Black Business Woman: Entrepreneurship is Not for the Faint at Heart

I have had a little over a year to really incubate my business from a baby to something with diverse offerings that create value for users/subscribers. It was a humble side project in the beginning, then it started to take over my heart a bit, and eventually I was running full-steam ahead at this thing I loved that was still being conceptualized as I found more opportunities for growth and experience.

Transitioning from full-time work to being a full-time entrepreneur requires a mindset shift, a lifestyle shift, a thought process shift – it’s like taking the hourglass and shaking it. For the first few weeks I worked full-time on my own business, I struggled with how to organize my days, what business hours to uphold, how much work to do in one day, what projects I wanted to tackle next for spreading the word about myself, and so on. I had no idea what direction to move in; I had a coach who was helpful in nudging me in some possible directions, but overall, I was just flopping around like a fish out of water. It wasn’t until I made myself sit down to write out the things I envisioned having for my business that I really started to make some headway on getting them accomplished (imagine that!).

And then, the shifts started happening. Once I gave in to making my starting point my aspirations, desires, and goals, the energy started to flow and things started moving. Note: they began “moving,” not taking off. Gains will come in business, but they require consistent good effort. That takes time to build. But as the shifts began to happen, more and more began to gradually open up for me, allowing for more movement.

But to get to that point of the shifting, I had to surrender the ways I believed were the only possible choices for the outcome of success. I had to revisit the drawing board, but in essence, that’s a significant part of what life is about. You will have a better time in life the more flexible, open minded, and kindhearted you can be, especially with yourself. And being the control freak that I am, means I had a very easy time relinquishing control and surrendering to the process that is getting to where you want to go. The journey looks different for everyone, and the more I learned to concentrate on navigating my own, the more enjoyable it became.

I feel I was given many tools to navigate entrepreneurship well through the experience I had in confronting my own anxiety and depression. Through confronting my own hang-ups and learning to accept myself, I became better-equipped to handle criticism, I learned about the power of words and communication so that I could communicate more effectively with those around me, and I became more resilient.

I learned that life was not happening “to” me, but “for” me, which is a powerful outlook to have when you’re building a brand. These are all qualities every successful entrepreneur needs. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources for developing these if you still have work to do in those areas.

So, before you decide to take the plunge, I suggest considering these above attributes. Consider that it will be hard. Consider that you will have to do some things that you probably don’t think you can but are more than capable of. But trust that you’ll feel rewarded by accomplishing these tasks every single day if you decide to dive in.

Antoinette is a consultant, author, yogini, and host of The Midday Reset Podcast. Her personal development services help professional women achieve their long-term goals. When she is not advising clients, teaching, authoring books, or recording episodes for her podcast, she is enjoying life with her husband and two children. Find her on Instagram @msantoinettechanel.