Today I want to write on what I see as being Entrepreneurial Courage. Time is running to an end of my holiday and part of me is excited to be getting back to my daily working schedule. Never a dull moment and a load of variety always ready to keep me busy. One of the things I look forward to the most is helping my clients build their online businesses, showing them that there really is success at the end of the long rainbow which has eluded them to this point.
One thing that can be said for each of them is that to this point they have shown determination. I may not have been working with them very long, but I know they’ve been online for up to four years now, and in some cases, as yet they haven’t made a penny.
I think the most important attribute you have to bring with you when starting any business is courage. Winston Churchill wrote that ‘‘courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues, for upon it all others depend.’’
Everyone knows that the path of entrepreneurship is lined with risks and obstacles. Entrepreneurial Courage is what distinguishes those who see things through from start up to completion.
Starting a business, facing the prospect of failure, making it through the tough times, it’s all part of being an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, you are letting yourself in for a roller-coaster ride of emotions. From the exhilarating highs of making a sale to the deep lows of lying awake at 3 a.m. while your whole internet site seems overtaken by a dreaded virus. With courage you can make it through anything.
To be successful you have to push past discouragement and those feelings of self-doubt!
Let me assure you all that at times we all question ourselves, wonder if what we are doing is ever truly going to pay off. We all have fears, some small others large, at times they’re hidden from everyone others are clearly visible.
It was Mark Twain who said, ‘‘Courage is not lack of fear, but control of fear, mastery of fear.’’
While Neil and I have built our business, we’ve made many a decision, some of which have been to change course at times. We’ve made mistakes, but have always had the courage to admit when we have, and to make the changes necessary to move on.
To have courage is to be able to face our fears. It is how we find a way to overcome, to persevere and stand behind our idea and beliefs in a resolute way whether faced with success or failure. Whatever we do, we know we must always be moving the business forward.
We have the courage of our convictions, and its driven by our vision for the business we see ourselves building. It gives us something to totally believe in, to stand up for, that we pursue in our every waking moment.
From the very start the thing that has held us firm, that has kept us going has been the courage to act, and face the consequences! We stayed the course, suffered the criticisms or doubts from others when they came, and encouraged others who were faltering on their journey to show courage and keep going.
Let’s face it, nobody else is going to do it for us. So, it’s up to us to be courageous in our lives and do what we have to do.
Having Entrepreneurial Courage is required if you’re going to make your mark and do anything above and beyond being average. That is exactly what Neil and I are all about making a difference, making our mark, and standing out as two of life’s achievers. So every day we have the courage to press forward and make things happen.
So if you dream of being an entrepreneur here is what I have to tell you. Find something you’ll love doing, that you will have complete passion for, belief in your ability to provide a product or service, be prepared to work long hours particularly at the beginning and have the courage to do everything you have to do, when you have to do it, then you got a great chance of being successful.
But know you need to find courage, for it is your power source to delivering your dreams.
All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. Walt Disney
