Is Hustle the New Dirty Word?
By Sally Coldrick and Rachel Hentsch from InfinityFoundry
When you think of hustlers, does it make you think of dodgy car salesmen (or worse)? There is a shady hue to the word that gives it a bad name, but not in the world of entrepreneurs. The reality is that hustling is now a standard ‘verb’ for entrepreneurs.
Welcome to snippet 2 of ‘Travel the undulating road of our crowdfunding journey with us’, where we want to further explore with you the concept of hustling.
HUSTLING: an ASSET, not a FLAW
Raising funding, finding the RIGHT co-founders, conducting primary market research — these all require an element of ‘hustle’. The ability to hustle, and hustle well, is the new must-have skill. In the startup world in particular, hustling IS selling, just on a deeply personal level. When you sell a product or service for a company that you simply work for, you don’t have the liability and exposure that come with doing it as an Entrepreneur. In the latter case, your own credibility — not someone else’s — is on the line. Not to mention your next rent or mortgage payment.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO SWITCH INTO ‘HUSTLE MODE’?
What if it does not come naturally to you? How do you tap into your creativity to trick yourself into hustling? We can cheat and say in the words of Nike, ‘just do it’. But it takes so much more than that.
- First, you have to actually believe in what you are doing, one hundred per cent.
- Then, you must to respond to ALL opportunities, quickly and strategically — don’t waste them: what might come across as a setback can in fact turn out to be an occasion to learn and to grow (read about how we took critique in our stride as a way to improve our content in our previous article).
- Thirdly, be bold, but stay humble and true to yourself: thank people who give you feedback, keep them engaged as a way of turning them into champions of your cause — whether it be about crowdfunding, or creating a business.
Keep looking forward and moving on: don’t let the stumbling blocks get you lingering in disempowered, self-pity, mode. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and carry on. Not everyone will love and approve what you do, so let those people politely fall by the wayside — and keep your eyes set on your goal.
Be ready for surprises, both good and bad: high expectations can lead to disappointment (e.g. your best friend does not support your undertaking), but on the other hand very supportive people come out of the woodwork!
What we have learnt in the course of our crowdfunding experience however, is that the more you practise getting out of your comfort zone, the easier it then becomes.
This becomes a clear sign that you have grown into a larger version of yourself.
PERCEPTIONS OF HUSTLING
We asked around to find out what the word ‘hustle’ means to a sample of Entrepreneurs around the world (more to come on this soon). Answers varied from ‘trying, trying, trying until you succeed’; ‘fighting relentlessly, everyday”; “putting yourself ‘all in’ to win” through to ‘hustling is the talent of working hard in moments where everyone else gives up’. We agree with all of these.
For some, hustling is a natural state. For the rest of us, ‘hustling’ requires us to be in a state of tension — one that (in many of us) propels/forces us to act outside of our comfort zone. An idea without action is just an idea. Being deeply passionate about an idea or a cause will drive action, even in the shiest of us. But there is another factor. Grit. You can learn just how gritty you are on Angela Duckworth’s Grit site.
NEED MORE OF A PUSH?
Watch Gary Vaynerchuk for 2 minutes, this can get you smack bang into the zone. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
We are fast approaching the last day of our INDIEGOGO Crowdfunding Campaign. We have hustled like crazy during the whole month of August,and we are still at it — right up until the end. So… [hustle mode ON]
if you have enjoyed this article and found it useful,
or
if you feel like scratching your generosity itch today
PLEASE don’t feel shy ! Click here and make your very welcome contribution to our cause.
And whatever YOU are hustling for, keep going — we will be! Because the road to success is not a straight line.
