while leaving fear and doubt at the door. 

• Trust in your intuition – the voice within never lies.

My gut has never led me astray inentrepreneurship, or life for that matter. On the contrary, it has led me to this exact spot I stand and probably saved me a world of heartache and trouble along the way. The challenge is learning to listen to it. When I need to tune into it, I find a way to silence the world around me, even for a few minutes. This is not easy in my world, but your well-being needs to FIND the time. Sit in silence without distractions, quiet your mind and ask the questions you want guidance with. Remember to not listen to the fear but dig deep for your true answers. 

• Surround yourself with believers and trust in them.

Build a village of like-minded people who believe in you and your cause but can still help keep your feet on the ground and accountable. Trust your team, support system, and network to be there when you stumble. And you will struggle, but remember you have a net of love and support to catch you.

• Above all, trust in yourself.

If you don’t believe in yourself, you’ve got nada. But we know this is not the case because you are here, trying. You are taking one more step forward. Your tenacity, grit, experience, and drive have got you right where you are standing today.  It will carry you even further into the future, over many hurdles and through many valleys. Appreciate the road you have traveled so you can have faith that your journey is still going with many exciting opportunities ahead. Be your own biggest fan, and don’t let imposter syndrome creep up on you!

• If you need it, set up a plan B or parachute clause. 

We feel better knowing where our nearest exit is, despite being suspended in mid-air when we are on a plane.  If having an exit plan helps you move forward, build it in and keep it in your line of vision as you proceed on. Pull the plug or reassess if it doesn’t work by X date/dollar investment/ time investment. The trick is to know you tried, gave it your all, and are proud of that.

• Plan your overarching goal and micro-goals so they align and are SMART.

Your main goal should always be at the forefront of your mind, plastered on your office wall or on your bathroom mirror to see every morning. BUT it is the smaller goals that build-up to the bigger goal and are vital to keeping you progressing forward. These need to be mapped out to guide you on the right path and always ensure they are SMART.

I hope these tips help forge a new, bright path for you towards a horizon of opportunities. Let me know – what are your goals? How do you stay motivated? When did you start your journey? Comment below!

If you are finding yourself in need of inspiration, guidance, or marketing help, be sure to reach out!