The Good Fight of Starting Up

When you are just starting a business, it is hard to talk about the days when you fight to get out of bed. Or when you spend days wondering, “Is anyone listening?”

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When you are just starting a business, it is hard to talk about the days when you fight to get out of bed. Or when you spend days wondering, “Is anyone listening?”

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You’ll even find yourself asking, “Am I fulfilling my bigger purpose?”

There are also days where you are thankful for all of your cheerleaders, but still struggle to wear a smile. The days when: the confidence you felt leaving your cushy job to pursue your truer passions seem like a faded memory.

It is easier to share the strife and struggles once you feel you have succeeded. It is easier to share a story of the past than of the present. Perhaps because the wounds are too open and the scars too fresh.

The True Entrepreneurial Journey

I write this not to reflect on the hardships, but to illuminate the true entrepreneurial journey while it is fresh. Not every day is glitz and glamour. Some days are harder than others, especially when you feel like you are shouting about the help you can give to the world, but can’t find one person to listen because Facebook changed its algorithm that day.

But then you get a little win.

It can be as simple as someone clicking “Like,” on a social post, commenting, or sharing how your advice helped them. Sometimes a stranger simply commending you for what you are doing is all you need.

In these instances, you forget the startup doubt. You forget that it was challenging to get out of bed that morning, and you remember why you do what you do every day.

If you are considering quitting your cushy full-time job to pursue a startup opportunity, the best advice I can offer you is this: stay true to you.

Be true to the “you” who wants to give, the “you” who started a business because of your passion to help others, no matter what it takes. Stop calculating. Stop spinning your story and simply share “you”. Stay true to that person and give.

I can’t guarantee it will make you millions or double your sales, but I can guarantee that there is someone else going through exactly what you are going through right now. And if you are brave enough to share your struggle with the world, to change one life and make one impact then it’s all worthwhile.

This article has been edited and condensed.

Lindsey Morando is an online marketing strategist and co-founder of Marketing Co-op, an online marketing firm helping women in business who struggle with marketing overwhelm to get clear, get strategic and get moving to grow their business online so that they can get results. Connect with @Marketingco_op on Twitter.