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ES Desde a very young age, I was very clear that I wanted to venture, work on my own, have my own company, and my own space. Today, after 10 years of founding my first venture and two years after the second, I can tell you what, in my opinion, are the pros and cons of entrepreneurship..
We are surrounded on social media by videos of successful entrepreneurs who become "millionaires" overnight,
Entrepreneurship has a downside that is rarely discussed, perhaps because it doesn't sell asmuch or because we all want to convince ourselves that the day we decide to venture,everything will be fine. In my particular case, I am very optimistic and always strive to grow. But there are realities that are very difficult to hide.
When you embark on the entrepreneurial journey, life becomes a complete roller coaster, and no two days are alike. You wake up one day overwhelmed with work, with barely enough time to breathe, and maybe another day you wake up with not much to do. In the beginning, until you have a consolidated team, you become a sort of firefighting octopus, solving a thousand issues at once and extinguishing fires everywhere.
If you've already decided to venture, you'll likely relate to what I'm about to share. In case you're thinking about starting a business, reading this will be very helpful in deciding what steps to take in the future.
You'll spend sleepless nights thinking about how to move forward, what strategies to implement to sell more or attract more clients. You'll have days when you want to conquer the world, convinced that you're the best in your field and that you're going for it all. And I swear there will also be days when you'll want to quit everything, lock yourself in, and call it a day.
Because entrepreneurs face very significant fears, such as losing capital, the project not working, failure, being left without a job, regret, what people will say, making mistakes, etc. If you're going through this, let me tell you that we all experience these fears at some point.
And yes, all of this is real, not exaggerated.
"Ideas are easy, implementation is hard," said Guy Kawasaki, founder of Alltop. That's why one of the most important points comes into play, determining absolutely everything: Decía Guy Kawasaki fundador de Alltop, por eso acá entra en juego uno de los puntos más importantes y que determinan absolutamente todo: PASSION for what you do.
- Have you ever wondered what your passion is?
- What is the activity you enjoy doing every day?
- Have you thought about whether you can monetize that activity in any way?
These are very important questions when starting an entrepreneurial venture, as they help you determine if what you are doing, or going to do, is truly part of your passion, something you genuinely enjoy and know how to do.
As Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, says: "One of the biggest mistakes is to force enthusiasm. One does not choose their passions; passions choose them." And I believe this is the turning point between successful and unsuccessful companies. As mentioned before, entrepreneurship requires full-time dedication to what you do. Therefore, if you pursue it with this inner drive, you'll have one of the keys to success on your side. Passion for what you do is the engine that will help you overcome all those challenging moments. Your conviction and love for your work are stronger than any obstacle.
I am convinced that any job can be done for money, but entrepreneurship goes beyond money itself. An entrepreneur has to be driven by something stronger that comes from within. And that passion-fueled flame is the necessary and sufficient engine to get through all those darker days where you don't know how to proceed. That flame will propel you forward, get you out of bed when you don't even want to see the sun, make you stronger, and help you solve problems and complexities.
Therefore, before you start, you have to imagine if you see yourself being happy doing that task. If you see yourself waking up every day and running a company. If you are willing, at least initially, for your mind to be focused on work 24/7. If you stand in front of all that and the answer is YES, then don't hesitate. Because despite that downside, entrepreneurship, at least for me, is one of the most beautiful things that has happened in this life
So,I'm going to leave you with some key factors to consider when starting a business:
- Make the essence of the project the main objective, be clear about why you got there, and never lose sight of the main goal.
- Take risks. It is important once we set the goal to go all out.
- Dedicate time to plan, both short-term and long-term. You can do it in a very simple way by setting very small goals first and planning how to achieve them.
- When entering the market, do it with an MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Take your great idea as small as you can offer it. That will give you the opportunity to see if customers are interested in your product/service, and by doing it in the simplest way, it will give you the chance to pivot without incurring extra expenses and losing hours of your time.
- Create a business model (and be careful at this point, a business model is not the same as an income model). The business model is a complex overview of your company, the income model is simply how you will generate money. So when creating your business model, if it's not your strong suit, seek help from other entrepreneurs and/or mentors
- Surround yourself with other women entrepreneurs, such as #thelatinapro, it's a wonderful group of people. And let me tell you that surrounding yourself with people who vibrate like you and have the same goals will empower you to take it to the next level. You will connect with women who have been through the same as you or people who are just starting and see you as an example to follow.
And last but not least, believe in yourself, in your potential, and you will see how with effort and dedication, you will achieve everything you set out to do.
I leave you with this quote: "When everything seems to be against you, remember that an airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." – Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company
