Encouragement for those Struggling

Churchill once said: "If you're going through hell, keep going." 

It's a powerful sentiment from someone who was literally walking England's subways at night, asking his people if they should surrender in the absence of their army to defend them (for more on this, read about Dunkirk).

You might be struggling in your career. Or even really hurting personally. 

First off, I want you to know that I am here for you if you ever need a word of encouragement. My personal hope is rooted in Jesus Christ, and I am always happy to share how this has impacted me if you'd like to have a conversation (just text me at 203-641-3940). 

Second, I think it's good to remember that the only thing that makes failure final is quitting. It's ok to struggle. It's even ok to complain to your friends, to cry, to put your first through the wall...but, you can't quit. That's the only death sentence. 

I have five thoughts on what has helped me in the "fog of war" of building a start-up services business: 

1) A really strong "why" will carry you.

When I was in college, I once met a homeless woman on the street in Chicago. She is, to this day, one of the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. It was the winter, and she was freezing cold. No jacket. No hope of how she would get warm. I had an earth-shattering realization of how blessed I was, while some people were wondering if they would live until tomorrow. My college history major taught me similar lessons, and I have many memories of leaving class sick-to-my-stomach after reading about how slaves were treated in our country, or Jewish people were treated in Nazi Germany.

My "why" is, in part, to build a company that alleviates suffering for "the least of these." The way I set out to do this was to build a marketing company that could donate time, expertise, and profit to those in need.

We've been blessed to be able to do all three so far. I've especially enjoyed getting to donate our services to non-profits who are on the front lines of this type of service, who've been able to use our appointment setting techniques to get new donor meetings.

Whatever scale God allows Veth Group to grow to: my commitment is that our mission will not change.

For yourself, I think you need to find your own why.

What is such a powerful motivation that you couldn't possibly leave the office at 9pm when you still have work to do?

What vision is so compelling that you wake up at 5am without an alarm clock?

Other people might laugh at you for working so hard at it...but, when your heart is so committed to your cause, you won't even have time to stop and acknowledge them.

2) Find mentors who will walk through the day-to-day with you

I've been blessed to have so many people support me in building our company.

Although I think it has helped me to have models like Ray Dalio or Gary Vaynerchuk...what is more important, I think, is mentors who are significantly wiser than you, but also willing/able to walk with you in the trenches.

In just the last 18 months, I have been astounded by how much more some people know about business than me. Mentors have changed my pricing (note: if you are services, try to get out of hourly billing as soon as you can). Changed my entire approach to closing (note: learn to ask questions in response to objections). Changed my view of the meaning of business (note: the people who actually have $10 million dollars care so much more about the non-material parts of life). All of it.

The number of amazing business men and women who have been kind enough to hold my hand, each step of the way, has been such a fun surprise for me.

But, for you to get this type of impact...I think it's important to find mentors who are willing to commit to being accessible to you. If you talk to them once a year...it's going to be hard for you to apply their nuanced wisdom in a meaningful way.

There is nothing I am more thankful for in Veth Group than the opportunity to walk through this journey with my Dad, my brothers, and so many other people who now mean the world to me.

3) Bludgeon your bottlenecks

This one is simple: find the "critical variable(s)" in your challenge - and bludgeon them harder than you ever imagined.

Here is a simple example for you...at a couple points in Veth Group, I've been freaked out about needing more customers.

Prior to being an entrepreneur, I might have emailed 10 people...left a couple of voicemails...and called it a day.

The closeness to failure that comes with starting a business has opened my eyes to what is truly possible.

If you think it is going to take 50 emails to get an opportunity. Literally, send 5,000. It's a more sure bet.

We've sent more than 5,000 A DAY at points in the last two years.

This required learning how filters work, building new domains, writing SPF records, developing "auto-generating" text fields, and writing Python code late into the night.

But, it worked. We've added tons of customers with this force.

(If you don't know how to send 5,000 emails or LinkedIn DM's that are personalized enough to work - text me. I am happy to explain the method to you).

4) Remember what matters - it's about effort, not success

At the end of the day, I think my faith has allowed me not to take any of this too seriously.

Although I don't want to let down my customers, employees, or stakeholders (see above)...my success or failure isn't ultimately what defines me.

In the words of John Wooden, it's about doing your best. If you give your best, you'll be able to rest in the fact that you did all you can.

Many people like to make fun of me for working late at the office, driving across the northeast to try to close a deal, or trying to close a deal from the family dinner table...and, there is absolutely a place for balance in life that I don't want to downplay.

However, what has driven me to push this way is this realization that I want to know that I gave my best. Win or Loss.

5) Choose to smile

I think it's easy, when fighting what can feel like a losing battle, to put your head down and intensely hammer your head against the wall. And to be miserable in the process.

There is absolutely a place for hardcore grinding.

However, smiling and being joyful are a choice. And both are something you can choose even when you're fighting hard.

People in much worse circumstances than you or I have chosen to smile anyway. And we can too.

As the Bible says in Proverbs 17:22 - "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

I really believe this. Find people who will smile alongside you in the journey, and whatever you are struggling with will be immensely more bearable.

Eric Schmidt once gave me this advice in an email, and I've never forgotten it.

I'm here however you need me. Don't quit, and I won't quit either.