Does every entrepreneur struggle?

Yes.

I can 100% confirm that every entrepreneur struggles. It is part of the job. However, the struggle, in my experience, comes from a number of less obvious factors.

Let’s explore my top 3:

A. Loneliness. Loneliness is really underplayed in the entrepreneur world. It is something that every one who starts their own business experiences and has to overcome. The loneliness doesn’t always come from being the only one in the office /basement/garage/coffee shop – although that is certainly part of it. It comes from being the only one who has to do it all. You are responsible for running your company AND for staying motivated to be innovative AND to deliver your product or service while continually improving. All of these hats are exhausting to juggle – and you are the only one who really gets it.

It is beyond joyful to be doing what you love every day so most of us are willing to take on the loneliness and power through.

Some entrepreneurs, however, confess it is the reason they gave up their dream and moved back to the corporate world or accepted a paid position of some sort. Humans are built to operate in groups, and sometimes this becomes so overpowering it is enough to end the entrepreneur journey.

B. Misunderstood. A lot of entrepreneurs didn’t quite fit in to the corporate world – that is exactly why they were willing to risk it all to jump into this unpredictable crazy world of business ownership. Having the balls to make the jump is wonderful – once you are there it doesn’t cure the fact that you are misunderstood. The truth is you have to go out on a limb, and often. You had to do a lot of things without validation, praise, acknowledgement, openness or comparison. This can lead others to misunderstand what you are doing or diminish your efforts or your ideas. The frustration can still be very palpable.

Is there an upside you ask?

Why yes!

There totally is …the difference is you now have the freedom of expression as you are THE BOSS. You have the confidence to move forward and you can seek to work with those that support your vision and style. This may not come quickly or easily (probably won’t!) BUT you are on your own path and for most entrepreneurs – that is more precious than anything else one could be offered. Bravo, and carry on.

C. Dream to reality. When you are dreaming about your fantasy life – it can be anything you can imagine it to be – it is your dream afterall. Once you cross the line into reality, it loses its perfect outer shell and you are exposed to the messy truth of what it is to turn a dream into reality. I can tell you from experience that you will ALWAYS love what our deepest passion is – there just may be a business element added to it that you will have to stare in the face. You will have to turn what you love into a business, meaning you will need to find a way to have others (clients) love it too to be successful, and sometimes that means doing it the way they want it.

My advice?

Keep what you love close to you. Keep it top of mind and always in your heart. You may need to shift off course slightly to get to the end goal but if you keep your end goal always in mind, you will get there. Believe, and it will be.

Be who you were meant to be. Love it. Embrace it. Let it become the story of your life.

Until next time – dream, expewriting-focused your life.

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