Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship - The Personal Growth Challenge

Why did you start your business?

I’m often told by the entrepreneurs I speak with that the reason they went into business was because they felt a need to get their message out to the world. They tell me how much they love the work they do and how important it is to them. They tell me that they know that their work has the potential to have an enormous impact on the people around them.

Then I ask them how their business is going and I often hear, “Things are slow” or “They are just getting started”. They tell me that they are just waiting to get a few more things lined up or that they are having trouble pushing themselves to do the work; that they have a list of people to call but haven’t made any of the calls. They tell me that they aren’t sure what they need to do next or how to grow the business into something they want.

You know what?

Your business is actually more about you than about helping other people. A colleague of mine once said that there is no better course in personal development than running your own business. I’ve been in business since 2003. The person I am today is certainly testament to that.

Running your own business is hard, and it’s scary. You must put yourself out there every single day and then shine a light on yourself (it’s called marketing). You leave yourself open for criticism. You leave yourself open to people thinking you’re crazy for embarking on what you’re doing in the first place.

I remember shortly after I started my business, I was talking to a friend of mine about what I was doing. Her response was “Are you really going to be able to make any money at that?” And this was a friend of mine. I could only imagine what were other people saying.

I needed to learn to stick up for myself and believe in myself. It wasn’t easy when I first started my business, and because the growth and learning never end, it’s still not easy today.

When I released my second book, Because You’re Worth It, I had already been in business over ten years, and yet I was terrified about what other people would say. Would they think it’s awful? And more important, what would they think about me?

I’m sharing this with you because being an entrepreneur is hard, and yet it is something that many entrepreneurs go into very naively.

My dad was a successful business owner. He once told me that he had no idea what he was getting into when he opened his doors. I feel the same about my business; when I opened my doors in 2003 I never would have imagined what I’m doing today.

Where are you on your journey? Are you still waiting to get started? Are you on the verge of the next big step? Is it simply another day that you need to get yourself in gear and get up the nerve to make yet another phone call?

It doesn’t matter what other people think. Go out there and share what you know and do what you do best.

Wherever you are in the journey know this - you are ready for the next step. Go ahead and step out of your comfort zone and step into personal growth.

What step are you going to take today?