How to Keep Going When There's No Guarantee
The beauty — and the dark side — of entrepreneurship is that everything is decided by you. Your schedule, your clients, your services/products, etc. But that also means it all falls back on you. You are the sole person responsible for the success of your business, and there’s no guarantee it’s going to thrive. Guest blogger and amazing intuitive eating counselor Allison Mosso talks about how to keep going anyway.
When I first started my business back in January 2017, I knew I was prepared for the challenge. I knew it was going to be late nights, early mornings, inconvenient times, not as many social outings with friends due to part time jobs to make ends meet, etc. I mean, entrepreneurism isn’t sexy; it’s a long game. But life really comes down to priorities — and nobody’s priorities are right or wrong, it’s just about what’s important to you in that time and space.
So, as I dove in with purchasing my first domain and investing in business cards, I knew what I was heading into or (at least I thought so).
What I didn’t know at the time, and what I’m so excited to discuss with you today, is how to get familiar with the unknown and how incredibly hard it is to work towards something with no guarantee.
Think about it: You worked really hard in college, but during the entirety of “the work” you knew graduation and your degree was in sight.
You work really hard on a work project to get a chance at a promotion because you knew hard work = success.
It’s even in the little things like following through on a recipe, knowing in the end you’re going to get a delicious meal out of it (or if you’re like me, you just cook breakfast for every meal = deliciousness guaranteed).
We are conditioned to work towards something because that something is often a guaranteed outcome. So what happens when we don’t know the outcome? What happens when the gray area of the unknown cripples us into not posting that blog, not putting together our first event, not starting up that Facebook group, or not being vulnerable with others because we don’t know their reaction?
It’s called the unknown for a reason, loves, and for the first year of my business I didn’t understand the unknown is exactly where I needed to be.
When you’re first starting your own business, nobody has ever heard of you. That’s not to be harsh, it’s just the reality. So what do you have to do in order to get your name out there?
Promote.
Network.
Get involved in groups that make sense to your business needs.
Be able to confidently speak about yourself and your business.
These are ALL hard to do things to do when your ego is trying to protect you from anything that could go wrong — like having someone argue against what you’re doing or perhaps nobody responds to your post or your first event is low attendance.
This is where you have to understand what your ego is doing and what your values are.
The ego is a protective barrier between you and living. The ego truly believes you are the only one who has ever had a low-attendance event when in reality, most business owners start off by having low-attendance events. The ego is the one that wants you to play it vanilla when you post your blog but in reality, your authentic self is creamy pistachio and you need to attract others who are also creamy pistachio.
Your business is going to be a long-game, require tedious hours, and you honestly will not be for everyone. But ask anyone who has ever worked hard at something and truly put themselves out there and they’ll tell you this is the reality. And once again, your ego doesn’t know that.
Beyond understanding your ego, you need to understand why you must persist forward if it really means something to you.
Think about your values and let those guide you forward, no matter how hard or uneasy it may feel.
My values? Being authentic, genuine, and vulnerable in speaking about my story and helping others who are going through similar experiences. Notice how my values are not centered around having the most Instagram followers, having everyone agree with me, or becoming the most popular. No, my values come from the heart of why I started this business in the first place and I find if I’m following through on these values, then I can’t go wrong.
And lastly, you truly get only one life. We all have the same outcome. Why not try to give something a go?! Especially if it means so much to you. Pick and choose your priorities, remember to persistence past your ego and lastly, stay true to your values and I promise the authentic, soul-filled life you want is yours.
How have you persevered even when there’s no guarantee? Share it with me in the comments below, or join the party on my Instagram and share there: https://www.instagram.com/katrina.widener/
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And when you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you:
Start your journey with self discovery and goal setting.
Take the next step with one-on-one life and business coaching.
Be challenged, inspired, and supported through a group coaching experience.
ABOUT OUR GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
Allison Mosso M.S. is the owner of Mosso Nutrition and Fitness which provides virtual and in-person nutrition counseling, personal training, and Intuitive Eating courses. Through a non-restrictive and weight-inclusive approach, Allison helps others find a peaceful relationship with food, exercise, break free from yo-yo dieting, and find peace with their current body. You can find her at www.mossonutritionandfitness.com // Insta // Facebook