An Entrepreneur’s Greatest Startup Challenge: Their Mindset

I remember how I was feeling when I started my first business.  Excitement was pumping through me like an electrical current and I knew to the core of my being that I was meant to help seniors navigate through the complex emotional and physical aspects of a downsizing transition.

For me, starting a business wasn’t as scary a proposition as it could have been because I had already worked in the corporate world for over 25 years in project management, finance, sales and marketing and I knew I could draw from that skillset.

It turned out, though, that my greatest challenge wasn’t the mechanics of a start-up or my commitment to helping seniors and their families traverse the stress of a move.  It turned out it was something even more unexpected.    

“It was that little thing called “Mindset” that gave me the most sleepless nights.”

It was that little thing called “mindset” that gave me the most sleepless nights.

With all that goes into building or creating a new business, it’s extremely easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of details, processes, strategies and knowledge you need to obtain and manage to get your business set up right and operating quickly.

But, that’s just part of owning a business.  Unlike working for someone else, you aren’t just one member of a total team that contributes to a business goal, you ARE the team.  Most small businesses start out on a shoestring budget where the owner(s) wear multiple hats, dealing with all aspects of running a business. 

From the fundamentals of setting up the business, managing client consults, creating estimates and providing the service, to doing the marketing, supply purchasing and accounting in between in their “free” time, 24 hours in one day often feels like mere minutes.  There is always something more on the “To Do” list to tackle that’s urgent to the cause.  

That can wear down even the hardiest of individuals if they haven’t prepared themselves with the right mindset. Most entrepreneurs aren’t afraid of hard work or learning new skills. We’ve chosen to walk away from a guaranteed pay check and the traditional workplace and welcome the riskier financial path.  

But the rewards of autonomy, individuality, freedom, flexibility, personal fulfillment and unbridled creativity are pretty persuasive reasons to accepting that risk.

But, whether it’s allowing our fears to keep us from moving forward or having taken the leap, find ourselves wondering if we made the right choice, thoughts of self-doubt, fear or reasons for procrastination is always coming from our mindset.

“Our mindset is a compilation of we think and believe about ourselves and the world around us, which often dictates the success or failure of our paths.“

Our mindset is a compilation of what we think and believe about ourselves and the world around us, which often dictates the success or failure of our paths.  It’s these deeply rooted belief systems that keep us in our comfort zones, even when those zones aren’t particularly comfortable. 

Fear-driven thoughts make us question our ability to successfully navigate a new path or stay the course when things get tough.

If you’re thinking of starting a new business, or any major new goal, here are three of the most common mental gremlins that will tend to pop up along your entrepreneurial path and some suggestions on how to cope with them.   

1. Who am I to start a business?

This is a common “dream killer” limiting belief where we tell ourselves that success and fulfilling one’s dreams is only for other people.  Our Ego Mind is trying to “keep us safe” by feeding us with messaging that says that it’s too dangerous “out there” and anyone else that has succeeded in creating a successful business has their act together, is luckier, smarter or more talented than we are. 

The fact is, there’s literally nothing stopping us from making our dreams a reality…except our own “self-talk” and the boundaries we create for ourselves.  I’m not discounting the realities or obstacles that inevitably pop up to be overcome during the process of business ownership.  Being an entrepreneur is no cake walk, but the rewards can be life-changing.  

There are always speed bumps like getting start-up financing, paying for your personal life expenses while you build your business, finding the right team and clients to work with or learning new skills you know nothing about.

But, time and again, there are verified stories worldwide of everyday people stepping up, staying focused and having the tenacity to blow through those moments of doubt to keep steadily moving toward their goals.

We tend to think of these people as extraordinary.  People like Steve Jobs or Walt Disney.  Yes, they were extraordinary in their vision, but they started their business from the humblest of beginnings. What made them superstars, though, was their undaunting focus and refusal to take no for an answer.  They saw failure or rejection as just a part of the process of finetuning their vision and they stuck with it until they got it right.

