In our prior blogs, we’ve talked about the ups and downs of riding the wave – the wave of business. We’ve talked about the fact that entrepreneurs often want to do different things at different times. Part of this is there are going to be waves. There are going to be times where your business is going to feel like it’s moving very, very, quickly. Everything is changing, things are evolving, things are happening. Then there’s going to be times when you feel like things are waiting. I can’t explain why there are ups and downs. All I can do is tell you that they’re normal.
After talking to a number of entrepreneurs, I can tell you there’s certainly these periods of ups and downs. People take time to react, particularly if you’re moving up in the market. If you’re being successful, you’re probably getting involved in new and different things as your business grows and as your capabilities increase. Your customers are probably growing and changing. It takes awhile. It’s a stair step. Often you’ll do certain things to raise to another level, and it will take the market awhile to react and to determine that, yes, you have accomplished getting to that next level. Once people see that you’re at that level, then you’ll gain new customers, new footholds, and things will quickly speed up again.
You, as the entrepreneur, need to know that there is a roller coaster, and that you’re going to be riding it. Not every day is going to be up. Not every day is going to be down. There is often a correlation. Sometimes you’ll have a long period of flat days. You’ll have a period of declining days. You’ll have a period of increasing days. When everything is increasing, you can love riding that wave. Of course, with experience, you’ll know the wave will come to an end at some point. On the reverse side, when you’re on a down wave, you need to have the experience and the intestinal fortitude to know the down wave is going to end also.
Entrepreneurship is a journey. It is going to have ups and downs. You just need to stick to your path. Keep moving towards the future, and understand that you can get there.
What’s been your experience with the entrepreneurial roller coaster? What have been some of your hardest times to get through? What have been your moments of great breakthroughs? Share it in the comments below. Let’s discuss and learn from one another.