Business Start Up & Overcoming Fear & Anxiety
Posted by JuJuan Buford @JSBUFORD
I wrapped up an onboarding meeting with a new business partner recently, and I found the ensuing conversation we had beyond fascinating. It was her first attempt at starting an entrepreneurial endeavor, or to be more accurate it was her first time committing to see things all the way through for the first 365 days no matter what. Baby steps.
The reality is you really don’t have enough experience or discernment to decide whether to detonate a business until you’re three years in.
The usual fears surfaced during our exchange.
#1. Fear of public speaking.
#2. The opinions of her family and friends who have observed her start and quit multiple times.
#3. Approaching people about her new endeavor.
To her credit, she acknowledged that being uncomfortable would be an inevitable part of the process.
My response was the following. Every new business owner starts with deficits or debts.
#1. Skill set debt, or
#2. Mindset debt, or
#3. Lack of capital debt, or an
#4. Experience debt.
I shared that starting a business is akin to starting one of the most masochistic workouts you can conjure up, knowing you haven’t visited a gym or lifted a weight in over 10 years. You’re going stretch, pull, and tear muscles you’ve forgotten existed, or never knew you had.
She asked how do you rid yourself of the fear and anxiety that accompanies starting a business? How do you find comfort in the trials and tribulations, successes, failures, accomplishments, and everything in between?
You don’t. You don’t ever really become comfortable with what’s uncomfortable. You simply accept the discomfort, and your faith and confidence grow as you overcome (or survive) it.
You are no longer distraught or emotionally surprised by it. The discomfort doesn’t elicit behaviors that are counterproductive or reactionary. You respond.
An example that I can think of is the habit I adopted of taking cold showers in the morning after listening to a podcast produced by an executive I have a lot of respect for And me being me, if somebody has something that I’m aiming at, I don’t spend too much time inspecting the roots. I pick the fruit. I know I can have what others have if I’m willing to do what others do.
It was not fun. There was nothing comfortable about it, and the cold showers remain uncomfortable. They’ll never be as inviting as a warm shower in the morning. So what happens when you repeatedly put yourself in these situations? You’re no longer shocked by it.
You’re longer hyperventilating. You’re no longer surprised by your body’s response to it. The temperature of the water doesn’t change. You change. Your response to it changes.
That’s entrepreneurship. There are times when things are going to become very uncomfortable. There are going to be periods in your life when things don’t go as planned. There are going to be periods in your life where you will second guess and question yourself because your best-laid plans aren’t coming true.
Successful entrepreneurs discipline their disappointments, adopt processes, and identify their KPIs (key performance indicators), creating predictability. And when expect uncomfortable situations and accept them as opportunities for growth, you’re able to feel the discomfort and execute anyway.
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JuJuan Buford, Managing Partner
888.549.9689 / jsbuford@thebufordco.com
Website — https://thebufordco.com/
