Entrepreneurial Courage

During my last year of university I had a feeling deep in my stomach that something wasn’t right and as I got closer and closer to graduation, the feeling got more and more intense.

For a while I knew that I was a “different breed” when it came to business.

I wasn’t a “shirt and tie” guy and deep down I knew I wasn’t right for the corporate world. But despite this feeling, I still signed the dotted line to start a corporate job after graduation.

The one thing that I did do right was give myself 4 months between the time I graduated until the time I would start working in this corporate job.

Now, you probably know what’s coming…

Shortly after graduation I attended a conference on creative thinking and it was there that my brain and heart were ignited on a level that I had never experienced before.

Ideas were flowing and my adrenaline was pumping and I was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug.

Do you remember the moment when you got the entrepreneurial bug?

I do and I felt electric. The world was my oyster!

That weekend was a major turning point in my life because I knew I couldn’t go into the corporate world. I knew I couldn’t work for someone else. I knew I was meant to be an entrepreneur.

Now here’s the thing…

At the time, I had no idea what kind of business I wanted to start or how I was going to make a living.

…PLUS…

I was very nervous about having this conversation with my parents.

Not because I was afraid they would get upset with me.

But because I knew I had made them extremely proud by graduating with honors and landing a well paid position in a very reputable company.

Ever since our family immigrated to Canada, both my parents have worked two full-time jobs in order to provide my sister and I the opportunity to pursue our dreams.

So I was nervous because I didn’t want to disappoint them by making a “wrong decision”.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

My parents were certainly nervous about me venturing out on my own but they also had confidence that I would figure things out (THANKS GUYS!).

In retrospect, the decision to start my own business was actually quite easy.

I had very little to lose. Mum and Dad agreed to let me continue living in their basement (so I rent was free) and although money was REALLY tight in the beginning, eating peanut butter sandwiches wasn’t far off what I was doing at school anyway.

So there wasn’t much to risk.

My girlfriend Amy (who I later married) was also extremely encouraging. She believed in me and urged me to really go for it.

It’s hard to put a value on this kind of support and I realize how fortunate I’ve been to be surrounded by loved ones who encourage, support and believe in you. Many people are actually ridiculed by their family and friends when they share a business idea they want to pursue.

I couldn’t imagine being in a situation like that so if you have supportive loved ones, give them a BIG hug and kiss and let them know how much their support means to you.

—

Ever since that day I haven’t looked back and I’ve been extremely grateful to all the wonderful friends and mentors who have helped me grow personally and professionally over the years.

People like Armand Morin, Alex Mandossian, Russell Brunson, Tracy Childers, Jeremy Laidlaw, Doug Hall, John Maxwell, John Childers, Tom Peters and many others have all been very influential in my thinking and approach to business.

And often times when people ask how I got started and they hear about this story they respond by telling me how “courageous” the decision to start my own business was.

But when I reflect on what “entrepreneurial courage” really is, I don’t think my decision was all that difficult – certainly not courageous. There are many examples of others who in my mind have demonstrated a higher level of courage.

For example, one of my closest friends all throughout university was/is Braden Douglas. Braden too had visions of one day starting his own business.

But instead of starting it straight out of university, he decided to get some experience in the corporate world. He quickly rose up the ranks at Frito Lay and before long he was the top dog managing some of their biggest brands in Canada.

Then one day he called.

“Stu, I’ve got to make a change.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“This job has been good for the experience but all day long I’m here trying to figure out how to sell people more chips. It’s not exactly the most fulfilling job.”

And with that, he made a BIG decision.

He accepted a position as the Marketing Director for Campus Crusade for Christ and moved to the complete opposite side of Canada.

Away from his family. Away from his friends. But pursuing a career that was more fulfilling.

The other reason this was a BIG decision was because he actually had to fundraise his salary. Campus Crusade for Christ is a non-profit organization.

So Brade went from a cushy corporate job to calling on others to help support his salary.

That was gutsy in and of itself. I think it’s always harder to give something up that your used to (a healthy salary) than it is to never have it in the first place.

Fast forward a few years and Braden and I are on the phone talking about business and life again.

He had married a wonderful gal (Jen) and they were expecting their first child in a few months when he made another BIG decision.

Although Campus Crusade for Christ was a more fulfilling position, it wasn’t satisfying his entrepreneurial bug. He wanted a business he could call his own.

He had thought about it over and over again until he finally decided he was going to make the leap and start his own business.

It certainly wasn’t an easy decision for him but deep down he knew it was the right decision to make.

But tough decisions require courage.

The courage to go for it and pull the trigger. The thing that amazes me about this decision was the timing. He had just started a new life with Jen and they were expecting their first child.

Most people would play it safe at that point. Not Brade. He stepped up and went for it.

That is what I would classify as “Entrepreneurial Courage”.

So how did it turn out?

Well Brade hasn’t looked back and his Marketing Consulting business (www.Relevention.com) is booming. They are doing so well that they in fact just won the New Business of the Year award for the city of Abbotsford – thatta boy Brade!

The reason I love this story is because starting a business is never “easy”.

It takes guts.

It takes passion.

It takes persistence.

But most of all, it takes courage.

If you’ve been “thinking” about starting your own business, then what are you waiting for?

There’s never going to be a “good time”.

Sure you should spend some time planning what you want to do and how you are going to do it. But don’t keep “putting it off”.

Go for it and perhaps I’ll be talking about your story next

—

Do you have a story of entrepreneurial courage?

Share it with us by entering your comments below. We’d love to hear it!

No related posts.