Dear New Business Owner,
You’re a braver soul that you realize.
You hung your proverbial (or actual) shingle not too long ago, told the world you had a business, and waited for the flood of customers. Months later, many of you have only seen a trickle, and the only thing that hasn’t worn thin yet is your desire to see things change ASAP.
My advice: do what you can live with 10, 20, and even 50 years from now.
My additional advice: other entrepreneurs are having just as rough – or even rougher – of a time than you are, so don’t feel alone. They’re just hiding it.
Let’s address Truth #1 first. Unless you started your business with serious seed money from family, friends, or investors, you might be irritated right now. It’s Labor Day Weekend, and if you’re living the 100% entrepreneur life currently (translation: you don’t have a “day job”), you’ve likely had visions of strangling someone just for fun.
Still, let’s not let this turn into A Clockwork Orange, shall we? As I said in my Periscope video last week, you may have to let many aspects of big celebrations slide past you for a moment. In the building stage of your business, money and time are precious resources. You have to spend both of them wisely vs. try to flaunt cash at every celeb-laden event just to impress those who said you couldn’t do it, or – worse, in my opinion – attempt to nurse your wounds over the demands of a fledgling business.
We can’t let our egos drive us into either inactivity or silence when things go left in life. Remember the second part of my advice about other entrepreneurs? Please commit that to memory. Yes, we live in an age where branding coaches, tech consultants, and virtually anyone in between can earn that magical first $100,000 in their initial 12 months in business online. That’s awesome for them!
But, what about you? Well, you persist, bottom line. You’re not chopped liver, and you don’t go into business simply because you want to be a boss. My hope is that you left whatever professional life you had before to be of independent service to others, and then to make money. When purpose precedes profit, lives get changed. Needs get not only met, but exceeded. With sound management, you can go from business owner to employee to role model in your community or field – all because you stayed the course with integrity.
So, yes – I know you’re tired. Shoot, my head nearly hit the keyboard three times while typing this 2:00 a.m. message I just had to suddenly write. That’s okay, though.
Why?
Because I’ve seen your complaints online with other entrepreneurs.
Because I know exactly how you feel.
Because it hurts to pour everything you’ve got into your biggest dream while people say
“I’m proud of you!”…but never invest a dime into your company.
That’s okay – your friends and family are just that. They aren’t typically your clients.
Your actual clients, however, will come. They just need you to be there when you do.
Until then, keep dreaming, working, and preparing.
Your time is both now and on the way. (Think about it.)
It may sound ironic, but… Happy Labor Day.
