We are living in crazy times. The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading rapidly, and a big unknown is how small businesses will survive the unfolding coronavirus pandemic and economic slowdown. For most, being your own boss is the American dream. The freedom to work for yourself and to be able to carve your own path, and determine your destiny is what most people strive for. The problem is, the road to success is not an easy one. The reality is that entrepreneurship is hard work and often comes with major setbacks.
These setbacks can come in many forms, including a world-wide pandemic. So, what can you do? For now, all we can do is hold tight and learn to persevere like many other seasoned entrepreneurs.
In fact, Before Mark Zuckerberg, JK Rowling, or Jeff Bezos became household names, they had plenty of failures and setbacks. At 23 years old, Jeff Bezos was flipping burgers at McDonalds and JK Rowling was broke. Walt Disney and Milton Hershey both filed for bankruptcy. Max Levchin, one of the co-founders of Paypal had 4 businesses fail, before he struck gold. Richard Branson has had plenty of business flops, including Virgin Cola, Virgin Cars, Virgin Brides, and Virgin Digital.
Often people see the money and fame, and don’t think about the hardships and struggles that got these successful business entrepreneurs to where they are today. If there is a true secret to success, it’s to work hard and never give up.
In a 1995 interview, Steve Jobs said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance. It is so hard and you pour so much of your life into this thing, there are such rough moments in time that most people give up. And I don't blame them, it's really tough.”
But Steve Jobs didn’t give up and you shouldn’t either. Just as in life, those who succeed in business are those who have the ability to keep going when the going gets tough. Even in times of uncertainty, fear, and panic. Keep going. Stay strong. Never quit.
