How to Keep Your Entrepreneurial Vision Alive During the Tough Times
Three Successful Entrepreneurs Speaking at Maine Startup and Create Week Share Their Secrets
“What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it.”
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah’s version of a timeless truth passed down among wisdom traditions is something every entrepreneur would be wise to keep in mind as they work sixteen hour days, struggle to pay the bills, and face repeated rejection.
At a tactical level, this truth means that what you focus on influences your emotions, which then influences your thought process—including your ability to see opportunities, your interactions with others, and your ability to perform at your best.
So how do you as a startup entrepreneur stay focused on your dreams, on your Why, when nothing seems to be going right? How do you keep your spirits up when you are constantly being bombarded by obstacles, failures, and disappointing progress?
In other words, how do you deal with the life of the entrepreneur—especially the entrepreneur in the early stages of their business?
When entrepreneurs who will be speaking at the upcoming Maine Startup and Create Week were asked how they keep their dreams alive during difficult times, here’s what they said:
For Kate Shaffer, co-founder of Black Dinah Chocolatiers, it’s appreciating the people who surround her: “We’re very fortunate to have hired some great people. I adore everybody who works with us. Even during the holidays and we’re all working 12,14, 16 hour days, when I wake up, I think ‘I get to spend the day with these awesome women!”
It’s also savoring the feedback from customers who treasure her chocolate. “A woman called recently to order our chocolates. She said her mother had just passed away and that as her mom was dying, she said the last thing she wanted to eat before she passed on was one of our chocolates, and that’s exactly what she did.” So, to honor her mom, this woman wanted to have one of her mom’s “favorite things” at the wake.
Peter Troast, founder of Energy Circle which helps independent energy efficiency professionals grow their business, also cites conversations with customers as a critical mood elevator during the early, grinding it out days. Getting as much customer interaction as possible and hearing them talk about how much they loved his service “always returned us to the original inspiration about who we are serving and what we are about.”
Troast also notes the importance of borrowing the perspective and wisdom from successful entrepreneurs. For him, that entrepreneur was Corky Ellis, founder of Kepware, one of Maine’s tech success stories.
Getting together with Ellis for coffee was especially important during the early days of Energy Circle, when Ellis was able to see signs of progress that Troast, too close to the challenges of his fledgling business, couldn’t.
“It can be discouraging when you are not meeting your forecasts and other things are just not going the way you had hoped, but to have someone like Corky see how we were performing and say ‘look you have lots of people buying what you’re selling. There’s lots of evidence of success separate from what you are measuring’…” Ellis’s ability to see things Troast wasn’t, and his continual encouragement made a huge difference in Troast’s ability to stay focused on his dream and his progress towards that dream.
During the times it feels like you are just grinding it out, it’s easy to forget why you felt in love with your business. During these times, Luke Livingston, founder of Baxter Brewing Company and recognized by Forbes as one of the “30 Most Influential Entrepreneurs Under 30” reminds himself: “I get to make and sell beer for a living and that’s a pretty cool gig.”
Your Takeaways:
- Be “present” when you are doing the parts of your business you especially love. Don’t miss out on the emotional boost you get from them by ignoring them while you ruminate on the “bad stuff.”
- Spend time with more seasoned entrepreneurs who have seen it all and can help you put the dramas in perspective.
- Surround people you love working with, so even when the big picture isn’t pleasant, you still derive pleasure from “going to work.”
- Pause to reflect on what your adoring customers say about your product or service. Let them remind you of why you do what you do.
- Get out and interact with your customers so they have more opportunities to tell you how much you rock.
For Information on the Maine Startup and Create Week Partner Event “Tell A Better Story. Become More Interesting. Grow Your Business”, Wednesday June 24th, 12:45-1:45, click here
