Note: I’m doing a series of emails this week all about the emotional and mental struggles of being an entrepreneur. This is the first one in the series, hope ya like it
Most entrepreneurs have unrealistic expectations of how fast things should happen for them.
For example…
After I took a year-long hiatus from work, I started my coaching business in 2018.
I was ready to jump back in…
And to get at it again…
However that first year ended up being a rude awakening for me.
Why?
Because things didn’t happen as fast as I thought they would.
When I was running my supplement company in 2016-2017, I was pulling in around $2 million a year.
So in my head I figured I’d do the same with this coaching business right out of the gate.
Well that didn’t happen.
And not only didnt it happen…
I actually made a LOT less than that.
I think the first year in 2018 I made around $300k.
Which is still good money, don’t get me wrong.
But it was a big change from what I was used to making.
I remember talking with my coach, Brent Charleton, about this.
And one of the things Brent helped me see was that I had unrealistic expectations about how fast I was going to build this business…
Even though I had 15+ years of experience…
And even though I was damn good at marketing…
This was an entirely new business for me.
I had to learn how to run a coaching business.
I had to learn the ins and outs of how it worked.
So the fact that I thought I was just gonna start raking in a few million bucks right out of the gate was a pipe dream.
The reality is that building something great takes time.
That was a big lesson for me.
Cause my expectations were very unrealistic.
And I know I’m not alone in thinking like this.
Most of the entrepreneurs I know have unrealistic expectations.
They want results like yesterday.
And they want results that are bigger and better than they could even imagine.
Anything less than that, and they get down about it.
They beat themselves up.
And feel like they’re not doing enough.
This is very common.
And it all comes back to your expectations.
Having more “realistic” expectations is needed.
I know that’s not what you want to hear.
But the reality is that your business will do better when you’re more realistic about what you can do.
You’re most likely not going to start a business tomorrow, and grow it to $10 million in the first year.
Just like you’re probably not gonna take a $20 million dollar business and turn it into a $100 million dollar business in a year.
That’s not me being a negative Nancy…
Or trying to shit on your dreams…
That’s just reality for most entrepreneurs.
Point being…
Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Don’t try to force results so quickly…
Learn to be more realistic about what’s possible with your business.
Both in terms of how much you can get done…
And how much you can make…
I promise your sanity will thank you for it.
That’s all I got for today.
Enjoy your Monday,
– Justin
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