An open letter to aspiring entrepreneurs: never give up  

When I was younger, I didn’t want to be an entrepreneur. I saw it as a fruitless and thankless profession. To me, it seemed boring. That was before my eyes were open to what entrepreneurship is really about. So, this is an open letter to aspiring entrepreneurs. I wish when I was starting out I found something like this. A blog post that would give me the much needed reality check I needed. That’s why I’m here. To give you a reality check. One that will help you understand a few things.

This is what you should know. Since this is an open letter to aspiring entrepreneurs, I want to be honest. Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. When I started I was like everyone should to do this. No. Not everyone should be an entrepreneur. They are a lot of reasons. First is that it isn’t the easiest thing to do. Many days, you will be broke before you make money. They will be a time when you want to chop your hair off or throw your computer at the wall. See. That’s how frustrating it can be. How nerve wrecking it is? This open letter to aspiring entrepreneurs: I need you to see the bad before I encourage you. Because for those who stick around and truly want to be an entrepreneur, I want to help you not to give up.

Another bad thing about entrepreneurship is the early mornings. If you like sleeping in bed, then yeah, entrepreneurship isn’t for you. Now, some people are natural morning or evening people. They wake up early or sleep until late. You are an owl or a lark. As they say. Entrepreneurship takes it one step ahead. I am a lark. So I sleep early around 8 pm and wake up earlier, around 3:30 am. Now, imagine doing this daily. Whether you want to. Maybe you can do this here and there. I have to push myself to wake up even when I don’t want to.

These are a few tidbits I have. They are more. But now for those who want to stick with it. This open letter to aspiring entrepreneurs will help you to never give. Because that’s what we need, the motivation to keep pushing and not throw in the towel. Entrepreneurship is a lonely road. One full of potholes and obstacles, but it’s worth it.

The journey is worth it

The journey is never ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment  – Antonio Brown

Way back in 2018, I started a blog. That was the start of something wondrous. It’s been said that life comprises moments. Moments that teach us so much about ourselves. That is what entrepreneurship is. This is an open letter to aspiring entrepreneurs who have felt that they are missing a mark. I need you to realize that the journey doesn’t stop. It’s never ending. You will always have growth and improvement. I had to go through massive adversity to come to where I was. It wasn’t easy. Not by far. But I have learned so much about myself because of that.

I chose not to give up, and I was rewarded with improvement. Often we are stuck on the financial rewards and don’t realize that they are other rewards as well. I will not tell you the journey was easy. If I did that, would the journey be worth it? I always say that if you could wish to be anything, would it be worth it? Often, the answer to that is no. It would cease to be worth it. 

Why? Because you didn’t earn it, so you don’t deserve it. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. That’s just a fact of life. Something that often we forget to acknowledge. This open letter to aspiring entrepreneurs will make you realize the journey will lead you to destinations you never imagined. 

 Also Related: The Incredible Truth About Emotional Intelligence and Entrepreneurship

Your Why and How?

We all have dreams. Things that we imagine. I have had many dreams as a child. One point I wanted to be an actress than a psychologist and the list goes on. I never stuck with one thing until I found entrepreneurship. It was because entrepreneurship was bigger than I could imagine. This is an open letter to aspiring entrepreneurs, who are also dreamers. We are the future. Entrepreneurship, that is. It’s the future of the world. Why? Because entrepreneurs have grand dreams. They want to make the world a better place. To inspire and encourage.

So, it all comes to your why. If your why and how aren’t strong enough. Let me elaborate. You need a bold why. One that showcases why you are doing this. Why do you want to make the world a better place? Why do you want to be an entrepreneur? For me, I wanted to inspire millennials who don’t fit into the typical profession bracket that there was another way. I also wanted to encourage those who hated the 9-5 that they can in fact start a business and make money. My how was through stories on my blog and using media to encourage, inspire and inform. Your why will differ from mine and that’s a great thing.

Your why should be personal to you. That way, it will have room to grow and improve. Your why should also have a target audience. That helps you to narrow it down. We all know the saying that if you try to help everyone than you help no one. The same applies here. You got to have a target audience. You want to dedicate your why to.

 Also Related: Do You Know Your Why?

Freedom of choice and time

As hard as entrepreneurship gets, the one thing that keeps pushing me is the freedom that it offers. I can do anything I want. If I decided I wanted to learn to pilot a plane, I could learn how to do that. I dedicate this open letter to aspiring entrepreneurs who want more choice. Here it is. The opportunity to have more freedom.

That there is a gift because most people don’t have freedom. They certainly don’t have options. Entrepreneurship is one of the few careers out there that offers freedom with time and choice. If I wanted to take a three-week break thrice a year, I could. Whereas with a job, unless I worked there for years, I couldn’t and you would always have to seek permission from someone else.

I’ve always been the person who hated that. Seeking permission to take a break. I also hated constraints, so I know entrepreneurship is the right fit for me. It gels well with my personality. I like the freedom. I also want to become financially free and entrepreneurship is the only career that can provide that. When entrepreneurship becomes harder, thinking about the destination helps to push me. Sometimes the destination can seem lofty, so I stick with things that I know would help to get me out of bed. 

We all want freedom. Not all of us will get it. So, to all the aspiring entrepreneurs who feel trapped, entrepreneurship will give you time and choice. That’s not a bad thing. Even before you hit your destination, you can still have freedom of choice. Not time, but choice. The choice to make your decisions. To listen to your gut without being reprimanded if you get it wrong. That’s what I look forward to. Entrepreneurship has opened a world of wonders that used to be closed. It has given me insight that I never knew I needed.

As I’m ending this open letter to aspiring entrepreneurs, I know it will be hard. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, but it is worthwhile. So whenever you want to give up, just remember why you started this. That should help motivate you.  

What is your main takeaway.  Comment below.

                                                      Keep Pushing

                                     Vanessa