The (not so) secret (not-so glorious) story of starting your own business that the news rarely covers.
Being a new small business owner/ entrepreneur/ founder, or whatever name you want to give it, can seem like a fools game.
A lonely journey where those around you, though proud of your efforts, don’t quite understand why you are going off to tackle a mountain so big and so challenging on your own. Sometimes, even the support that you may receive feels more like a golf clap and a fairy whisper. Appreciated, but not the kind of push you would hope for.
On the other hand, on all of the social platforms, it seems every other business owner is experiencing grand successes. They seem to be already halfway up their mountain, yelling down to you saying to not stay down in the valley, there’s so much room at the top.
Yet, it begs the question: How did they get there?
To many of the rest of us, their success path seems almost impossible to fathom. Especially, when we are still at the start, looking for help on how to get to the first level, much less the top of that mountain… where we keep hearing there’s so much room for people like us.
Hear this. Small business ownership is not for everyone.
For those who enjoyed going to an office or having decent health insurance or who thought their hustling days were behind them, being a founder/ small business owner may actually feel like a demotion. Sometimes you will dream of going back to the comfort of that full-time position. (It’s so easy to forget the reason you left, when you are faced with other daily struggles.) You will hustle, a lot. Constantly. And, you will feel like you are always somewhere on the lower side of the mountain you are climbing.
But stick with it. Embrace the idea that it’s within your power to climb the mountain. Believe in yourself enough, and do the work. Don’t lean on the illogical conclusion: if you haven’t made it to the mountain top, what’s wrong with you.
Mountain climbing isn’t for everyone. You don’t see many people who look like you, gearing up and putting on that brave face every morning to climb it, most likely. But, that doesn’t mean YOU aren’t supposed to keep climbing. It just means today is another day that gets you closer to the top.
And, one day, if you keep believing, you will look behind you and see how far you have gone.
