HOW TO KEEP GOING WHEN YOU WANT TO THROW IN THE TOWEL.

One of my favorite shows my hubby and I like to watch is Shark Tank on ABC.  Having entrepreneurism in our blood, we can appreciate the struggle of chasing a dream that we see burning inside each of the idea generators asking the sharks for investment in their dream.  It’s not enough to believe in yourself to turn an idea into a profitable business, but you have to convince other people, whether investors or future clients, to believe in you and your gifts as well, and even harder, with what they hold most closely… their money.

Being an entrepreneur is tough some days.  Especially for those who go at it alone, like myself. On the other side of that pretty Instagram post marketing my business, is a lot of things people don’t see behind the scenes like:

• Gathering guts to wake up each morning and pursue a passion.
• Brushing off rejection when sales don’t go through like you thought they would.
• Late hours into the night trying to knock off… just.. one… more… thing… from the never ending TO DO list.
• Handling customer service both the good and the bad.
• The quicksand of emails.  And more emails.  And more emails all needing responses.
• The drudge of bookkeeping and taxes.
• Sacrificing personal time with friends and family because your business needs attention in order to keep paying the bills.

But on the flipside, there are also a lot of rewards like:

• Landing that account that you thought you lost.
• Achieving financial milestones that exceed what you previously made at prior jobs working for someone else.
• When someone compliments your work… makes… it… all… worth… it.
• Getting recognized by industry peers you look up to or publications you only dreamed about getting published in.
• When you see a client cry tears of joy over something you created or were able to help them at.

When I think back to my beginning days taking my first steps as an entrepreneur, this is the piece of advice I would give myself, and I give you fellow #girlbosses today:

You have everything already inside of you to be nothing less than fabulous, don’t let doubt convince you otherwise. You will be able to look back one day in the future and understand the struggles and headaches of today.  The late nights, all consuming obsession are important in the giving birth process, but don’t let it become the norm taking over your life. There will be more failures than successes along the way, but the successes aren’t possible without those failures first, so don’t be so hard on yourself in the process. When you get a success, grab a loved one and do a circle dance, because you earned every cheesy twirl.  Because you dare to do what others aren’t and are trailblazing your own path, it’s a given you will be criticized, but Taylor Swift will one day write a song reminding you to “shake it off.” You will find out some colleague friends are actually frenemies, but it’s ok, it will make you appreciate the true friends that much more. You will want to give up more times than you can count, but when you see what’s still to come, you will be so glad you didn’t throw in the towel during those moments.  If you work from home, it’s ok to work in sweatpants some days, but don’t let comfort make you forget your power. Some days, even if you don’t leave the house, simply require make up and stilettos so you stay in the mindset of the kick butt #girlboss you are.  And most importantly, don’t forget to always continually give it all to God.  He’s the best CEO you can ever have in charge of your dreams. And He promises in Jeremiah 29:11, He has good plans for you, plans to prosper you, if you choose to keep taking those leaps of faith first.

And for a fun extra bonus, right now on my Instagram I’ve teamed up with 7 other #girlbosses to give away a $400 shopping spree to Nordstrom!  Join me on Instagram for all the details on how you can win!