Why does it look easier for everyone else?
It’s easy to look at someone who is crushing it in business and wonder what it is they have that you don’t.
You hustle your ass off.
You aren’t afraid to get your hands dirty.
You aren’t afraid of hard work.
The moment I realized that building my business wasn’t just a matter of ME working harder was the moment everything changed.
Like me you put in the hours, put in the reps and still find your results lacking- but you can go to bed every night completely spent- because you hustled and grinded and were for sure the hardest worker in the room.
Have you ever found yourself comparing your business journey to those around you- near and far?
It’s easy to look at someone who is crushing it in business and wonder what it is they have that you don’t.
You hustle your ass off.
You aren’t afraid to get your hands dirty.
You aren’t afraid of hard work.
The moment I realized that building my business wasn’t just a matter of ME working harder was the moment everything changed.
Like me you put in the hours, put in the reps and still find your results lacking- but you can go to bed every night completely spent- because you hustled and grinded and were for sure the hardest worker in the room.
So why does success seem harder for you to come by than the next person?
It’s not…
Seriously, we all compare what happening internally with ourselves to what we see externally portrayed online.
Here’s the thing about when people post pretty glossy photos with fun inspirational headings… you have no clue what was happening behind the scenes of that photo for the person in it.
Everyone I know in business wants to be inspirational and aspirational.
Inspirational for their teams, their prospects and their clients.
Aspirational for everyone who is watching.
You never know when you will say or do something that changes everything for another person, so we keep showing up, putting our best face forward- even if on the inside it feels like drowning.
The pressure to perform in business, as an entrepreneur is intense.
The pressure we put on ourselves.
The pressure to provide for our families and our future.
The pressure to be top dog
The pressure to win another day.
The pressure to keep the company moving forward so that we can keep our employees and help them provide for their families.
I do believe that some people have more internal and external stressors and pressures than others- but the pressure is all the same.
The pressure and consistent stress can lead us to believing that we are the only ones in the whole world struggling as much as we are to show up and win everyday in business.
They say, if you can make it look easy- you must be doing it right.
Chances are you make what you do look easy to someone else, even if on the inside you are screaming, crying and feeling slightly unhinged.
Stop comparing yourself to the pretty photos on instagram and the inspirational posts on facebook, it’s not an accurate measuring stick of success.
Building a business is stressful, but it doesn’t have to be hard as we make it, I have opened up 3 Business Brainstorm Sessions this week, to claim one and book your own Business Brainstorm Session click here.
In this call we will go over what is working in your business, what isn’t and where do you go from here so that you scale your impact without scaling your own output.
You can have it all, but it doesn’t mean you have to be the one doing it all.
Should I Give Up?
There have been more than a couple times where I had to get real with myself, and ask how much longer I could and would tolerate losing.
Losing money
Losing customers
Losing sales
Losing sleep.
Losing sanity and a sense of control.
In those moments of failure, overwhelm, grief, pain, and discomfort- it would be easy to quit.
I can already feel the hate that I am going to get from this… ruffled feathers here we go…
Everyday as an entrepreneur can feel like a bit of a roller coaster ride.
Some days you feel like you are winning.
Sometimes you feel like you are losing for days, weeks, months and years at a time.
Even when business is good, money is coming in- it can still sometimes feel like you are losing.
Sometimes you may even ask yourself- how long should I keep going? Maybe it’s time to throw in the towel or maybe it’s time to double down your efforts and go harder.
Over the years I have found myself asking these very questions- is it time to be done and move on or should I give myself 8 weeks to get it figured out- if by then maybe I should call it.
This all in or all out mentality can be damaging, but it can also be highly motivating.
There have been more than a couple times where I had to get real with myself, and ask how much longer I could and would tolerate losing.
Losing money
Losing customers
Losing sales
Losing sleep.
Losing sanity and a sense of control.
In those moments of failure, overwhelm, grief, pain, and discomfort- it would be easy to quit.
Nobody would blame you.
Building a business is hard, growing a business is challenging. It’s one of the fastest ways to meet all of you, right were you are, for you are. In business you learn how much you truly can tolerate. You learn what you are made of… if you are the kind of person who crumbles at the first sign of struggle or if you are willing to handle just about anything the world throws at you.
There are a few different ways you can handle that simple question- we have all thought at least once, ”Should I give up? Is this the end of the road?”
Remove emotion, evaluate honestly, and determine if it’s truly time for you or your companies next evolution, if there will be an evolution or if you just need to return to the drawing board and start over.
If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that if you want to survive- you must remain flexible and nimble. Every business has a life cycle, as we have witnessed- watching entire industries crumble- fitness and retail clothing to name a couple, this year that have take large hits.
Give yourself a hard deadline to work through the current struggles.
I once had a coach tell me that you should pursue your business with a desperation to make it work like someone is holding a gun to your head.
The amount of stress we tend to put on the wrong things can actually take away from the business we are trying to build. We spend too much time focusing on spreadsheets and not enough time beating the streets prospecting (yes this can apply online as well) and selling.
When you aren’t focusing on selling- you won’t sell.
In 30, 60, or 90 days when you belligerently focus on doing the work that bring the results you need- you will be miles beyond where you are today!
What you focus on expands. Focus on sales, you will get more sales. Focus on failure and you will fail more. It’s a matter of perspective.
Discipline your focus, give into the hard, and give it everything you’ve got, because you were not give this dream on accident and you will not get results on accident.
Ask yourself, “What would I do if I didn’t do this?”
This can be a super powerful question- because often the answer is the exact same thing you are currently doing. If it is, you and I both know you gotta find a way to make things work- because this is all you’ve got.
You are pursuing your souls purpose- figure it out friend. Handle the hard-ish and get ‘er done- because you are the only who can.
Return your Why
Though simplistic, when you can remember why you started, and you can harness the energy of the heart of your business- you can instantly change your state and change your focus.
Real talk though- sometimes what was once your why- is no longer enough to keep trudging forward on a particular path.
Sometimes it really is the end of the road
Like I said above- every business has a life cycle, and whether your business is done because what it does is obsolete, laws have changed- making it impossible to conduct your current business, or after thoughtful reflection- the best thing to do for you, your employees and your family is to shut your doors.
Bear in mind friend- it costs as much to close a business as it does to continue to run your business, only when you close your business- you no longer have the income to cover the expenses… so many enter bankruptcy and further financial ruin.
There are plenty of gurus, mentors, and talking heads that will tell you to quit is weak- and most times it is, but sometimes the best thing, the smart thing to do, is to take the lessons, close your doors, and move onto- what’s next.
You and I both know you can’t enter the field of entrepreneurship and go back to working for someone else- you will find something else.
You will win again, because it’s what people like you and I do.
Look for opportunities
Seek solutions
Solve problems
Profit and pay it forward.
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Are you feeling stuck, and at the end of your rope when it comes to know what decision to make grow and build your business? It happens to everyone, and it’s ok to get help, from someone who has been there- right there.
Sometimes the problem is a simple quick fix, sometimes there is more labor and creativity involved.
I have 3 Business Brainstorm Sessions available, where we will deep dive into what is actually happening in your business(often the solutions are easier than you think), and get you the help you need so that you can grow and thrive now and into the future.
Book your Business Brainstorm Session here, make sure you fill out the quick survey so we can make the most out of our time together.