Four Reasons Why I’m Here
Lately I've been talking a lot about things being difficult and the power of pushing through. What I haven't talked about and a little bit is why I'm here in the first place.
Why I do what I do, especially when the road to a corner office or cubicle is a much easier, simpler path in a lot of ways. An entrepreneur and business owner is a special kind of person. I've always said, and I still believe it's true.
I like those women and that’s why even though we may not have met yet, I bet I’d like you too. We have our own blend of entrepreneurial spirit that is unique to each us-it’s never the same combo. We all have things that light us up and keep us dreaming and pondering late into the night. These are the things that also keep us going when we don’t think we can. If we lucky we get to work with people who get us to jump out of bed in the morning ready to do the work.
But even if I didn’t own this business? These four beliefs are still the foundation of who I am, even if I woke up tomorrow, and didn't do what I do. I would still believe these things to my core– and they guide me as I move through life in and outside of Anchorlight.
#1: I believe in investing in yourself.
No one else is going to do this for you and you are always an investment worth making. When you own a business, you have to believe in your product but it cannot be a wishy-washy belief. It cannot be shook by small cracks in the surface. It needs to be unwavering, and it has to be strong enough to withstand everything that will inevitably be thrown at you. You need to be convincing enough with this unshakable belief that your company is worth the investment for you to sell it to other people with absolute certainty.
Investing in yourself means counting on yourself and knowing that you have what it takes to succeed. This might mean that you need to take yourself seriously and get a logo. It might mean that you need to seek funding. It might means you need a website that is professional and not handled by your cousin.
Look, real talk? There's always a voice in the back of our mind that says what if this doesn't work…? I'm not immune to it and neither are you.
But the reality is, uncertainty is a fact of everyone's life. It doesn't matter if you work at Apple, Microsoft, the corner store, nothing is set in stone and tomorrow is not promised.
It doesn't mean you shouldn't bet on yourself and take the chances you need to succeed both in business and in life.
#2: When you take yourself seriously everything changes.
There's a big difference between a freelancer and a business owner. They are not one in the same. One of them implies dipping a toe in– testing the proverbial waters. It's not a full fledged commitment. It's not going down with the ship. It’s maybe bailing if it gets a little too rough. You have no skin in the game.
Something happens when you commit and go all in on yourself and your business.
You get better clients
You make more money
It doesn't feel as hard and sometimes-it doesn't feel as scary.
Providence moves FOR you. More on that in our quote on our main page-my favorite of all time.
I've seen it happen in my life. I've seen it happen in our client's lives. And I'm a true believer that it can't be any other way. It can't be half and a half out. It's either all in or nothing at all.
#3: Everything is negotiable (and in turn, anything is possible).
As a person, I am tenacious and relentlessly optimistic, which is both a good and bad thing. There is duality to it. But I believe that everything is negotiable–I don't believe “no” is the end, I believe “no” is a stopping point for reflection.
Using a sales framework, this means:
Maybe the offer needs to change
Maybe there's something that can be done
Maybe the price is off
Or maybe it’s just timing
But I don't believe someone's saying “I don't want to work with you right now” is the end. I believe it's just a stopping point. Too often, we always assume it's us. We take ownership over things because it's our need to control things rearing up inside of us, but so often: it has nothing to do with us.
If you’ve hit a roadblock, stop taking it personally and uncover what’s really going on.
All too often if we would ask the right questions from a place of curiousity and servant leadership instead of retreating in fear, we would see that the doors still open.
Everything is possible. Everything is negotiable.
It's the only way to be relentlessly optimistic in business. And relentless optimism is what you need to succeed.
#4: You will fail, but there’s always a lesson to be learned.
You will fail in business. Fall on your face, in the mud, hardcore. Not always, but sometimes. This is inevitable. Do not take this to heart. This does mean all hope is lost and you need to hang up the towel. When this happens, what do you do?
You keep going and do the work.
Do the work to learn, get better and pick up the skill that might have prevented that thing from happening in the first place. Keep putting yourself out there.
No one is coming to save you. Nobody can do the work for you. There is no substitute for you and the work that you put into your business. It will pay you back a thousand times over. It will reward you more than any other activity you can do. It may not stop those failures from happening, but doing the work creates a practice of discipline that will serve you well in every aspect of your life–both personal and professional.
Learning from failures breeds discipline. It may not be glamorous, but it’s essential.
But no matter what? The fact that you're reading this in the first place and the fact that you own a business in this world that you made from an idea that set off a spark that you brought to life– is a crazy amazing accomplishment.
And that fact alone should bolster you with all the strength and all the perseverance you need for the future. I'm cheering for you every step of the way.
