By Elena Cardone
Aside from the health concerns from the pandemic, another major consequence is that so many of our friends and family lost their jobs. For many of them, the only choice was entrepreneurship and trying to go into business on their own. You don’t have to be at it long to know that running a business is a lot different than being an employee, and in fact, can be way more involved than most people realize.
Of course, the upsides are plenty, but that’s if you make it that far. So, how can you ensure success? How can you go from business owner to creating an empire? How can you make entrepreneurship not something you were just thrown into because of the pandemic, but something that changes your family’s life for the better for the rest of your lives?
Here are six things that will help you as you forge ahead.
Make a commitment
The very first place to start is to make a commitment. This isn’t something to be taken lightly or go half-in on. Building something really big like an empire is life-changing and requires 100%. You have to be honest with yourself and know what you’re getting into, that there will be hard times, tons of work and people who think you’re crazy. Having the “Do whatever it takes” mentality is what you must have.
Take action
One of the saddest things I see are people who are filled with big dreams and great ideas that could change the world and build them an empire, but they fail to act. Remember this: There will never be the “perfect” time. Yes, you may very well fail but so what? You learn from it and come back even stronger. People might laugh at your ideas or visions, but who cares? Stop wasting time and get moving right away.
Build your team
No one has ever built an empire alone. You need to include people. It is actually very sane to be able to give, receive help and to cohabitate with one another. It was only when I understood this mindset that I started to advance and really gain stride. I stopped caring what people thought of me and stopped trying to be the superhero. In order to get more done and build my empire, I needed people. I depend on people every day.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable
COVID-19 has us changing our moods and emotions daily. It has ripped, dragged, and pulled us all out of our comfort zones. From growing my empire, I found that it is in these “uncomfortable” moments in life when we need to dig deep within ourselves. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Do one thing every day that scares you. Those small things that make us uncomfortable help us build courage to do the work we do.” I want to encourage you this week to practice getting COMFORTABLE with being UNCOMFORTABLE.
The big picture starts with the small stuff
When building your empire, it’s easy to get stuck on the big picture and quickly become overwhelmed and deflated. That’s when you need to slow down and focus on the small stuff. Just muster up a little energy to get yourself going. Get into action. Surround yourself with like-minded people who push you. Do something that makes you feel good about yourself. Take on an easy task that gives you a sense of accomplishment.
Believe in yourself
Whether you know it or not, you can do this. You can overcome the odds. You can be successful. That’s not a line of motivational talk. It’s the truth. Any successful entrepreneur who has been at this awhile will tell you if you don’t believe in yourself and your abilities, no one else will. Take a few deep breaths. Gather your composure. Go out there and do it. You got this!
The takeaway
Regardless of how you landed where you are, today you are an entrepreneur and an empire builder. It’s not easy. You’ll have days you want to walk away and give up. But I promise you that you can absolutely go from first-time business owner to building something amazing when you follow these strategies. I’m pulling for you as are all the entrepreneurs who came before you!
