An Entrepreneur’s Manifesto: What They Didn’t Tell You
“All I got is dreams, but nobody else believes, nobody else can see, nobody else but me,” raps Jay-Z in his song, “History.” I doubt he intended for these lyrics to be my entrepreneurial mantra, but they are. About a year ago, I began my first legitimate foray into entrepreneurship, hesitantly and out of desperation, but I sat on my idea for six months prior to hitting the gas and turning my dream into reality. Why? For the exact reason Jay raps about.
Chances are if you’re an entrepreneur or hoping to become one you have experienced being the sole person to believe in your dreams. It will, more than likely, be the first struggle in your journey of entrepreneurship; don’t let it deter you.
As time went on, it became increasingly evident that signing up to be my own boss was the surest way to earn myself a ticket for the struggle bus. You will pull more all-nighters than a college student before finals week and I will tell you now, it is difficult to keep following your dreams when you’re never asleep. The all-nighters will be obvious — if you’re like me, you’ll probably start looking like you should be next in line at a methadone clinic.
You will hear more “no’s” than you’re prepared for, and every interaction you have with other entrepreneurs, banks, attorneys or even friends and family will feel like you’re auditioning for Shark Tank.
Speaking of friends, you will lose some. A few may be because they don’t believe in what you’re doing, and you’ll need to cut them loose to move forward. A few may be because they don’t want to work around your schedule and will voluntarily start ghosting. It will happen and there is not much you can do, but not only will you get past it, you will be better for it.
However, stop, collaborate and listen, because there are as many advantages to entrepreneurship as there are hurdles; the biggest being that we live in 2017. Have you ever sat down and just thought about that fact? Allow me to elaborate. When I started my company I had zero dollars for marketing and advertising. I threw up a free Facebook page, added some content about the services we provide, and promoted it in the real world. The results were tremendous.
A couple of months later I took it a step further and, through Facebook and Instagram messages, began reaching out to big dogs in the world of D.C. area entrepreneurship. The results were even better. Social media is a game changer. Utilize it. Our great-grandparents would scold us for not using this not-so-secret weapon to our benefit.
We live in a world that is so inter-connected, I can have daily conversations with salesmen in Toronto and Montreal, a business owner in Slovenia, a motivational speaker in England and app developers right here in Maryland, all at once. Could business owners and entrepreneurs of yesteryear make this claim? Absolutely not.
Becoming an entrepreneur is the most amazing and worthwhile journey I have ever set off on and not a day goes by that doesn’t reaffirm my decision to leave the shackles of a 9 to 5 in exchange for constant struggle, little sleep, high stress, and more bags under my eyes than in a Louis Vuitton store. But, throwing it back to Jay-Z, “I’d rather die enormous, than live dormant.”