Courage

When you look at successful business people there are some common traits that set them apart from the rest of the crowd.  There are many books you can read on these traits, habits and personality profiles, however one stand out trait is courage.

It is courage that made you go into business.  Sometimes this may be mixed with an element of stupidity, however the courage to put your family, your staff and yourself into a position of vulnerability is a defining factor.  You need to back yourself and your decisions.  It is not just hard work that makes a business successful.  It all starts with that leap of faith and is reinforced by courageous decisions made each and every day.

I look back at our business as it approaches its 10th birthday and wonder if I would do it all over again?  Somehow it made perfect sense 10 years ago as a newly separated single mother to purchase a business in Goulburn, 2 hours away from my home, without a cent to my name.  The challenges both personally and professionally have certainly been a constant presence, but the feeling of achievement is one that cannot easily be replicated.

What drives me and others like me to take this giant step into the unknown?  I certainly don’t believe it is for everyone.  We all have our own risk profiles and as a business owner you need to be able to accept a reasonable level of risk.  But there must something more that drives business owners than accepting risk and expecting to work hard? What is their why?

People chose to start their own business for a number of reasons.  It may be family driven, the requirement for flexibility with work hours.  It may be passion for what they do, or it may be the drive to prove others wrong, to show them that you can do it.   Whatever your driver is, when you look back on your business journey and the courage it has taken you to come this far, you should be proud of yourself.  Never forget your why.

Yet the next step is going to take even more courage as we move into a disrupted world.  What will your business look like in 10 years?  What will you do to make sure your business evolves to survive?  What courageous steps will you be taking into the unknown?  Courage and survival go hand in hand.