IF IT WERE EASY, EVERYONE WOULD BE DOING IT!
Starting and owning a business is just plain HARD! From this
word HARD I give you three more words to describe starting and
owning your own business:
H A nxiety R isk D emanding
Why do I leave out H you ask? Because therein lies the
contradiction. The H stands for Happiness. Happiness is the core
reason why most (if not all) people start a business. We
entrepreneurs truly believe owning our own successful business
is the key to our happiness. We revel in the challenge of
conquering new problems and learning new things. We love the
flexibility of having our own schedule and “the buck stops here”
control. Ultimately, we believe our business will be the key to
future financial security. Security that far surpasses what any
other employer could ever give us.
Getting to that point is another matter all together. Did I quit
my job, max out my credit cards and borrow money from my
parent’s retirement thinking it would be this hard? NO WAY!
After four years of working as my own boss, my experience has
been (myself included) that most people expect their businesses
to be successful right away just because they have a great idea.
I assumed just having the guts to quit my good paying job would
guarantee me success as an entrepreneur.
Learn this chant: It’s HARD, it’s HARD, it’s HARD! As an
entrepreneur, you should expect to be put through a Chinese
water torture of experiences. You will on any given day: second
guess yourself, doubt your abilities, wake up in the middle of
the night with your head full of things you haven’t gotten done,
waste money and time on things you thought were a good idea and
feel utterly alone and unsupported.
However unpleasant this may seem it is normal. I am four years
into my business venture and almost $100,000 in debt between
business and personal expenses. I have sacrificed my good credit
in the name of my business. This year, I am finally making a
steady salary of about $1,000 a month (which includes my second
job). In any given week, I am still putting off creditors and
trying to find ways to borrow from one account to pay off
another.
Now back to the H. Remember that part I mentioned about
Happiness? I do believe in it. In fact, I believe in it more now
than I did when I first started. I am in debt up to my neck but
I have also learned more in four years of running my own
business than I EVER learned in school. If I stand at top of the
mountain of my business I can see how far I have come. I allow
myself moments of pride in my own accomplishments. I also allow
myself to make mistakes and more importantly to forgive myself
(and others) for them. A trait that is VERY necessary. Every
day, I learn through my successes and mistakes how to run my
business better and make better decisions. Furthermore, by
nature of being an entrepreneur, I have been given the
opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs. These people are the
most incredible, gutsy and talented people I have ever had the
pleasure of meeting. I am proud to be a part of this team!
Will my current business succeed in the long run? I have no
guarantees. I believe it will because I have learned to believe
in myself. However, if it doesn’t succeed I will pick myself up,
dust off my clothes and get right back on that entrepreneurial
horse again!
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