There a ton of quotes and euphemisms that describe entrepreneurship and the efforts needed to live this life. None of which prepare us for the journey. And it is a journey like no other. Think of this summary as what the entrepreneur feels and experiences along their journey.
- Energized
- All Consumed
- Lonely
- Leadership +
- Stress and Weight
- Fight and Grit
- Rewarded
Energized – about the opportunity in front of us, about accomplishing what 85% of the people don’t, about creating, solving, providing something different, something our way. Energized by wins along the way – small or large. Refreshed by key business development meetings or outcomes. We need to find more of these events that keep us energized.
All Consumed – we work non-stop to do everything we can to keep from failing, constantly thinking of what went right, wrong, what we could have and can do better. Our brain is almost never free to be present amongst our loved ones and friends..unless you “force” it. We are likely too tired and too consumed to force it most days. You think to yourself “if I can just get past this hurdle, hit this revenue number (or get profitable), solve this problem,…”, I can take the time that I need for myself or my family. Not starting the work day at 4:30am and working more when we get home at night. Bottomline, it is hard to take care of ourselves. Entrepreneurs that do it the right way have solved for this…even if the solves come in different seasons of the business.
Lonely – there is usually no one else that shares in the day-to-day demands, that understands the challenges, obstacles, the beatings, and roller coaster of emotions and lack of real freedom you have while we are in start-up mode and potentially beyond. No Fortune 200 brother or sister-in-arms (peer) that relates to our opportunities, challenges us to think differently, and helps each other. No support and training from a fortune 200 infrastructure. There is only learning by experience – real-time, likely from failures, maybe catching a podcast while you drive to work at 4:15am, flat out misses, “oh shit!” moments, and painful strategic or financial mistakes. Yes, we do need to invest in ourselves and look for outside counsel, training, and mentorship.
Leadership + – we, as entrepreneurs, not only have a responsibility that is difficult to experience in larger companies and leadership roles, we have the responsibility to be the leader the business needs across so many seasons of maturation and growth. We have to accept more humility, grow and evolve rapidly, have a more intimate relationship and level of personal responsibility over those we lead and financially responsible for. We must provide direction and vision, a sense of hope, and drive engagement, even when times are extremely difficult and at the brink of business failure. Any decision we make, can have a material impact to the success (or failure) of the business. With all that said, we also earn big wins – people engagement and realizing your business family is with you and will go to the ends of the earth to help the business succeed. Knowing they also are giving it their all.
Stress and Weight – of having to have all the answers, the burden and responsibility of all those that work for and with us, knowing our actions determine whether the business exists or does not exist. Knowing any sizable miss or failure can impact the lives we provide for…even though the entrepreneur in us knows failure is how we learn and make things better. When something goes wrong in the business…pandemic, break-ins, damage to property, lawsuits, unexpected cash demands, insurance lapse, landlord issues, loss of great employees….it’s all on us. This is why entrepreneurs have big shoulders and a strong gut. This is why the entrepreneur needs to live better – exercise, healthy eating, and spiritual practice.
Fight and Grit – it’s the one thing that prevents us from ever giving up. It is probably the biggest attribute and reason why most entrepreneurs are successful. Let this attribute win every day. Key advice: Find it in others as you build your team.
Rewarded…eventually. It takes time. Real work and effort is necessary and helps us truly value the outcomes. However, small rewards are important to recognize and celebrate to maintain that daily energy. These come in sales wins, people “showing up” for a challenge, milestones achieved, and positive feedback from folks on the outside of our business. We live on these…for now.
What’s the moral of this? It takes work…a lot of it. It takes outside counsel…as much as you can get. It takes grit…no other characteristic is more important. This journey needs to be just that…a journey of life – full of excitement, challenges, learnings, and rewards – big and small. Try not to focus on the the things that worry you, but rather the grit and tenacity that got you into this journey in the first place…and the loved ones that help you along the way.