Recently we just went through some of our most challenging experiences as a three year old start-up. Without boring you with the details suffice it to say for the past weeks we’ve done nothing but feel like we’re fighting the wars – and at times weren’t sure if we were losing the battle or winning it. Well, the jury is out on if we won or not…however, for the time being all is quiet on the Western front, and we’re thanking our lucky stars we’ve made it through. We’re a little battle weary for sure, however at the same time…we’re exilerated as a company. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right?
Everyone comes across challenges like that when they are in business, it’s a part of life and it’s a part of business. Whether you’re a woman in business or a man – you can’t avoid it and if you’re an optimistic type of person you learn to see challenges as growing opportunities and chances to further solidify your ability to obtain and maintain success.
Just like a romantic relationships, it is easy to love being in business when things are going great. After all – who doesn’t like and prefer something pleasant? It is when the going morphs from rough to really bad – that you find out if you’re “over it” or there’s something worth holding onto. Difficult times have an uncanny ability to force clarity, focus and direction – which direction may not be entirely in your control however your attitude and ability to stay the course is what’s going to make the difference between hitting the iceberg – and avoiding it.
In retrospect a combination of factors helped us weather the storm. There’s no doubt about it great clients, good advisors, good friends and indulgence in a few strategically booked spa treatments definitely played a hand in getting us through. Some key steps also defined themselves along the way and we thought it might be helpful to share them with you. They aren’t all our own ideas – more our take on some pretty proven steps to take when faced with a debilitating challenge and how to help you climb the mountain successfully versus just stand in fear and intimidation, paralyzed at the task.
Steps to weather the storm when being in business gets tough
#1 – No time like the present to re-evaluate your true value proposition.
How committed (personally and as an organization as a whole) are you really?
This means – if you’re selling cakes and the cake business is in flux – figure out – is it really cakes you want to make and why and how you can go about doing the best darned job ever at it. If it’s not cakes you want to make – then perhaps better to ignore the following steps until you determined what you really want to do when you grow up. There’s no sense in wasting energy on a project you’re not passionate and convinced about. It will never be truly successful, and passion is what is going to get you through this. No passion…well, you get the picture.
#2 – Determine what you can’t change (and how to deal with it) but more importantly what you CAN change.
There’s no sense in wasting energy and resources on things you can’t affect. You’ll spin your wheels to death, burn your motor and get nowhere. What CAN you do? HOW should you go about it? Where’s the most important place to put your energy? What do you do really well, and can still do to prove you’re still viable. Don’t be manic – be purposeful. What you need to be thinking about is what you can do to fix this (successful entrepreneurs like seasoned sailors relish adverse conditions – it’s what separates the amateurs from the pro’s). Enough said – now get to it.
#3 – What are the “absolute deliverables” you must accomplish to stay a viable business?
If you sell coffee and some act of God or incredible bad luck is preventing you from serving up a cup – better figure out why that is and what you can do about it. In the meantime – your customer’s thirsty…what do you do? Well, if your tea service is great – now’s the time to talk it up…While you’re figuring out how to solve the coffee issue – having viable alternatives that can address your customer’s immediate needs…is a great way to force yourself into diversifying your business…and buying you time while you fix the coffee issue. The cup of tea is called having a back up plan B, C and eventually D. Don’t have a tea alternative? Well then, now is the time to face the music that you probably didn’t have a very solid plan for your coffee business to begin with and stop right here. You’ve got bigger things to fry and I don’t mean fish. What does this mean? Time to get back to the basics and rebuild as fast as you can- properly.
#4 – Be brave and pro-actively communicate with your major clients, vendors and partners
Burying your head in the sand won’t make it go away and just like in sports it is always better to make contact with the moving object coming towards you than just letting it hit you – if that makes any sense. They will respect you for your honesty and their loyalty will grow as a result. They might also be able to help you – never underestimate that. You may lose some customers – make your peace with that.But don’t lose them without a fight, and do everything reasonable to keep their business. Most of all – don’t blame them. Blame is negative and bad karma. Besides, if you were a client, and you weren’t getting what you expected how would you react?
At the very least let this unfortunate happening teach you something about compassion…there’s a place for it in business and next time when your vendor or service provider has an unexpected glitch – be human. As for the customers who stick by you…love them forever for it. No customers = no business.
#5 – Speaking of help – Time to ask for it
We tend to want to do things ourselves, we feel asking for help is a sign of weakness. But being a great leader – involves knowing when you can’t do it alone – and not being afraid to find the resources to make up for what you may lack. We’ve all got infinite potential resources around us – we just often tend to be so busy we just overlook them. Don’t be afraid to reach out – you may find you have more help than you thought and you and your business can only benefit from that.
#6 – Do something nice – be good to yourself – reward yourself for “Sticking with it”
During a storm – what gets many crews through is morale, and team spirit. If you’re a team of one – find things that make you feel good, and do them. If you’re a group or larger organization – do silly, funny things to keep people smiling and foster a sense of “we’re all in this together” versus everyone crying over the miserable woe of it. Attitude is half the battle. Turn getting through this into a competition with yourself…talk yourself repeatedly into being able to do it. Sounds crazy but it works…and what have you got to lose you’re already deep in doo doo right? Why not try it?
#7 Be grateful for the experience and be open to the lessons you’re meant to learn from it
Everything happens for a reason – and you need to remember that. Random acts of God can be a reason you’re going through a tough time – but usually the reason you’re going through the tough time is because you didn’t anticipate this happening…and that’s why you’re knee deep in it. Find a way out of this Houdini of a business problem and you will have at the very least learned how to do it again and perhaps more importantly how to avoid every going through it again…That’s priceless. Being able to welcome that kind of lesson (even if you didn’t plan it) and make lemonade out of the lemons is what sets a true successful person apart from others who just muse about what it looks like be successful.
Which one will YOU be?
We also found this article on SelfGrowth.com by William G. Covington, Jr. PhD about the correlation between Perseverance and Excellence.
We hope you enjoy it…
“Some people call it dogged determination, others view it as focus; still some label it as tenacity. Whatever the phenomenon is called, it is a character trait that is consistently found among people who achieve the outcome they’re seeking. It’s staying with the task until the job is done. Writing in the 1870s, Presbyterian clergyman William C. McCune advised, “If a man has any brains at all, let him hold on to his calling, and, in the grand sweep of things, his turn will come at last.”
Samuel Johnson had a similar view of the value of perseverance when he wrote, “All the performances of human art, at which we look with praise or wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance.” There have been so many cases of this truth illustrated in history that it is something of a common realization, however with human nature being prone to forgetfulness, we have to remind ourselves of the power associated with simply not giving up.
Perseverance begins with belief, an idea, and a thought. That is the seed from which action grows. As action is taken, if the challenge is difficult enough, there comes a tempting time of giving up. This sometimes takes the form of distraction. But the person who is persistent will stick with the work at hand until the desired results are reached. “
To read the article in its entirety click here.