Entrepreneurship in Pandemic

It’s not necessarily a secret. Being an Entrepreneur has a lot of potential upside. Entrepreneurship also has a dark side; one that is not talked about nearly enough in my opinion.

In coaching new entrepreneurs I usually say that the highs of business ownership are unbelievably high; but beware the lows are also unbelievably low. Many, myself included, wade into the risk regardless. We believe that either through an abundance of self confidence or delusion (possibly both) that we can beat the odds against us and be successful in our enterprise.

We weigh the risks versus the benefits and launch.

COVID-19 has presented a unique challenge to many. In some cases it has caused companies to experience explosive growth. In other cases it has caused a massive drop. In some cases COVID-19 has caused businesses to instantly cease. It’s unlike anything I have seen in 20 years of running a business.

Here is the dilemma I see: The entrepreneurs who weighed the risk and started a business could not have foreseen the unbalancing risk and reward that COVID-19 has wrought upon us. The challenges of running a business skyrocketed almost overnight with very little warning.

Over time, I have come to realize that your skills as an Entrepreneur and your outcomes are not necessarily linked; a lot of random factors go into whether or not your business succeeds. COVID-19 is a big, random factor. I have been experiencing increased anxiety and stress even as I accept the randomness that COVID-19 brings.

I have spoken to several Entrepreneurs that feel the same.

So why am I writing this?

I have a request for you. Yes, you.

If you know a business owner please reach out and ask them how they’re doing. And then ask them “No, really, how are you doing? For real.” And then listen. And, if you feel inclined, let them know that you think they’re awesome and thank them for their work.

The reason you have to ask twice is that you learn pretty early on that admitting weakness is a huge problem as a business owner. It’s why every time you ask a business owner how things are going they will say “Great!” and give some random statistic that supports that. “Sales are up! Having a great year! We just launched a new product!”

You see, if you admit that you’re weak and struggling then it’s a red flag that can be exploited by your competitors, or it can cause staff to jump ship, or for customers to worry about your longevity.

I believe that one of the reasons that Entrepreneurship has that dark side is that we are trained from day one that asking for help is weakness, and weakness means death.

That’s why I need you to take the lead to reach out to your business owner friends and ask them how they’re doing. And then ask how they’re really doing.

And if you’re a business owner reading this and want to reach out - I’m a message away.