How to Overcome Odds and Persevere to Establish Your Business The more you fail, the more techniques you'd know to rise up again, and return stronger
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Odds would become the order of the day when you start your business. Unruly life, unlikely outcomes and unknown obstacles make the milestones on the long road to success. While most odds would be external, the others would be internal. Internal odds are easier to overcome than the external ones. If you're prepared as a warrior from the inside, it would be easier to combat the outer world. Wouldn't it?
Always remember, in Martin Luther King's words, "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." That's the simple mantra you need to abide by as an entrepreneur when it comes to keeping at your inner calling.
Be aware
Awareness is the first step to success. As an entrepreneur, you must be aware of the unruly life and know that the challenges are the norm. Being mentally aware would then bridge the expectation-reality gap and you'd be ready to take up the hustle.
Self-belief is that weapon from your arsenal which would empower you to win the battle with the external odds. Most of the entrepreneurs believe that they're subjected with criticism and opinions only until idea validation stage. Then they realize that no matter where the company is, they might have to deal with beliefs contradictory to their own, and convince the world about the vision they believe in. However, to be so focused and headstrong, you must have a very strong belief in your potential and your goals. This self-belief must be constant and unwavering much after the 1000th day too.
Keep learning
Learning is a constant loop, it never ends. Learn from the mistakes made in the past to build the future than crib about clients who would not pay or partners who would not stand by when need be. You've had your tragedies, so have the others. Anytime you feel bogged down, pat yourself on the back, get up, learn and move on. Where? Forward. Period.
Fail to rise
Success tastes the sweetest after a series of failures, and remember, every success is preceded by failure. As a child, you'd fall a thousand times before you would confidently walk on your feet someday. Similarly, don't be afraid to fail. The more you fail, the more techniques you'd know to rise up again, and return stronger.
Focus on where you've to reach. Also, never forget where you've come from. Celebrate success, however small, with your team. When your focus is at the right place, your dream and the action plan to achieve it, all the obstacles and circumstances become irrelevant.
Invest your time with someone that you look up to as your mentor. It could be your investor or simply a teacher. During the entrepreneurial days, good and bad, you'd be able to reach out to them without hesitation, and you would not feel alone after all. Also, believing that someone can guide you better than you can guide yourself keeps you grounded and never lets your ego take too much control of you.
How about the external odds, you might think?
External circumstance would never really be under your control so why not make the most of your inner strength and persevere to establish your business?
