4 Promises to keep as an entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is about so much more than just starting a business. It takes planning and a lot of hard work to make it in the long run. Even if you set goals for yourself in the beginning, it can be easy to lose sight of why you started a business to begin with. That’s why you need to make certain promises to yourself as an entrepreneur.
Here are four promises you need to keep as an entrepreneur so you can enjoy long-term success.
MAKE PERSONAL GROWTH AS IMPORTANT AS BUSINESS GROWTH
As an entrepreneur, it can be easy to get yourself into tunnel vision. Every day your primary goal will be to grow your business and succeed. You will find that over time, if you get trapped in this tunnel vision, you might start to lose yourself. Life will always be about work and how the business is doing and you will start defining yourself by how your business does. Before the business existed, you were probably pretty great, so don’t lose sight of that. Keep learning, spending time with loved ones, and don’t neglect your fitness and your hobbies. You’re what ultimately makes your business unique.
DON’T LET MISTAKES DISCOURAGE YOU
Because you are putting yourself in a new situation, mistakes will happen. It’s inevitable. Those mistakes don’t define your success or failure – how you choose to react to those mistakes do. If something isn’t going your way, take a step back and figure out a new approach. Entrepreneurship is about seeing things in new ways and exploring your own approach to your chosen industry. That means there will be some trial and error. If your first response is to give up or panic every time you make a mistake, then you need to adjust how you do business.
LET GO WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT
In many cases, entrepreneurship means starting something on your own. You will likely be wearing all the hats – marketing, product development, accounting, sales, social media manager, etc. However, if your goal is to grow your business, then you are eventually going to have to relinquish some control. Surround yourself with people you trust to build your vision with you. That means that there will come a time when you should hand over certain responsibilities. Entrepreneurs that succeed in business are those that are not afraid to trust their team. Doing everything yourself gets harder as your business grows and the weight of the many hats you were wearing becomes unbearable.
LISTEN TO THOSE WHO HAVE COME BEFORE YOU
While every entrepreneur will have walk their own path to success, many of the challenges faced along the way are the same across the board. Find a support group or a mentor who you can learn from. There is no reason why we all need to feel the sting of failure for the same reasons. Of course, you can’t shield yourself from everything, but you can at least make the landing a little softer when you fall.
Entrepreneurship is a crazy ride. We would love to hear your stories! Tell us in the comments below some of your successes and your learning experiences.