Ripping Off the Facade
Running a business is a lot like parenting: While it seems like everyone is an expert, we’re all just winging it. It seems daunting and overwhelming because, well, it is. But then it gets somewhat easier, eventually, while still being forever difficult. This is a gross misconception I see with a lot of young business owners. Not young in the sense of their age, but young as it pertains to their experience running a business. We’re led to believe that owning our own businesses means we get to set our own hours, be our own boss, work less, and have more fun. While these things can be true, they typically aren’t. Young business owners can quickly become shell-shocked, morphing into feelings of inadequacy, helplessness, and a constant state of being overwhelmed. Imposter syndrome starts to set in and we might spend our days (and sleepless nights) wondering if we’re cut out for this whole entrepreneurship thing. We wake up feeling like we might just be the next Jeff Bezos, then go to bed later that day wondering if we’re about to be homeless.
Can you relate to that? Based on the hundreds of conversations I’ve had with business owners, I think most can. Today, I want to remove the facade from business ownership. Whatever you think business ownership is, it is. But all that insecurity, doubt, and struggle you carry with you? It’s that, too. Just because you might feel inadequate, overwhelmed, and underequipped doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be a business owner. These are common experiences; I’d argue healthy experiences. All meaningful work should push us, challenge us, and stretch us, including (and especially) business ownership. We should regularly do things we’ve never done before, wondering how we got into this precarious situation.
What sets successful business owners apart from the rest are a handful of clear characteristics:
The stomach to fight through the ups and downs, knowing there will constantly be more fires to put out.
A grand vision for where you’re trying to go, willing to sacrifice the near-term shiny objects for your biggerpurpose.
The humility to know you can’t do it all on your own.
The willingness to do things you’ll inevitably fail at.
The curiosity to ask questions and learn new ideas/skills that seemed foreign to you yesterday.
A commitment to understand your numbers and have a firm grasp of your financial structure.
An unwavering desire to serve people well and add value to their lives.
Even if you possess all those characteristics, it’s still going to be hard! Very hard! But that’s what makes business ownership so beautiful. If it were that simple, everyone would do it. And if it were that easy, everyone would do it well.
If this sounds like you, don’t let fear (and imposter syndrome) be what stops you.
If this doesn’t sound like you and you’re currently a business owner, don’t be afraid to step back into traditional employment. Moving away from business ownership doesn’t define you as a loser, just as moving toward business ownership doesn’t make you a winner. Work that matters is work that matters……period. Please never let someone else tell you what your meaningful work should be.
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