Starting your own business requires a lot of passion and motivation. Leaving the guaranteed check and employer provided benefits to brave the waters of entrepreneurship doesn’t come from calmness and contentment. We start our businesses because we want to disrupt the status quo, we want to live on our terms, and we want to make the world better while doing so. But how do you keep going when that fire is getting low and the behind the scenes work that no one sees is bringing you to the breaking point? The following are the 3 things that help me to keep going when I feel like quitting.
1. I knew this was going to take WORK.
While the business I’m building is my dream, it’s still a job. There are always going to be parts of a job that you don’t like. I struggle with marketing and promotion and I’m enrolled in courses to teach me the skills to grow my business. It isn’t fun but I know that there is no such thing as an overnight success. There are many months, sometimes years of working your way to the top. While I know one day I will be paid in the shade with the *insert luxury vehicle here*, I’m going to have to bear down and do the work to get my name out there so I can increase my clientele.
2. I pray a lot
When I say pray I don’t mean in the traditional sense of praying to a higher power (though that is part of it for me). Prayer to me is meditation, checking in with myself, talking to God and encouraging myself when there is no one to do it for me. I need to make sure that I am at my best mentally and physically so that I can create and provide quality content, services, and products for my clients. I have to be my own best friend and treat myself with the same love and concern that I do those who are close to me. It sounds kind of hippie-like but honoring my mind and my body are the best forms of prayer that I think I can offer to any higher power.
3. Love
Yes, there are parts of being an entrepreneur that I can’t stand. But I always come back to the reason that I started my business in the first place. And not the selfish reason of not wanting to have to answer anybody. I know that my services are needed in my community. It breaks my heart when I hear about someone being taken advantage of financially because they didn’t have a few pieces of information. Also, there are so many amazing business ideas out there and lack of access should never be an issue in someone getting the credit for their creative genius. I want those who didn’t have the chance to go to law school or business school to feel like they can still navigate the basics of those areas and not feel completely lost.
If you have a great business idea but are feeling lost on how to protect it or get it started, download my FREE Trademark Toolkit. It will show you the basics of how to protect your brand and business ideas. You can find my other products and services at linktr.ee/nplconsultingfirm. Til next time!!
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