If It Were Easy

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!