I’ve been sitting around wondering what to write about since the usual business topics have been covered and I think I’ve come to a great topic, the bitter entrepreneur. I promise that I’m not being facetious, but at one time or another we have all been this person. You know the one at the networking event or trade show that is sulking in the corner wondering why another ‘lesser’ company is more successful. As an entrepreneur you never know where your next sale is going to come from or if it will ever happen and we all think we are wonderfully brilliant…so when the bitter entrepreneur shows her face remember these kernels of truth.
You are braver than most people
I know we all hate the dreaded question ‘So what are you working on?’ particularly if you don’t have anything on the horizon, but the fact of the matter is that this is the moment where you shine. It takes a lot of guts and chutzpah to go out on your own and most people will never leave the security of a job to walk down your path. So speak candidly about your situation and then talk about your strengths. You are an entrepreneur and that is a qualification of the highest order.
The challenges do open doors
When I first started I would have said this was something that they tell people to make failure easier, but now I completely understand it. Your business will challenge you in ways that make you react and you do become a better entrepreneur as a result. The best thing about challenges is they give you the opportunity to solve them. Maybe they don’t go away completely, but you get to roll your sleeves up and give it a try.
Success will come
I know that most businesses fail and I know that being an entrepreneur can hurt family relationships, but the truth is that success inevitably follows. How that success is defined is as different as the individual, but either you learn that business is not for you or you learn how to do it better and your resume will show that. You get to keep learning about yourself and your field and you don’t get fired when you mess up. The opportunities will come and when they come you will be prepared to be successful because of all the near misses and complete failures.
So the truth is that being an entrepreneur is not always fun, but that’s okay. The greatest gift being an entrepreneur gives is options. You have the option to be safe or the option to have a completely new adventure…here’s hoping you ride out the bumps in the road.
