Weed out the negativity while starting up
Even though ‘entrepreneurship’ sounds like a buzzword, a walk into a business minefield can always be challenging. It takes pure determination and street smarts to overcome challenges enroute. Starting up your business is the easiest thing, but sustaining the productivity and growth is a totally different ballgame.
Serious entrepreneurs will carefully plan each step to ensure they sidestep each challenge that comes along , by adequate resolution techniques. Most businesses are most vulnerable to failure during the early years. Statistically, 20 per cent of the businesses fold within the first year. These figures shouldn't scare you off, but should prepare you for some of the challenges entrepreneurs face whilst starting up. With hard work and an awareness of such issues, your new business can be a great success.
In my career, I have met several business owners, and one of the most important criteria they speak about, is to have motivators who have faith in your inspiration near you. Entrepreneurship is challenging and few people may understand why you spend so much time nurturing it. It may be difficult to convince some people that you need to struggle for a bit to keep your dreams alive. So how do you clear this air of negativity while starting up? Ignorance is bliss. Ignore the negative people and your productivity and intelligence will increase.
A particularly toxic remark to hear while you are starting up is: “You will fail”. The road to success is dotted with failed attempts. Winning a race is not without the miles you put in during training and exercise. Similarly, there is no success without a few lessons in failure. Remember, YOU are the only person who can bridge the level between what you are and what you want to be. Avoid people oozing negativity, from your physical and mental vicinity. Focus on your business. Your greatest pleasure should be in doing what others said you cannot do.
People who tell you to choose one option amongst many are dangerous as well. When you step into the entrepreneur shoe, you will be tested hard. Research and planning are vital in ensuring your idea is well received in the market. This needs time and focus, but there’s never one choice. There are multiple ways to try and test your product, if failure is at hand. When you find someone asking you to choose between them and your business, unless it’s really critical, never set yourself off the target goal.
Every person has a fair share of bad memories which they wish had never come their way. But this is better than people reminding you of those memories and the “mistakes you made” in your past. Just when you realise you’ve started making progress in your entrepreneurship journey, suddenly comes a moment where someone close reminds you of your goof ups. Everyone fails, but what matters is how well you handle yourself in the situation. Let it go. Forgive yourself for things you have done but learn your lesson and strive to improve. The best way to handle a difficult situation is to learn from the past. The future of your business lies in how you handle the past to live in present, for growth in the future. Beware of those people who tell you not to take risks just because you’ve failed in past.
Every successful entrepreneur was an amateur first. It’s just that they have trusted themselves to follow their dreams. When someone you know achieves something great, the feeling of jealousy can creep in. There is nothing wrong in it but it is important how you tackle the thought. A mature person will feel excited about the achievement. Then there are those who will go around saying it was luck that brought that person success or explain to people how “worthless” their accomplishments are. These are immature people and so are their thoughts. If something is important enough, even if you find the odds against you, you must do it. But as a professional, you should always be mature even if some tries to belittle what you have achieved. If you want to achieve great heights, start respecting other people’s accomplishments.
You know your dream is real when you can’t go a day without thinking about it. You know who you really are, and what it will take you to reach your business goals. But the most important factor that can let you down in this race is the ‘toxic you’. Beware of overconfidence and bad attitude. Every time you climb the entrepreneurship ladder, make sure you develop gratitude. It’s how you treat people around you, may it be your team, people who support you or, for that matter, even your enemies, that tells it all. The start is always a hustle but the real shine is when people around you feel respected by you. Surround yourself with people who will only make you better.
If at all you want to bring about change, what stands between you and the change is your approach. The pessimist complains about the wind and the optimist expects it to change. Instead, be a leader and adjust the sails.
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