4 Steps To Navigate The Emotional Web Of Entrepreneurship

EMOTIONS AND STARTUPS

What trait do all entrepreneurs have in common?

There might be a few mentions justling to be top of the list. However, that sting of “uncertainty” will always take the front seat. The entrepreneurial journey has never been an easy one. It got even worse globally since the wake of the pandemic. Most startups that haven’t found their footing in the ground got swept away.

More than 70% 0f startups have had to end full-time employee contracts since the pandemic started. That’s because there was the problem of limited funds to keep the business afloat. While these may only serve as a synopsis of the challenges startups face, there is more than meets the eyes.

The Journey

Every entrepreneur has a big picture goal of adding value and impacting society and the world at large. It is a journey born out of creativity and passion for what they love and are happy at doing.

Most misinterpret entrepreneurship as a desire to be their boss. It is way beyond that.

Entrepreneurship is a journey, not a destination, and like every journey, there are daunting challenges that are discouraging.

However, passion is the fuel that propels that entrepreneurial journey through the difficult terrains as it helps you understand your WHY.

My journey as an entrepreneur has not been devoid of challenges. I’ve had to endure tough times too.

My startup AI Nerd was born from a creative path to connect with people and create a community around technology. Traveling and meeting people is something I have always loved as it provides me the opportunity to new people. This filled a creative and exploratory need within me. Alas, the new pandemic world ended this outlet and rechanneled my energy.

The Human in Us

Do you know that our emotions play a vital role as an entrepreneur? The question is, how do you handle it?

How you handle the emotions goes a long way to determine how far you can go. In my journey as an artificial intelligence startup, I’ve had those who had my back and gave me their continued support. They spurred me to go for what I am passionate about.

There have also been those who have pushed me to the point of quitting with their discouraging remarks. To them, artificial intelligence was a waste of time as they didn’t understand the scope around it. Even worse was when it came from the people I’d thought would give me their support.

It’s at this phase that emotions play a crucial role. Without the right channeling of emotion and the desire to transform your ideas into reality, the negative talks will cause you to give up.

When entrepreneurs begin their startups, there is the pressure to keep up with family demands, full-time jobs, and the uncertainty that clouds the mind. These factors can overwhelm the mind, making an entrepreneur emotional, which can impair decision making.

Getting around the Emotional Web

When emotions start to get the better of an entrepreneur’s thoughts, then clarity of the goal begins to get cloudy. Without clarity, it becomes impossible to grasp the big picture of how to achieve it.

Entrepreneurs get caught in this emotional web as they are inevitable. They are the hurdles startups must overcome.

However, there are four ways by which entrepreneurs can get around it. They helped me in numerous ways in my journey as an entrepreneur. They include;

1. Getting a mentor

Every startup owner requires a mentor. It is a necessity. The reason is that it is challenging to navigate through the journey on your own. A mentor is necessary because he or she has been where you are before and has the experience to guide you into making the right decisions. Not having a mentor makes the journey a lot more complicated.

2. Getting a feedback

Feedbacks are essential to entrepreneurs when propelling their startup. Surround yourself with people who are trustworthy and brave enough to give you feedback—including negative ones. This feedback will help you do things in an improved way and also get results.

3. Being honest

Being honest to yourself is another essential attribute. You can go ahead to deceive everyone, but you can’t deceive yourself. David Ogilvy said it better when he said, “a fake Rolex will fool everyone but not the wearer.” Being honest to yourself on the goals you aim to achieve eases up the path to achieving them.

4. Putting your heart into it

Is it possible to achieve a result from something you haven’t put your mind to? That is how it is with your startup. When you place your heart into that idea or concept you want to transform into reality, it is almost impossible to be distracted by negativities. The path to success begins when we put our heart to what we aim to achieve.

An entrepreneurial journey is not an easy one. It is filled with negativities, emotions, and distractions. But when channeled in the right direction, that satisfaction that comes with success and fulfillment from doing what you love comes with it.