The Entrepreneur’s Wall
Recently, I spoke with a business owner who mentioned a sales rep he
had met with recently. He commented that in the few years he had known
him, this sales rep had been involved with three different companies.
Then this business owner paused and said, “I think I have the same
tendency, myself. It’s that idea that the grass is always greener on
the other side, I guess.”
This tendency to
macro-switchtask, to change career attention on a grand scale is
something very common in all entrepreneurial types. I have experienced
it myself on multiple occasions. There is always some other opportunity
to be involved in, something more attractive, more lucrative, and less
mundane.
Ask
any marathon runner and he or she can tell you about “the wall;” the
point in the race where internal energy reserves are used up. Hitting
this wall can be very discouraging to the runner, and they are tempted
to give up on the race. However, if the athlete presses forward and
“climbs over” this wall, they find themselves with a new burst of
energy and the ability to successfully finish the race.
Entrepreneurs
experience a wall, as well: the “entrepreneur’s wall.” This wall is the
inevitable moment when the business isn’t so attractive anymore. In the
beginning, the entrepreneur woke up every day thrilled to be involved
in the business. Suddenly, however, it becomes drudgery. The reasons
for hitting the wall are numerous, from economic downturns, to a slump
in sales, to relationships with employees, to just plain boredom.
However, if the entrepreneur can push forward and climb over the wall,
he or she usually experiences a new level of success and renewed
enthusiasm.
Just as marathon runners can condition
themselves so that runner’s wall is not as much of a shock to the
system, so too can entrepreneurs put a few specific tools into place
that make it easier for them to climb over their personal walls. Allow
me to offer three specific tools:
- Company Vision
- A Company Vision is a document that takes a picture of what the
company will be in five years or more. It creates a concrete direction
for you to head with the company. It is the constitution of the “United
States of You, Inc.” Having a written Company Vision that is hanging in
a frame on your wall is a very powerful tool for you to refer back to.
It is especially powerful in times when you are questioning your desire
to continue forward. When business owners refer back to their Company
Vision they remember their desire to achieve that ultimate destination. - Vacations
- Business owners often neglect budgeting time for regular vacations.
This puts them in a situation where they find no opportunity for break
and no opportunity to recharge their batteries. Create a schedule that
forces you to take a regular vacation. My personal schedule requires me
to take a vacation whenever there is a fifth Tuesday, Wednesday, or
Thursday in the month. By setting a regular schedule for vacation, the
entrepreneur has something to look forward to. Upon returning, the
entrepreneur finds that the problems giving him or her so much
difficulty before taking vacation do not seem quite as large anymore. - A Business Coach
- As a business coach I often help my clients get back on course when
they feel discouraged or when they lose perspective. The old saying
about ‘not being able to see the forest through the trees’ is very true
in business. When you reach the entrepreneur’s wall, you need someone
outside of you who can see things from a distant perspective, who can
see the whole picture and ask the right questions. A business coach is
an essential component for an entrepreneur in creating personal
accountability. This accountability not only provides valuable insight
into the business, but also helps the entrepreneur to move forward when
he or she meets the entrepreneur’s wall. One of the key reasons I’ve
found it easier to climb over my personal entrepreneur’s walls is
because I have made myself accountable. Even though I am a business
coach, I have my own business coach that I have hired to work with me.
Time after time, he has demonstrated that he is worth his weight in
gold. He helps me keep my focus and to press forward to greater
success.
