And Your People Can Help You Get There
“All entrepreneurs experience setbacks, but successful entrepreneurs move from one setback to the next without losing their motivation.”
Steve Jobs struggled with his business as he tried to sell computers and was even kicked out of his own business for some period, but he didn’t let that stop him. Jobs later took a risk in buying Pixar in the hopes of creating a computer hardware company. In the end, he sold Pixar to Disney for $7.4 billion and became the face of Apple and NeXT. A true entrepreneur like Steve Jobs doesn’t let their setbacks stop them.
I’ve heard it said before that “a broken rope tied by a knot can never be as strong as a new rope.” In other words, once something fails, it will never have the same strength as before. I disagree. We can build ourselves taller and stronger after overcoming our setbacks. We learn what caused the break and prepare ourselves for future mistakes by knowing what to expect when we encounter them again. More importantly, we learn how to recover from that fall.
We entrepreneurs have a bad habit of keeping our setbacks to ourselves and finding a way to white-knuckle through our problems without letting those around us know we are struggling. But when we lean on others in our times of need, we come out stronger and wiser than ever before. When Jobs attempted to create a new type of computer at Apple, the Macintosh, he was met with weak sales and organizational hurdles that eventually ousted him from his own company. However, he gathered some of his old employees and launched a new company: NeXT.
I’ve witnessed many fellow entrepreneurs face similar battles. To reach 2020, many setbacks and failures have come our way, and we’ve fought them with the help of coaches, mentors, staff, family, and friends to reach this new year, myself included. About two years after I started Kitply Industries, my brother was involved in a serious motorcycle crash. In the following weeks and months, I left my business to spend as much time as I could with him. He never fully recovered and is now a quadriplegic. The family continues to rally together to support him in every possible way, and despite the hardships in his life, my brother has come out stronger than before.
It’s essential to reach out for support when you need it, whether it’s to family or employees. Don’t embrace hardships by yourself. If my brother had internalized his struggles, not only would he have had a more difficult time, but the family also would have suffered. As entrepreneurs, if we refuse to rely on people who can support us through some of the most challenging moments in our life, we only suffer from them.
However, finding that support you need can be difficult, especially if you don’t know who to reach out to.
I am a member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a global network of business owners who come together to inspire, encourage, impact, and support one another. Business owners have the chance to get together and discuss their business and personal challenges, successes, and opportunities for growth. As a member and part of a forum in this organization, I have an opportunity to talk with like-minded individuals who understand.
The people in our lives give us the strength to push forward, just as Jobs relied on those around him to create a new business and just as my brother leaned on his family through his recovery. If you need support, now is the time to get involved with your local support groups, like the Entrepreneurs’ Organization at EONetwork.org.
