My Entrepreneurial Journey So Far

It's almost 5 months since I took the plunge into the entrepreneurial pool. I almost dived head first into the shallow end of the pool. And I have spent more time beating and kicking the water just to stay afloat than actually propelling myself forward. 

Today I want to share what the journey has been for me so far.

image: theimpactinnovators.com

It has been a rollercoaster one for me. Several ups and downs. None of my initial plans worked. The money I put together to start the business and sustain it till year end is all gone. This week I have eventually sold approximately all my remaining shares, liquidated my Money Market fund and Mutual Fund. I no longer have any savings or investment, everything is being pumped into my business. Though I'm beginning to see improved turnover but it's not close to 1/3rd of what I believed I would be making by now.

It has, however, been a very exciting journey. I now pick phone calls; I just discovered that last week. My reluctance to pick phone calls has disappeared. In fact, I do call back immediately when I see a missed call. It's a really big positive change for me. I am also now less analytic; no longer trying to plan everything out before taking actions. Those limitations engineering has burned into me are beginning to wear off. In business there's no manual to read, no simulation software to practice with and the command history is useless. It took me a while to adjust to being more spontaneous and less worrying, and now I can see that I'm less rigid. Most of my business analysis is now in observing the results of the business decisions I took rather than designing the business decisions to make. I now follow the Ready, Fire, Aim principle.

The biggest change is the calm assurance I now have, that I'm going to make it. You must have noticed that I no longer write those despondent articles that characterized the first two months of my resignation. I have seen all manners of entrepreneurs surviving and flourishing. I'm now certain that if I keep in the game and remain resourceful I will flourish in the end. 

My entrepreneurial journey so far has been more of an eye opener, opening my eyes to the principles that govern the world of entrepreneurship. And that time is the entrepreneur's greatest asset. If he keeps working hard and creatively, with time he will see results that will dwarf his expectations.