Most entrepreneurs have a vision of what they want. They know exactly where they want to be and the destination towards which they are moving. However, what trips entrepreneurs (especially new entrepreneurs) up from moving forward is the unknown path ahead, the noisy experts drowning out our inner expert, and the motivation to keep going.
It can be difficult to begin or continue walking your entrepreneurial path due to these challenges. Here are three ways to transcend the challenges you will face as you travel down your entrepreneurial path:
1. Take Inspired Action
There are a lot of ‘To-Do’s entrepreneurs feel pressured to accomplish each and every day from the experts they follow. But since everyone’s path to entrepreneurship is as unique as their thumbprint, it’s important to identify your next steps without relying on an “expert” to tell you. Experts are experts in their business, not yours. There are best practices each of us can look to for insights, but ultimately it’s your responsibility to identify and create your entrepreneurial path, and the way to do that is by taking inspired action.
Inspired actions aren’t the ‘should’ actions other people tell you to do. Inspired action comes from within; it comes from your intuition. It’s the little nudges and hints that innately guide you towards creating a tangible vision. At the end of the day, your path is your path. When you can take responsibility for that path and identify what inspired actions to focus on every single day, the steps you need to take to get where you want to be will be revealed to you.
2. Own Your Expertise
At the beginning of your entrepreneurial journey, it can be very easy to fall into the defeating thoughts of “I’m not an expert.” It’s this nagging belief right under the surface telling you someone else knows more about your business than you do. That belief is 100% inaccurate.
Despite all the experts out there trying to give you a step-by-step process, the most effective entrepreneurial path will be the one you develop for yourself based on your core values, zone of genius, and unique vision. Everything you need is already within you. You can gain wisdom from those who came before you, but do not relinquish your power to their personal experiences. You can absolutely use tools and guides to understand best practices which will help make your idea a reality.
It’s always helpful to learn from other’s processes, what has worked and what hasn’t, but don’t let that fool you. You know yourself, you know your business, you know your customers, you know your clients. You know what you’re good at; you know your Zone of Genius.
The solution to overcoming insecurities in your business is to develop a daily practice to remind you of your truth, the knowledge you have, and the wisdom you’ve gained. And remember – you can own your expertise and embody your confidence even when you are amidst growth in your entrepreneurial journey.
3. Maintain Motivation
This one is for all the Solopreneurs – it’s hard, somedays near impossible, to maintain motivation when you are alone every day.
I can’t even recall all the days I’ve failed to muster up the motivation to do anything in my business over the last 14 years. Although, it has become less and less of a challenge for me in each passing year of entrepreneurship. Because I have learned how to set myself up for success.
As a Solopreneur, you need accountability with systems that draw you out of your solo work environment and into a larger community.
One of the best ways to do that is to join a co-working space; however, during this time of social distancing, avoiding co-working spaces and joining an online community or message board is much more prudent. It gets you out of your bubble and puts you in a community where you are surrounded by other entrepreneurs who are excited about their businesses. What I’ve found is this creates a natural buzz of energy and momentum that is not only infused into me, but also into my business. This kind of community provides opportunities for you to share who you are and discuss the business you are building. Setting yourself up for success to maintain your motivation is all about keeping yourself accountable.
I want to hear how you are overcoming these challenges in your business. Share an Instagram story about how this is showing up in your business and what you plan to do on the other side of reading this article. Don’t forget to tag @briseeley and @influencive in your Instagram story!
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