Everyday challenges entrepreneurs face

By Mark Harrison
Optimism . . . optimism . . . optimism . . . it’s an entrepreneur’s hallmark. Pour only an ounce of water into a 10 gallon jug and ask entrepreneurs if the jug is almost empty or half full, and you’ll hear “half full” nearly every time. No wonder so many entrepreneurs on the Food Network’s Restaurant Impossible are still hanging in there, white knuckles and all, even after they sink half a million dollars into debt.

Overcoming challenges and fulfilling entrepreneurial goals

The very thing that entices you to become an entrepreneur, can also send you drifting into delusion. It’s one of the great challenges an entrepreneur faces. You expect your business to take off as soon as you hang an “Open For Business” sign on the door. When you read about successful blogs and online storefronts, you immediately assume that you’ll enjoy similar experiences.


What you may not know is how many years of hard labor, resilience, persistence, analyzing and change successful entrepreneurs have put in. Forget the “sure feels good” motivational speeches. Lasting success rarely comes overnight.

Other challenges entrepreneurs face include:

• Focusing on money more than people. Whether your business is built on a product or service platform, if you don’t give people what they want, you may not go far. Regardless of what you do, your job (whether you want it to be or not) is to serve someone else, to help make someone else’s life better.
• Trying to do everything yourself. There may be no better way to burnout than to try to wear every job hat. Learn to delegate. Let other people put some skin in the game.
• Getting discouraged at the first sign of a setback. Face it. Running a business is not child’s play. There may be many setbacks, mistakes and lessons to learn along the way to enduring success. If you quit when the going gets rough, you may have loads of mistakes but few rewards.
• Untrained or low-skilled staff. A talented firm of self-motivated workers can take your company to the top. Not only should you hire skilled, experienced workers, people who have a positive attitude, you should also be willing to get your employees the necessary training they need.
• Believing in magic. Expecting financial snafus to correct themselves out of the blue or for employee morale to receive a boost simply because you closed early the day before a holiday can get you into trouble. Analyze situations and make wise decisions. Also, be willing to reach out to specialists as needed.

Listening to naysayers (these might be ex-entrepreneurs who gave up on their previous businesses) instead of trusting your gut is another challenge entrepreneurs face. If you know you’re meant to do something, stick with it. However, be flexible, as you might have to change your approach several times as you journey closer to the fulfillment of your business goals.

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