Starting a business is exciting and life-changing. You are full of enthusiasm. Your creative juices are flowing. Your new venture is growing. You are on the road to success.
And then suddenly, your road to success is filled with potholes, a nail in your tire, and a traffic jam! You begin to let doubts creep in and wonder what you made you ever think you could pull this off. It is times like these that it’s important to remember that every successful business was once a startup.
Below are some of the most common issues that startups face.
Don’t Let The Competition Psych You Out
While knowing what your competitors are up to is a smart business tool, obsessing about what your competitors are up to is not. Do not let someone else’s business or experience pave the way for your own. You have your own ideas, talents, and dreams. While you can learn from businesses that are comparable to yours, this is YOUR business. Your energy is best spent on your own endeavor – not on someone else’s.
Let Your Supporting Cast Play Their Role
As a smart business person, you have surrounded yourself with the best supporting cast you can find. If not, you should. Once you have done that, trust your supporting cast.
There is nothing more aggravating than a person who won’t allow you to do your job. You know that boss you had 2 years ago who hovered over every project you did? Don’t be that guy! Learn the art of delegating responsibility and then let go of it.
“Screws Fall Out All The Time. The World Is An Imperfect Place”
As Judd Nelson in Breakfast Club so eloquently reminds us, “Screws fall out all the time. The world is an imperfect place.” You want to put your best foot forward. But it’s how you deal with the idea of perfection that can make or break you.
Embrace your imperfection by not looking to please all the people all the time. Some people will never be pleased. Determine who you want to please, and then do your best at accomplishing that goal.
Don’t take on everything at once. Perfect one thing, and then move on to the next.
Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. If you need to throw a 2-year-old temper tantrum and release some overwhelming emotions, do it. Then get back on the horse and mosey on.
Atichyphobia
Atichyphobia? You didn’t think you would come away from this article with some random word you will never use again, did you? Good, then my job here is done. Wait, not really. So what is atichyphobia? It is the fear of failure. Fear of failure is one of the surest ways to not realize your potential.
So let’s put your fears into perspective.
What will you lose by not taking the risk?
What is the worst case scenario? Now put that worst case scenario into perspective. And then create a back-up plan for that worst case scenario.
Take inspired action. Take baby steps. Once you have built confidence, try taking a leap.
Rule #5 – Don’t Take Yourself So Damn Seriously!
Have you read the book ‘The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life’ by Ben and Rosamond Zander? No? You should. And then follow Rule #5.
So now that you know some of the potholes, nails, and traffic jams you may face as you travel down that road towards success, are you going to crash into the nearest light pole and have a tow-truck pull away the wreckage? Or are you going to swerve to miss the potholes, pull over and fix that tire, and wait out the traffic jam? I thought so. Make sure to remember me when you make your first million.
