Wow, it really does take courage to be a founder.
At the moment I see the huge amount of strain and stress that is being experienced by founders as they navigate this time through Coronavirus.
Looking after staff, having to furlough staff, maybe having to let staff go.
Money, funds, budget, cash flow, raising investment – trying to make it through with very little.
Working incredibly long hours to save the business that they have lovingly grown.
It is full-on! Being a founder is amazing and has so many benefits. When times are good it is just THE BEST. But at times like this, it challenges you to the max. You need to dig deep, you need to be strong and you need to be courageous.
I’ve had my fair share of challenging times when I was running my businesses.
- The 2008 recession was pretty tough – trying to keep our media agency afloat when clients stopped spending money.
- Trying to sell our business and that obviously unsettled the team (which meant they all started to think about leaving).
- Setting up a new project where I hadn’t properly thought out the structure/ team. It didn’t go to plan and I ended up having to ditch it.
- Getting investment on Dragons’ Den and then failing.
- And then I had a stint at Google, which was very short as I just wasn’t happy.
I often think about these things, but I don’t really talk about them. However, last week I was featured on The Courage to Be Podcast with host Sinead Millard.
She asked me to open up about the challenges I’ve faced on my entrepreneurial journey. And we realised it really takes courage to be a founder.
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“I met Emmie for the first time in February of this year and was instantly inspired by her energy, the depth of her experience along with her genuine desire to serve, add value and connect with others. Emmie has an incredibly rich professional background having set up, scaled and sold multiple businesses in the media and marketing space. ⠀⠀
But in today’s conversation, in true #thecouragetobe style, Emmie talks to some of the tougher moments, sharing very openly and with strength and vulnerability, the mistakes she encountered and what it took for her to recognise that her failures were critical to the overall success of her career”
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I have to say that this probably the first time that I have talked openly about my failure on Dragons’ Den. And it inspired me to write a recent post about what I learnt.
Of course, out of that failure came so much that I am grateful for. I went on to have numerous successful businesses with my business partner.
Here is the link to this podcast,
You have the courage. Believe in yourself. There are ups and downs and you need support but we will come through it.
To help you with these first steps, I have created a free resource about scaling a profitable business and nail your digital offering. Download it here and tell me your thoughts: The Ultimate Guide to Scaling your Business with Emmie Faust
If you’re a Founder, serious about scaling but feeling overwhelmed about the road ahead right now, follow me on LinkedIn and subscribe to my newsletter for useful information and support.
