I was in my 40s before I finally took the plunge and started my own business. In fact, that’s not completely true. I started a business in my 20s and again in my 30s, but the going got tough after a few months and I went back to the ‘safe” world of paid employment.
The entrepreneurial spirit never went away but with three children and a mortgage to pay, it took many years before I finally had the courage to burn my bridges and embark on the journey of running my own business. That was in 2003. No going back this time.
I soon discovered, as anyone who runs a business knows, that it puts you on the personal development fast track in a way that little else can do.
Running a successful business brings you face to face with your biggest issues, and forces you to deal with them.
This is particularly true in a business like web design and online marketing consulting, where you are dealing with clients.
For example:
- Are you the kind of person who has trouble saying “NO”? Then watch out, because you’re going to attract clients who continually pressure you to say, “YES.” (I’m talking from personal experience.)
- Do you tend to have a low value of your self-worth? Then you’re going to be working with clients who continually put downward pressure on your fees.
- Have difficulty setting boundaries around your time? You guessed it, you’ll attract clients who will expect you to be at their beck and call at all hours.
– Keep looking up… –
If you’re feeling stressed about any particular challenge you are facing in your business, or seem to have an ongoing series of difficult problems, learn to see these experiences for what they really are…. gifts sent to teach you valuable lessons about yourself.
That mountain you’re facing, might seem too big to conquer. But keep going. Bite off the challenge and just DO it.
And yes, ask for help (from other people, and from God) when necessary.
Being an entrepreneur is about stepping up and doing what absolutely needs to be done, however it can get done. And sometimes you need to be humble enough to ask for help.
What ever problem you’re facing, SOMEBODY ELSE has already been through it and knows how to solve it. And you can find them.
Never forget that.