How to break through the challenges of entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is full of unexpected and inevitable twists and turns. Here's how to stay the course and succeed in spite of the challenges.
Jumping ship from your 9-5 into the world of entrepreneurship is glamorized way too much and I’m here to tell you: If you choose to take the leap, it will get hard, and probably right away. As a former news anchor turned life and career coach, I can tell you the road to building my own coaching business has been up and down with huge wins, weird turns, and surprising disappointments.
But, through all of this, I’ve learned the key to a sustainable, successful business is maintaining my determination and my conversation with fellow coach Nani Israel, founder and CEO of The Ladies of Elegance She-EO Academy, confirmed this is the game-changer for most of the entrepreneurs in her academy. You’ve got to stay the course, even when things (inevitably) don’t go as planned.
“The journey of entrepreneurship is 80 percent discipline [and] 20 percent motivation, to be completely honest with you. The times where you’re not motivated, you have to really go back to the core, your ‘why.’”
Even when you start to lose faith in the process or even yourself, entrepreneurs have to eventually take action. It’s less “I’m stuck” and more “let’s figure this out,” Israel explains, adding that taking action starts with de-mythicizing your goals.
“Manifestation is your faith coupled with your action. If you are not taking action, there is no way that you’ll be able to reach your goal. So we have to make sure that ladies are in the mindset of being ready to take action, even if they don’t fully believe in themselves. The action is quite literally what proves that they do, in fact, believe in themselves,” she said.
That’s the thing with entrepreneurship; you have to put yourself out there, try out your idea and let that baby fly. That requires action and—in the beginning, at least—there’s naturally a level of nervousness every single time. You do it scared.
“I tell my students all the time, it’s a marathon and not a sprint,” said Israel. “There are gonna be times where you feel confused. There are gonna be times where you get discouraged. There are gonna be times where you’re frustrated because you’re not instantly a master at something. But, when you experience those times, that’s where you need support. That’s where you need guidance. That’s where you need the mentorship to continue taking consistent action. So trusting the process, taking the first step is the hardest thing,” she added.
If you’re taking that first step by yourself, know you’re not alone. And if you need one example of someone putting herself out there on a daily basis as she brings her dream to life, here I am. Nani is here, too. Soak up inspiration from community, podcasts, books, and mentorship, and keep on going. I’ll see you at the finish line.
To watch Nani and Coach Tish’s conversation on ‘The Reset,’ view this week’s episode, above.
Letisha Bereola is a life coach who helps ambitious women overcome burnout and reach their career goals so they feel great at work and happy at home. She’s a former Emmy-nominated TV news anchor, Podcast host of AUDACITY and speaker. Learn more: www.coachtish.co.
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