The Entrepreneur Who Endured

by Lisa Stots

"Without the strength to endure the crisis, one will not see the opportunity within. It is within the process of endurance that opportunity reveals itself".
-- Chin-Ning Chu

When I started my company 4 years ago I didn't really know what was going to happen. Was I going to be successful? Could I survive in my first year of business? Would I be able to handle the criticism that I knew people would have no problem giving me if I wasn't successful? These were some serious questions that I honestly wasn't sure I would be able to answer both in my personal and professional life.

I read a lot of books on the how to's of business, you know the ones I am talking about how to write a business plan, how to brand, how to get clients, how to advertise and yet I wasn't sure how to endure in my business. I tried everything to figure out how to endure the emotions, the set backs, and all of the other negatives that can occur at the start of a new business but I felt like I was stuck and I felt as though I were I trying to climb a mountain without a rope which we all know is a pretty silly thing to try and do so what was I thinking by starting my own business without the rope?

I needed to learn that in order to do good business I had to endure the hardships, the not so great parts about owning and running a small business, the parts that make you want to run out and buy the newspaper so you can look for that full-time job and forget all about running a small business, the parts that make you wake up at 3:00am wondering what your next move is going to be.

I made a decision that regardless of what I was going to have to endure I would endure it and I would persevere through all of the emotions and trials and tribulations of running a small business. I decided that if I was going to make this work and be successful then I was going to have to in no uncertain terms "suck it up" and learn how to deal with running a small business. That was the best attitude adjustment I had ever given myself and guess what I didn't need an emotional plan I just needed to trust myself and trust that I could succeed at small business.

Remember Strength and Endurance Build Good Entrepreneurs!

"Succeeding is not really a life experience that does that much good. Failing is a much more sobering and enlightening experience".
-- Michael Eisner

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