Lies They Tell About Entrepreneurship | 7AM Rant
“Why weren’t there more transparent, practical perspectives shared during that panel discussion? Is that really what I should do to become a successful entrepreneur?”
I attended a pamper party for entrepreneurs last week, facilitated by non-entrepreneurs, dispensing advice about the meaning of entrepreneurship.
They proselytized about about “the importance of self-care and pampering,” how to “demand space, peace, and more respite time from your boss at work,” and other opinions that made it clear they’d never spent a day as an entrepreneur.
While I listened to the niceties, omissions, and flat-out lies they shared during this event, I felt a visceral, nauseating frustration temporarily grip me. I can recall the sharp imagery of hungry, young entrepreneurial hopefuls hanging on their words.
Shortly thereafter, I had a 1:1 exchange with a young business owner who’d also attended the event. He asked me: “Why weren’t there more transparent, practical perspectives shared during that panel discussion? Is that really what I should do to become a successful entrepreneur?”
“No, It Isn’t. They Lied To You.”
Given the environment we were in, I refrained from being that direct. In responding to this young entrepreneur, I thought it prudent to be a bit more composed, respectful, and poetic with my thoughts than what is to follow.
However, if he and I were to converse at 7 a.m. in a local coffee shop away from the other event participants … This is the unplugged version of the conversation:
Truth #1. “Entrepreneurship Isn’t Supposed to Be Easy!”
If it were, everyone would do it. The rewards for entrepreneurship would not be as great. Stop wishing for it to be easier. Start wanting to become more valuable, get better at it, and find ways to endure the pain when it is hard.
You can make the hard things feel easier by celebrating and having a spirit of gratitude for the opportunity to grow stronger, go further, and go harder at what you do. You can make entrepreneurship feel like running your fastest mile or lifting your heaviest weight at the gym. You know the work is HARD, but you can be IN THE ZONE and let the SATISFACTION wash over you when you achieve it.
Sit down and visualize not just the accouterments of success, but an image of yourself genuinely enjoying the work and being excited to get things done in pursuit of your entrepreneurial vision. Channel your inner Michael Jordan or Serena Williams. Yes, they are talented and intelligent. And they also OUTWORK EVERYBODY because the juice is worth the squeeze.
Truth #2. “Sometimes, There Is No Balance.”
There is no balance in the beginning as you start something new. There is no balance when you decide to go to a higher level. There is no balance if you need to quickly readjust to where your market is, or where your market is looking, or deliver something new that the market wants.
There is sometimes no balance, but you can make sense of the chaos by setting priorities. GO HARD or GO HOME. Planes do not ascend into the sky without turbulence.
Truth #3. “Your Excuses and Distractions Make You Weak.”
When you’re a new entrepreneur, YOU ARE YOUR BUSINESS. Letting things slide in your personal life will destroy your new business before it gets off the ground.
By all means, make the personal life decisions that suit you. But it is not an exaggeration to say that indulging in personal life excuses and distractions will weaken you and your business. Some common examples:
Jealousy and complaining about what others have is an inevitable way to waste your time, misdirect your attention, and make enemies with the successful people you are complaining about. It really is OK if others earn fantastic incomes and find success before you do. If they can do it, you can too. Get up off your butt and get yours.
The national news and pop culture is just a distraction. This includes following up-to-the-minute developments in political races, getting invested in celebrity relationships, or insisting that you simply must watch all of your favorite team’s sports games. Why are you invested in the successes of celebrities, politicians, or sports players more than YOUR OWN victories?
Caring about other people’s opinions of you is a waste of your time. Be a good person, help people, and stop caring what they think. People are going to hate and gossip about you, even after you grace magazine covers and achieve your definition of success. It’s human nature. They’re going to look for your flaws, and be attracted to whatever negativity and strife they can find.
Focusing on social ills out of your control can distract you from what you CAN do to reach your goals. It is possible to acknowledge issues larger than yourself such as inefficient processes that you cannot change, government decisions that you do not agree with, or discrimination that you have observed. But to believe that you cannot achieve your vision because of them? It does not serve you.
Truth #4. “Stop Being An Anti-Intellectual.”
Surround yourself with the smartest, most knowledgeable, and most creative people you can find. Find a good accountant and legal services to have in your back pocket. Appearances be damned, if they are doers then be around them.
Caring about “us” versus “them,” focusing on appearance, and spending energy getting yourself “on the list” for the city’s most exclusive club are a waste of time as an aspiring entrepreneur. You cannot afford to believe that you are “exclusive,” you are the “special” one for whom the rules do not apply, or that you already know it all.
Truth #5. “Not Everyone Can Be An Entrepreneur.”
You may not have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. It is OK. The world needs many more intrapreneurs in workplaces and communities. You will still win if you choose intrapreneurship.
Truth #6. “You Need to Accept Dirt, and Not Everyone Will Accept It With You.”
You have to be willing to get dirty. Filthy, nasty, dirty. Open a tire shop, collision shop, lay some bricks, manage a scrap yard, paint houses, etc … If you aren’t a white collar type, then open up a business that is necessary for society and be prepared to outwork, out-market, give more, and ask less. Then outwork some more, and build even more value, before you start asking for more.
Not everyone in your current network wants to outwork, give more, and ask less like you are going to do. They may not even want to be around you as you do it. It is a different way of operating than they are used to. Not everyone is willing to make the climb with you. But the climb does NOT have to be lonely: Make new friends!
Translation: The climb is going to be dirty, and not everyone is going to make the climb with you. Make the climb less solitary by learning to distance yourself from others rather than diss them, and by learning to make new friends.
Truth #7. “Accept the Laws of the Universe.”
We are all going to check out of life one day. You might as well get out on the field, get your nose bloodied a little, and get some dirt underneath your nails. It’s not going to be pretty, so have fun playing the game and get yours. Live a life of satisfaction.
The world around us wasn’t built by the exceptional. It was built by everyday people who were willing to do exceptional things. Go build something.
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