“Winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win.”
Vince Lombardi
ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHALLENGES
Going solo can be a lonely road
I am very privileged to work closely with entrepreneurs. What a great “tribe” they are! They are different. They are wired to be driven by their own imaginations. They see things differently.
Entrepreneurs are people on their own mission – driven by an idea, chasing their dream and willing to give their very last drop of blood to achieve it! They put themselves and their loved ones at risk, they spend money that they don’t always have – with no assurances that there will be a payback at some point in time.
But we need them. They make the world go round. They make the world a better place and make our lives easier. Steve Jobs referred to them as the “crazy ones”, but I salute them!
However, the challenges that these people face are great, and it’s such a pity that, all too often, many “miracles” are lost because of these challenges:
• It’s a lonely road
All things are created twice – first in your mind, and then in reality. It is during the “mind” stage that entrepreneurs truly battle. It doesn’t matter how much they share what they are imagining, people often just don’t get it, don’t demonstrate understanding and don’t provide any form of support. This can be heart-breaking and demoralising, and many entrepreneurs lose the battle before the idea can even be “born”.
• It’s all-consuming
Being your own boss means there is no such thing as regular working hours. You’ll find yourself working at all hours of the day and night, constantly thinking of ideas, checking emails, doing admin etc. – and most likely doing it all on your own. Entrepreneurs need to guard against their work consuming them, and make sure they keep a work/life balance – if not, they risk serious burnout and may have to give up everything they have already achieved.
• Tunnel vision
Many entrepreneurs are so focussed on the product or service they would like to create, that they have no idea what it takes to bring their innovation to market and to grow the business to maturity. In a way, they have this false sense that if somebody “likes” their idea, it is sold. Often, they will hold on to this “acceptance” by somebody with all that they have. Words like “they want it” and “it will happen soon” become the lingo. Stubbornness and “tunnel vision” can lead to a great idea fizzling out – so get out there, talk to people who have made it, research, network, brainstorm and expand your view!
• Self-doubt
There is nothing like starting your own business to really show you what you are made of. Many entrepreneurs tread a solitary road, and this can make it worse as you have no one to bounce ideas off or to validate your decisions. So learn to trust yourself, trust your instincts – and don’t be afraid of failure. As Winston Churchill said: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
• Suspicion
Often, when help or support is offered, the entrepreneur can become very suspicious – and not without good reason! History is full of horror stories of people taking the ideas and innovations of entrepreneurs, turning them around for themselves and, through slick contracting and smooth talking, destroying the entrepreneur. A sad state of affairs indeed!