We have all heard about famous business success tales. A founder starts a business, achieves overnight success, scales quickly, and the rags to riches story comes to life. Many people think it cannot be that difficult to achieve that degree of success in the same way they did, right? No, reality turns out to be slot more complex than it appears. Not all startups succeed. Entrepreneurship is a difficult path to pursue, and it takes many rainy days before the owner sees rainbows and sunshine.
Fortunately, the world has produced a number of remarkable individuals who have gone on to achieve great success, like Charles Iheagwara. He founded IntrusionWorld Conference and Expo Services which was acquired by Unatek, Inc. in 2006. He was able to successfully change Unatek, Inc. from an environmental engineering firm to a software integration and cybersecurity firm. Charles is an advisor to a number of firms, including IntrusionOnline, a Cyber security analysis service that commercialized his patent. He is a member of the TransGlobal Systems board of directors. He was recognized “Business Innovator of the Year” by the Maryland-India Business Roundtable in 2007 for his pioneering efforts.
He often discussed the challenges of being an entrepreneur and offered his experiences in the aim of encouraging prospective entrepreneurs to take the next step in their careers.
- Flipping Fear Around
If you want to make a power play, you must overcome any associated fear and begin to think differently. The fear of not attracting clients, the fear of both failing and succeeding, and the fear of simply looking silly are all common fears. While imagining the worst-case scenario can be useful in preparing for forthcoming problems, most of the time it is just brilliant self-sabotage that keeps us from reaching our full potential. As a result, we must become aware of our fear and then transform it into optimism. If you keep thinking, “I am not going to obtain any clients”, change your mindset to, “I am going to attract a lot of clients,” and come up with a plan.
- Work-Life Balance
One of the most difficult aspects of running a business is maintaining a decent work-life balance during the first few years. You will become fanatical, obsessed, and driven to make things go your way — and you will not be alone in this. Many entrepreneurs think the same way, but we make the error of assuming that if our success isn’t guaranteed, we’ll have to incorporate all elements of our lives into our business – which, frankly, isn’t good for you in the long term.
- The Shift of Energy
A shift in energy occurs when major decisions are made. You will lose critical energy with each passing day, week, and year that you put off making a decision. When you make a decision, however, your energy alters because you’ve aligned yourself with what’s best for you.
- Unpleasant Emotions
Some individuals do not quit because they’re terrified of the reaction of others, of having to have uncomfortable conversations, or of being unable to handle the emotions that may arise — and as a result, years are wasted avoiding the life we desire. Make the move because you will thank yourself for it later.
- Choose a Date
It is our instinct to keep putting things off, to keep defending ourselves. So, if you are dead set on quitting your work, it is critical not just to declare your intention, but also to set a date for it – to make a decision, since decisions have power. Then consider whether there are any reasons why it cannot be accomplished in half the time. You’d be astonished at how many people make major decisions more quickly after considering that simple question.