As an entrepreneur, you take on significant risks and face uncertainty every day. It’s challenging work, and when you feel like you are going it alone, it’s that much harder.
Every entrepreneur faces moments of doubt, frustration and fear. In those times, many entrepreneurs lean on family and close friends to provide reassurance and support. But what if you don’t have that kind of support to lean on? How do you overcome your fears and maintain your hunger when you are on your own?
The key to unstoppable drive is vision and certainty. This combination of purpose and confidence separates average entrepreneurs from extraordinary ones. It is what will keep you going when things get difficult and allow you to thrive, even if you don’t currently have the support system you desire.
Vision
Companies that rise above the competition and succeed when others fail are companies anchored to a greater purpose. If you want the resilience and drive to keep going when things get tough, you need a compelling reason. You need a strong enough WHY to persevere.
Let’s say your only objective in coming to work is to increase sales or your profit margin. If sales plunge, you’ll want to throw in the towel.
But if you come to work every day because you are passionate about your business and its impact on your employees, your community or the world, you have a reason for persisting that is bigger than profits. You’ll keep going because you care about the difference you are making and believe in your business's potential.
Reasons come first, answers second.
There will always be naysayers. Anything worth doing will be hard. The fact that you are getting pushback, that it feels impossible, that people tell you to give up, is evidence that what you are doing is innovative and important. Stick to your why and believe in your future—even on days when you’re facing it alone.
Sure, we all like having someone in our corner who tells us to keep going when we want to give up, but having a powerful and compelling reason behind your goals will fuel your hunger and drive even more than a support system.
Patagonia sells clothes, but its mission is to “save our home planet.” That is what keeps employees excited about solving problems. Nike’s mission is to “bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world,” and they define an athlete as anyone with a body. A purpose greater than simply selling shoes drives the company's success.
A clear vision is like a north star that guides your company decisions and directs you toward your goals. It keeps you focused on what is most important, regardless of what the people around you are doing. And, ultimately, a clear vision can help build a support system because it has the power to unite leaders, employees and stakeholders with a shared purpose.
Certainty
As an entrepreneur, certainty might feel like an impossible dream—especially if you don’t have a close support system to validate your goals and decisions. You may feel insecure about not knowing the answer to every question or being unable to predict the future, but you can still live in a “state of certainty.” This type of certainty comes with knowing that you have the ability to find solutions and succeed, even when you stand alone. It means that as a leader, you remain calm, composed and focused in the face of adversity.
"The path to success is to take massive, determined action."
Certainty fuels action, and action drives success. When you are confident, you make choices and take bold steps. Sometimes, you will make mistakes, but even failures move you closer to your goals when you learn from them. The only way to truly fail is to never take action.
Elon Musk deeply believes in his ability to transition the world to sustainable energy and revolutionize space travel. But his dreams have not always had the support of his friends or the greater public. When he first started to build SpaceX, his best friends staged interventions and showed him videos of rockets exploding to try to dissuade him from pursuing space travel. Even without support, he was not deterred. He was guided by his vision and certainty that his impossible dreams were possible.
SpaceX’s early attempts at space travel were catastrophic. After three failed launch attempts, the company was nearly bankrupt. It would have been easy to give up. Some investors wanted to pull their support, and critics doubted whether Musk could accomplish what only governments had managed to do before. He faced losing his funding and public support. However, Musk maintained certainty, even in the face of failure and waning support. In 2008, Falcon 1 became the first privately developed launch vehicle to reach orbit.
If your support system weakens or falls away when the going gets tough, lean into your “state of certainty,” knowing that you have what it takes to persevere through challenges. Your certainty will guide you through difficult times and inspire your team to persist.
Developing the traits of vision and certainty
When you look at leaders who exhibit vision and certainty, such as Elon Musk, Sheryl Sandberg, Winston Churchill and Jacinda Arden, it is easy to believe that they were born natural leaders. But leadership isn’t simply a gift that some people have and others don’t; it is a skill you can learn, practice and develop.
Family and friends can provide helpful feedback and encouragement as you develop leadership skills, but it is absolutely possible to master those skills even if you lack support. One way to do this is to build your own support network by finding a mentor or hiring an executive coach.
Coaching for leadership development can unlock your leadership potential and help you develop the skills of vision and certainty. Especially if you don’t have significant support from family or friends, a personal coach can be a valuable resource and ally as you grow your business. A coach provides a crucial outside perspective, regular feedback, accountability and strategies for growth. A coach is less emotionally invested and more experienced than close friends and family, allowing them to be more honest and give you greater clarity on what your business needs to thrive.
When you become an entrepreneur who leads with vision and certainty, you will attract others who want to be a part of your dream. At the beginning, you may feel like you are going it alone, but over time, you will build an ever-growing network of people who are invested in your purpose and confident in your leadership. Not only will you create a successful company, but you’ll shape a life of connection and meaning.
