I am currently at that stage of life, where I have two new things in my life – one is my new business that I am trying to launch and then there is my adorable little daughter, who recently turned one. Although my start-up is taking up a lot of my time, I do try to spend some time with my princess each day, most of which is spent watching her do something new! Every time I see her do something, I realise that there are so many parallels to be drawn with what is happening in my professional life. As a matter of fact, right from her birth, she has taught me so much – not just about being a mother, but also about being an entrepreneur.
When I first decided that I wanted to start a business, there were so many things that were running around in my head – I had so many decisions to make and there were so many times that I had to face that dreadful no! There were so many times that I felt completely lost, and so many times, I just wanted to give up, because I was not sure of how to continue. However, in the past few months, my daughter has taught me so much about starting something new, by doing things that she and almost every other child her age would probably do. Here are just some of the important life lessons for a new entrepreneur, that I have picked up from my little one:
- There is no place for fear – It is probably because my little one does not know what a certain action could lead to, that she has no fear. She is always willing to experiment, put her hands into unknown places and even put random things in her mouth! What I learnt from it was that there is no place for fear when you are trying to start your own business. There will be plenty of problems that will come your way, but you need to just power on and face them with the confidence that you will not only get over them, but also find success in the days to come.
- Failure and hard work are both stepping stones – I have lost count of the number of times I have watched my daughter try to stand up and then plop right back down to the floor. And then I have seen her try once more – no matter how many times she fell, she tried to get back up again. Today, when she waddles all over the house, I realise that the same rule applies to anyone starting a business – no matter how many times failure comes to you, no matter how many times you have to face rejection, you just need to keep going on, because only with hard work and persistence can you even think of reaching success.
- Money is not everything – For my daughter, the entire house is her playground – from onions and potatoes to utensils and newspaper, she manages to find some sort of entertainment in things that we adults would consider mundane. As a matter of fact, she tends to lose interest in expensive toys faster! The lesson to learn here – money is not everything when it comes to starting a business; it is about your creative talent and your determination to succeed that will get you to the heights that you want to reach. Having an office might seem fancy, but initially, you could work out of your home or even your local coffee shop, where you could get free internet access. It is all about saving money, while not having to compromise on getting the work done.
- Right here, right now – There are times when I get a wee bit irritated with my daughter, because with her, everything has to happen right now. If she wants to play, even if it is at 2 in the morning, she wants to play! If she wants to go to the park, right now, it has to happen immediately. But to a large extent, pretty much the same rules apply to entrepreneurs and start-ups. You cannot keep waiting for the moment you think is right – if you want to do it, then you need to do it right now. Start small, but start right now; even if you do not have an extensive network, at least start creating one or start working with the people you know. In the business world, there are times when you have to start immediately, or you will have lost important opportunities.
- Success will not come overnight – My parents had brought a puzzle for my daughter, so that she could learn the shapes. She spent days trying to match the correct shape pieces with the appropriate slots, and most of the times, she was not able to get them right. However, what made me really proud of her was the fact that she never gave up; she kept trying and one day, she was able to get all the pieces of the puzzle right! Starting a business is not much different, because success rarely comes overnight and no matter how many times you have to face defeat or failure, you just have to keep going. You will have to make innumerable calls, before you get the one client who says yes to you. You will have to walk in and out of several offices, because one office tells you that they are willing to work with you. But no matter what, you will just have to keep going on!
- Find a mentor – When my daughter is not able to do something, she will always come running to me or my husband. This is probably because she trusts us immensely and feels that we will be able to guide her in the right direction. An important lesson for new entrepreneurs is to have a mentor who will guide them through the confusing by lanes of the business world. And although my daughter has just started talking, I know that there will soon be a time when she will have an incessant string of questions. As budding entrepreneurs, you too need to be childlike, in the sense of never curbing your curiosity. When you are starting off, there are no questions that are too silly, and if you are lucky enough to find yourself a mentor, never stop asking questions, because the more answers you have, the better prepared you will always be!
- Don’t try to strive to meet anyone else’s expectations – No matter what anyone sees, I have noticed that my daughter moves at her own pace. She never seems interested in impressing anyone and no matter other kids her age are doing, she will do what she feels like doing, and at the speed at which she wants to do. This is an important lesson for new entrepreneurs, because when you are starting a new business, there are bound to be several expectations, but it is important for you to rise above them. And while you might see other entrepreneurs moving at a breakneck speed, you need to work at a pace that is comfortable for you. Don’t let others decide how you will grow your business!
Perhaps the greatest lesson I have learnt from my daughter is that no matter what you are doing, no matter how stressful things start to get or how confused you feel, it is important that you have fun. And this is an important business mantra too – you can be successful at something, only when it is something that you enjoy doing!