Just Keep Moving: The Necessity of Perseverance

What is the most important character trait for an entrepreneur who wants to start their own business?

Pat Dossett, cofounder of startup Madefor, believes that attribute is perseverance.

Madefor is a company that helps its members improve their mental, physical, and emotional health through a ten-month program where each month focuses on a single attribute. And while Madefor publicly launched one week before the pandemic began — a less than ideal time to start a new business — Pat’s perseverance has helped the company make it through an unexpectedly tough beginning.

Pat has accomplished many things over the years, from becoming a Navy SEAL to starting his own business, but he doesn’t credit his success to intelligence or luck. Instead, he attributes his achievements to perseverance and grit, qualities that distinguish his business as much as his personal work ethic.

During our recent podcast, Pat talks about how perseverance has shaped his life personally and professionally. Below are some ways that perseverance can keep your business moving forward.

Navigating expectations versus reality

Both in the good and the bad, reality rarely lives up to our expectations. As an entrepreneur, you have expectations for what your business will look like and how you fit into that picture. The key is to temper those high expectations by focusing on the process.

Through his many ventures, Pat has found that reality never quite matched up with his initial expectations. Sometimes things turned out better, and sometimes they were worse.

But those expectations are what motivated Pat to keep working toward his goals, even through tough times: “I had this romanticized vision of what this was going to be like, and I was excited about that and I was excited about the big challenges ahead, and that gave me the incentive to do the deliberate, day-to-day work.”

Without expectation, you have no motivation to accomplish your goals. However, focusing wholly on your expectations tends to lead to disappointment. Allow your expectations to motivate you, but attain long-term fulfillment by putting your main focus and energy toward the process of achieving your goals, rather than the end result.

Don’t undervalue the power of a small step

During training to become a Navy SEAL, every candidate has to endure what’s called “hell week,” where they are pushed to their absolute limits.

What got Pat through hell week during his Navy SEAL training, and also through business school and starting his own company, was his ability to break down his big goals into individual, more manageable steps.

Looking too long at your overarching goal can overwhelm even the toughest business owner. But if you take that end goal and turn it into some smaller, tangible achievements, you can move forward one step at a time and before you know it, you will have hit that major goal that felt so unreachable.

How do you break down a big goal? By splitting it piece by piece.

Turn your big picture idea into two or three smaller objectives, then break down each of those smaller objectives into even smaller, more manageable steps.

If you have a major goal, whether it is 6 months or 5 years away, break it down and put your energy toward a simple, doable next step. You will end up accomplishing much more with less stress.

Let your passion drive you

When your goals feel impossible to reach and difficulties lay in every direction, one thing can keep you moving forward: your passion.

After Pat left the Navy, he decided to go to business school, but in order to get into his preferred school, he needed a high enough GMAT score. He ended up taking the math section of the GMAT test seven times before finally getting the score he needed.

Pat was willing to put in the work to pass that test because he knew what he wanted for his future and was willing to work for it. The choices he has made throughout his life — joining the Navy SEALs, getting into business school, starting Madefor — have all reflected that same passion and belief in himself.

For success in the long run, Pat said you have to be driven by an idea you are truly passionate about: “Whatever you decide to do, make sure that it’s something you really believe in and that you’re really passionate about because if you’re not, you’re not going to be able to rally the energy or the resources required to see it through.”

Determine what drives you and use that to your advantage, because passion can help you persevere even when the odds are against you.

Becoming is better than being

For Pat, perseverance also means continuous growth, a belief he has put to the test in his own company over the last year. Since Madefor publicly launched a week before the pandemic, they ended up working through the kinks of a new company alongside transitions to a lockdown lifestyle for their members.

For Pat though, this year of growth has been worth the difficulties: “This year has been a big test for us, but I would say more than a test, it’s been just an incredible opportunity to figure out what ‘right’ looks like and take steps in that direction.”

Madefor teaches that “becoming is better than being,” a strategy that has been implemented in Madefor’s own business practices.

While growth, or “becoming,” is uncomfortable and takes more work than simply “being,” your company needs to continue to push toward progress. No matter how successful your company is, there will always be room for growth and improvement.

What are some areas your company could improve in? How can you implement lasting, positive change in your business?

Facing the road ahead

Obstacles are an expected part of life, especially for entrepreneurs. Most obstacles can be overcome, but in order to achieve those wins, you have to be determined to succeed, even in the face of failure.

Perseverance has been Pat’s biggest asset in achieving his goals. Many of Pat’s successes have come about through sheer determination and will, something he says every business owner needs.

When challenges lay in your path — and there are many challenges for a business owner — just keep moving forward. If you can rise to meet your challenges again and again, eventually you will overcome them.