I know the truth about your business.
I know that you don’t always ‘love’ what you do, even though you smile and pretend you do.
I know that you don’t always jump out of bed in the morning, excited by another day of work.
I know that you worry, sometimes a lot, about how you’re going to do everything and keep doing everything.
I know that sometimes you want to quit and walk away.
I know that you don’t always believe in yourself & that sometimes, if you’re honest, you’re winging it & hoping no one finds out that you don’t know what you’re doing.
I know that you cry. And that, yes, sometimes it’s ugly crying, where you can’t stop and your eyes go puffy and your face goes red and blotchy.
I know that this business means so much more to you than your old job ever could, in a way you can’t quite explain to people who’ve never had a business before.
I know that you wish you could see into the future and then somehow know the steps you should take to get to your next goal or even just to know, once and for all, whether you are actually just wasting your time on this dream of yours.
I know that you’re disappointed that not everyone is crazy about your business, I know there are people close to you who won’t support you and won’t encourage you and will make subtle comments about when you’re going back to your old job.
I know that one unhappy customer is enough to make you question everything, yourself, your business and whether you’re cut out for this. I know that sometimes you’ll agonise over one unhappy customer for days.
I know that you face enormous challenges, and not just in business, that things happen in your family and your personal life and you have to find the courage to keep smiling and keep going despite it all.
I know that you are exhausted. And stressed. and sometimes it feels like this is most of the time.
I know that there are conditions and hours that you would never have put up with in your old job that you just accept as a business owner.
I know that sometimes you don’t pay yourself, not because you don’t want to or because you don’t ‘value’ yourself, but because sometimes there’s more money going out than coming in and its just not possible right now.
I know that you’ve stayed up until after midnight trying to get things wrapped up.
I know that you’ve worked all weekend and then woken up on Monday morning, and kept on going.
I know that sometimes you’re the only one who can see the goal you have and no-one understands why you’re putting so much time, energy and effort into this idea.
I know that this is so much harder than you ever thought it would be.
But
I know that you’re over the moon when things work out for you.
I know that you feel so proud of yourself and like all that hard work really was worth it when you know you’ve made a difference or really helped someone.
I know that you sometimes happy dance to loud music all by yourself when things go right.
I know that you are prepared to keep trying to reach your goal and that when you do achieve that goal you will celebrate. And you will deserve it.
I know that despite all the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the good times and bad, you wouldn’t have it any other way.
And how do I know this?
Because I’m just like you. And I know now that every business owner feels the way we do at one time or another.
We all face challenges that make us want to pack everything up and leave.
We all face heartbreak and cashflow problems and uncertainty.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re Oprah Winfrey or Arianna Huffington or someone who’s just starting out whose name no-one knows yet, you will face hard times and great times again and again in your business. You will laugh, you will cry, you will happy dance, you will want to quit. But in the end you’ll still be glad you did it, because this is your dream.