Managing Your Roller Coasters

Single founders – how do you do it?

pta Sr. Front-End Developer at Code Brew Labs

January 20th, 2017

When you're faced with a bunch of rejection on top of all the stuff you normally have to do, how do you keep going? And if/when you burn out, how do you recover?

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Mitchell Bolnick Business Mentor, Adviser, Consultant for Start-ups, Small Businesses, Growing Businesses

January 20th, 2017

What an awesome question. First of all for a start-up rejection should be expected, especially if you are looking for investors or grant funding. They start off on "no" when you sit down to talk with them or submit your Executive Summary/application. One of the key attributes to being a successful entrepreneur is passion, and it is that passion for what you are doing that will keep you going. But that passion can be challenged and if you do crash, recovery can be difficult...I have been there. Here is what I taught myself, I call it my roller coaster theory. As you know people say life is a roller coaster. But really it is many roller coasters. You have your business, your family, your friends, the economy, etc. Each of those are broken down further as you may have a separate roller coaster with your wife than you do with your mother, for example. Here is the key with your business roller coasters (plural): When you are on the top or heading toward the top learn to manage your emotions. Don't get too excited...don't let the top get so high that inevitable down swing can't be as big as it would be otherwise. Learning to control your emotions when things are good helps you to control them when things are not so good. But what about the other roller coasters in your life? They are always there. So when one of your business roller coasters starts going down or sinking towards a bottom, force yourself to think of some of your other roller coasters that are on highs or heading in that direction at the same time. I think of my kids and it typically puts a smile on my face and makes me realize things are not as bad as they seem on that roller coaster heading downward. Good luck!