The Journey of Entrepreneurship

Things I’ve learned about Entrepreneurship.

It’s been said that entrepreneurship is a “get rich slow” exercise. Some days it feels more like a slow crawl. Instead of having instant success, you find yourself needing to spend more and more money and time to get your business out there, hoping that one day, you’ll be running yourself a mighty empire.

Remember, always find the upside. There will ALWAYS be rough times, sometimes more than good times. But have conviction in your purpose as a company or a person and do not be afraid to pivot your ideas to achieve your goals. Successful people always find an upside in a bad situation.

Rejection is inevitable in the world of business. People will challenge you, question your ideas, dismiss you and you should embrace that. It is necessary in helping you forge your ideas, and figure out: is this something you truly want. Is your WHY worth it?

Turn every negativity into a potential positive.

Where others might see challenge, you see opportunity. Rise to the challenge. Rebel. Make it a point to prove people wrong. Conquer your king. Dealing with rejection means facing it head on, proving it’s not true, and then on to the next one. Fear is a Reaction, Courage is a Decision.

Business sometimes can be the school of hard knocks. You will learn tough lessons, pay your tuition, and you can grow and learn from those lessons. You can be a dreamer but a bad businessman and still succeed. Research has shown that if you learn 10% of the topic, it will get you through 90% of what you need. Also, find like-minded people who have a skill set you do not have, and seek their guidance. You do not have to be the smartest person in the room, you just have to know the destination.

So you might be at a crossroad where you want to be an entrepreneur but don’t know where to start.

Consider finding something that already exists and try to make it better. Look at the seat belt, this was an invention to make an improvement on something that already existed; the car. Think of a problem that you face daily, and I would bet someone else has that same problem.

Find out who you are and stay true to your values.

Your brand is how you come across to your customers. So make it yourself and be honest with yourself and others about what works for you and what doesn’t. People want to hear YOUR story, and if your brand is not true to you, people will notice and not take it seriously. If you want a long standing company, you have to be true to yourself.

Set milestones and aim for the stars. All that matters is that you believe in yourself and can overcome every obstacle. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Break up your massive goals into smaller achievable ones. The US Military and many Fortune 500 companies use SMART goals.

SMART goals.

Specific – What is the accomplishment you want specifically. Ex. Number of sales.

Measurable – Is the goal quantifiable, or have a number or task that is tangible to the goal. Ex. Made 30 cold calls in one business day.

Achievable – Is this goal realistic. A goal of 100,000 subscribers on YouTube is the mountain, you need to break that goal up into bite size pieces. Ex. Gain 25 more followers.

Relevant – Is this goal part of the bigger picture? Why are you setting that goal in the first place?

Time-bound – We need to set time limits to help us keep track of our goal, and to help us realize it because we have a deadline.

Pushing on through.

Walt Disney was fired from an early job at the Kansas City Star Newspaper because he was not creative enough and his first business went bankrupt. Despite this failure he pushed on, and believed in himself, and his dreams and what he could offer. Walt Disney moved to Hollywood started his second company in a shed and no one believed in his dreams. Look how that turned out. Walt Disney is a household name. Talk to the experts to become one yourself. Consider finding a partner to collaborate with, someone who compliments you. No one can be good at it all. Invest in creativity. We all have different talents and find someone who can complement those talents and provide strengths you might be lacking. Life is a team sport, despite what we want to believe.

You’ll face your greatest challenges on the way to your greatest accomplishments.. Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart but nothing worth having has ever come easy. But remember to Conquer yourself, Conquer your goals, Conquer your King.

““Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.…Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. … It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Marianne Williamson

So, Liberate yourself and chase your dreams.

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