Think You Can Win the Triple Crown?
It’s possible when you start with Community — Connection — Confidence
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” (African Proverb).
I talk about the ups and downs of the entrepreneur lifestyle, a lot. As written previously, running a startup is an emotional circus. There could even be more bad days than good for long stretches of time. If you find it hard to stay firmly pointed in the right direction during tough periods, you must be doing it right, because the entrepreneur adventure is tough.
I don’t follow horse racing’s Triple Crown series, but I do participate in the grueling race of entrepreneurism. A feat that requires Community, Connection and Confidence.
Shout out to Patrick Lor from Panache Ventures for taking the time to speak with me on my very first episode of LinkedUp on LinkedIn. Patrick is a successful entrepreneur-turned VC-turned angel investor. We discussed the 3 C’s of the entrepreneurial Triple Crown and agree that without Community, Connection and Confidence, your business endeavors are going to fall painfully short.
C #1 — Community: The definition of a true community is having people who actually know and care about you in your inner circle. Your professional community does not have to be made up of your best friends, but it does have to include people with whom you have a shared interest and a “we’re in this together” type of comradery. You spend a lot of time as an entrepreneur in the valley. In the lows. During these stretches, you should feel comfortable sharing with your community that you are running out of capital, or lost a key person on your team, or whatever challenge is plaguing your mood and your mindset. Your community will run towards you with words of encouragement and solutions to lift you up. Also, when you win, and you’re on top of the mountain, these same people are more excited than you are. They have traveled the journey with you, and they have the perspective you likely lack to appreciate how far you’ve come. Of course, the opposite is also true. When someone else in your community is in the valley, you run towards him or her to help in any way you can.
Community cannot be bought and it cannot be faked. You need to contribute to it, invest in it, authentically, before you can get anything out of it.
C #2 — Connection: Entrepreneurs have a searing tendency to get lost in their businesses. Too busy. Too many to-do’s. It’s difficult to stay connected to friends and family. Remember to pick your head up every few days. Take a walk. Call your mom. Maintain curiosity in what other people are doing and in current events. You can’t grow if you’re not learning, and you won’t be truly successful without others in your court. When you reach some success, you might get lazy about meeting new people, but that is precisely the time to leave your bunker and receive all the advice, criticism, help and inspiration from the outside world.
We’re more than what we do for a living. And it’s the “more” part that makes what we do for a living so much more fulfilling.
C #3 — Confidence: My definition of confidence has evolved over time. I used to think it was all about entering the room with the most swagger. That appearing confident was as good as being confident in order to close a deal. Not so! There is such thing as genuine confidence, and it’s so much more effective than the BS I was batting around for too many years. I understand now that at its root, confidence comes from having options. If one investor or potential client doesn’t buy into what you’ve got on the table, no problem. You’ve got a line out the door of other people who do believe in your mission and what you offer. No desperate sales pitch. No giving into unreasonable concessions to win the business. You are confident to walk away, because you’ve got options in spades. BUT, options don’t just materialize from nothing.
Options come from a deep and dialed-in community.
Your closest networks are going to recommend your services to their connections, and they are going to talk you up whenever they get the chance, creating more options for you to tap into.
The Race is On
Through the lens of entrepreneurship, it is so important to tap into the trifecta of career success. Whether you are a horse trainer, a Major League baseball player, or a wild startup guru, capturing the Triple Crown is not easy. But remember, anyone brave enough to go for it would also say it’s worth trying.
Unlock the power within the Triple Crown and finally realize your long-term career plans. Sprint if you must for short-term gains, but bring your community along for the ride in order to reach your largest, loftiest, long-shot goals.
=======
One more thing — clapping lets me know this post has offered up some value, and it helps others see it, too. One clap, two claps, 20 claps. All good. Follow @RyanGillShares on Facebook for even more daily-ish video and written content created to help entrepreneurs and solopreneurs win in today’s Sharing Economy.