“We all have the capacity to be successful, as long as we believe in ourselves and stay open and flexible in our mission to new ideas, perspectives and solutions.“

You are just as deserving to follow your dream as they were.  I believe that each of us has a purpose in this life and our dreams and goals are part of that journey of growing and learning.  We all have the capacity to be successful, as long as we believe in ourselves and stay open and flexible in our mission to new ideas, perspectives and solutions.

2.  I don’t have the right skills.

This one is easy.  If you don’t currently have the skills you need, there are literally thousands of general resources, training or other educational opportunities available to you for skill development or new vocations, either through local in-person classes or online.  My Senior Downsizing Specialist Training, for instance, is takes you through every aspect of the downsizing business start-up, saving you time, stress and money.

What’s NOT easy is having the dogged personal work ethic, patience and focus to dig in, organizing your time and priorities, then taking it one step at a time to completion and continuing to learn what you need to fulfill your business quest.

Again, this mindset is just a limiting belief that’s telling you “I don’t have right now what I need to succeed”.  Time to change that perspective by speaking a new truth.  “If I don’t have what I need right now to start my business or help it succeed, I am committed to FINDING those resources and training now so I CAN successfully complete my goals.”  

I’ll give you an example.  As part of developing my Senior Downsizing Specialist Training Program, I had a lot of material that needed to be recorded and edited for the course.  I had no video recording or editing experience and quite frankly, technology has never come easily to me.

When I realized the cost of hiring someone to do it was astronomical, I decided it was time to expand my horizons, learn some new skills and do it myself.  It took time and patience, but I finally learned how to successfully record and edit the segments and do it well, saving me thousands of dollars in marketing costs.  Now, it’s just second nature and, go figure, I actually enjoy the process!

3.  I’m not sure I have what it takes to finish my goal.

This is, of course, a purely self-defeating and limiting belief that we all wrestle with from time to time.  It goes back to the ole ‘How does one eat a huge elephant?” quandary.   Dreams only feel daunting when one looks at the big picture with all its hills and valleys of diligent effort, inevitable challenges and steps required to finish the goal. 

“Dreams only feel daunting when one looks at the big picture with all its hills and valleys of diligent effort, inevitable challenges and steps required to finish the goal.” 

But, when you cut that elephant down to bite-sized morsels of single steps, one day at a time, it doesn’t seem as overwhelming or out-of-reach and you can see a little bit of progress every day.   Slow and steady is the game plan.

The best way to tackle a major challenge like starting a new business, is to find ways to stay energized and efficient. Here are three ways to do just that!  

1) Get organized (no shortcuts!), break the processes or tasks into as many smaller steps as possible, then create a realistic plan to expedite as many tasks as possible per day.

2) Get help in any form you can!  Whether that’s targeted training specific to the areas you feel less confident or knowledgeable about, hiring (or outsourcing) additional personnel resources or skilled services that you can afford (or even consider asking a friend or family member to help if you can’t afford to pay someone!) and/or invest in a mentor or coach to help you bring that vision into reality.  Often, getting an experienced outside perspective, from someone that has already been in the same trenches, can fast-track your process more quickly than you think.

3) Keep your eye on the prize!   If you are truly dedicated and passionate about your goals, do whatever you must, so that you are constantly reminded of the positive benefits that goal will provide to you, your clients and your community. 

Knowing that there are people out there that truly need, and are waiting for your unique service or product, can help to overcome those days when your energy and enthusiasm for your business is waning or temporarily gone. 

In the end, it’s up to you to keep that focus and wrangle your mindset to work FOR you, not against you! It’s not always easy, especially when you’ve had a hard day or things aren’t working out as easily as you thought they would, but stick with it! 

“…give yourself the positive kudos and acknowledgements you deserve for getting into the game in the first place, let alone the wins you’ll inevitably experience along the way.”  

One final thought.  It also helps if you can stop along the way and give yourself the positive kudos and acknowledgements you deserve for getting into the game in the first place, let alone the wins you’ll inevitably experience along the way.