9 Lessons Entrepreneurship Will Teach You

Once upon a time, my wife Jenna, myself, and our three children under the age of ten moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles, had another baby, and bought our first home together. Thiswe think, It’s the perfect time to quit our jobs and start a business! [eyeroll]

The idea of ​​our company, Be brave, was born during the facilitation of a session with a client when the team was in disagreement while exploring the future of their business. This George Prince quote was on the wall: “Another word for creativity is courage.”

I realized that many of us get caught up in old thought and actions when we lack the conditions to be creative and courageous.

A question arose for me: “What would a world with an abundance of courage look like? How can I help create it?”

With my experience in marketingstrategy and facilitation, and Jenna at psychology, human resources and operations, we founded our business consultancy, Be Courageous. Every year we have grown. Each year our impact has expanded. Every year we have learned.

Here are some of our biggest takeaways for those of you in your entrepreneurial travel.

Related: The 7 business lessons you must learn at 30

9 lessons from five years of learning

As any reader here knows, starting and running a business is a piece of cake. Say oh!

Truly, this is what we learned, having grown our US business from two to a global organization with dozens of customers and more than 35 network partners while positively impacting nearly 1 million people in 82 countries.

1. Agility

One of our most in-demand programs with Fortune 500 companies this year has been our training in agile leadership. When you own your own business, the unexpected it will happen. A successful entrepreneur adapts to new challenges and situations and creates lemonade from lemons.

We have created programs that we never thought we would do in response to what the world has needed from us.

Have a solid plan, but be flexible.

Related: These are the basic elements needed to successfully boost your business

2. Purpose

Our goal is to activate the courage in companies around the world and align them with a beneficial future for the planet. Yours could be to improve the mental health of mankind or decrease people’s stress by creating a more user-friendly product. whatever you are target That is, make sure that you are deeply passionate about it and that it drives your actions.

Use the strength of your purpose to have courage through challenges.

3. Superpowers (and kryptonite)

We find more success when we identify and focus on our greatest strengths. We aligned our strengths with our values ​​and the services we wanted to provide to our clients to solve a problem they were facing.

For example, me superpower is guiding companies to realize their potential and their future. My kryptonite is tripping over the micro details of spreadsheets. That’s where Jenna comes in. Manage operations with she superpower of keeping our company financially stable, growing and on the ground. I’m the visionary, and she makes it happen.

Align your superpowers with your business goals and values. Find people who have superpowers that you lack.

Related: Find your flow through deep work and unlock your superpower

4. Curiosity

In a world that changes exponentially, have an open mind It is the key to running a successful business. Be curious about skills you don’t have and new ways to solve problems. Challenges will arise, but if your curiosity remains at its peak, you will always arrive at the solution positively. Ask: “What is the courage it takes in this situation?”

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it fuels the growth of the company. (We’re a dog company, anyway, no offense to the cats.)

5. Healthy company culture

Create a team that feels safe, strong, empowered and able to share and receive ideas. When you foster personal connections with your team and your clients (yes, business is personal), you will prosper beyond competitors who are only in it for the money.

Develop a positive company culture to unlock the full potential of your team.

Related: 4 Ways Leaders Can Create an Award-Winning Corporate Culture

6. Operational base

While you don’t want to get bogged down in systems and processes, your business won’t thrive without a solid operating foundation. Gain an understanding of the legal, financial and team infrastructure.

Stay pragmatic and, as we like to say, “aggressively conservative.” We jump, but only with a net.

Build systems to streamline your business, so you can focus on serving your customers.

7. Integrity

Many people make empty promises, which erodes trust overtime. It is much better to over-deliver on your word. Pay what you say you will, rather than what you say you will. We have established deep and trusting relationships with our clients. We encourage community.

We get callbacks five years after doing a show with a client because we don’t burn bridges; we build them.

Show up with your heart, don’t be an idiot and keep your word.

Related: Understanding the burden of trust for business leaders

8. Optimism

Never doubt what you can achieve, but don’t be disappointed. Approach everyone you can as a holistic human being, putting prejudices aside. Assume a positive intent and look for positive solutions. Expect people to do their best until proven otherwise. And even then, be kind when ending any relationship.

Work and live from a place of abundance, not scarcity.

9. Conscious Hiring

be thoughtful about who you bring to your organization.

we hired a writes of person, not just because of the exact level of expertise we need. We hire people who are in love with our vision. A person who can adapt and learn with us. Who is willing to work for a shared purpose.

Hire the right puzzle piece for your vision, not just how it looks on paper.

Related: Why kindness should be part of your hiring process

Bottom line

Owning your own business is not for the faint of heart. It is an ebb and flow of successes and learnings. But 20 years from now, if you look back, would you regret not doing something about your big, hot idea?

Fear will never go away, but when the desire to fulfill your purpose overcomes the fear of the risks involved, that’s when you know you’re cut out to be an entrepreneur.