It might be time to pivot your grit
When was the last time you had to abandon or postpone your business goals due to a curveball that you did not expect? Lots of fun and games with lots of people offering advice. There is an oversupply of so-called motivation gurus who have all the answers to staying positive, but when reality hits home, it is a completely different kettle of fish!
Entrepreneurial Grit
We spoke about entrepreneurs with GRIT in last week’s blog article and how it affects your business performance overall. The importance of displaying GRIT as an entrepreneur reminds me of the health benefits of drinking 8 glasses of water every day. Everyone knows they should, but do they? The real-life realities of staying positive and in control of your own destiny is definitely not a simple fall-out-of-the-tree concept.
Entrepreneurs often face setbacks and failures. Grit enables them to persevere through tough times to remain focused on their long-term vision.
When the tekkie hit the tar
After my pretty awesome Otter Race at the beginning of October, I ended up with a stress fracture in my right foot. Initially, the diagnosis was Tibialis Posterior Enthesopathy. A simple condition that should have taken two weeks to heal. Seven weeks later I am the proud owner of a stress fracture and a moon boot for the next four to six weeks!! Super frustrating when you were supposed to have prepared for your next trail race already.
A very familiar situation when it comes to business. Curveballs are part and parcel of the game. And yes, I know firsthand that getting back up is not always as easy as it seems. You have an option to feel less sorry for yourself, but that is only going to win you sympathy in the short term. Eventually, everyone is going to become gatvol of your complaining and start distancing themselves from you.
When to stop gritting and start pivoting
Gritting it out, for the sake of gritting it out is also not the best option. Angela Duckworth writes in her book GRIT: “It’s important to know when to quit something that’s no longer helping.” There comes a time when you have to revisit your goals and objectives, cause gritting it out for the sake of gritting it out is also not going to do you any favors.
In my attempts to maintain my fitness levels, I remembered that I have wanted to paddle down the Vaal River ever since I started paddling in 2000. However, I never got the opportunity, as my training for events like the Otter kept me running the koppies of Joburg every single available weekend. I now have the opportunity to work on my paddling dreams. How lucky can one get?
How to pivot like a champ
- Do it as soon as you can
Pivoting is a fairly standard practice. Don’t postpone because you have any type of guilt trip running you down. Many companies pivot more than once. Don’t give up on your business even if you may have to change course a few times to get on the right track. Do it as early as possible to avoid wasting time, effort, and money.
- Reset your vision & goals
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted. If the path you’re on now doesn’t feel right to you, you need to step back to evaluate your mission in life. Put in extra time to ensure that your new vision is the right one for you. This is ideally also the time to talk to a business coach to help you work through the options. Someone completely neutral with zero connections to your business or immediate circle.
- Don’t scrap that work you’ve already done
Identify what aspects of your company you can reuse or repurpose after you settle on your new direction. You have already spent much time, energy, and money building a sustainable business. Cherish them and redirect your current resources toward your new goal. Once again, this is an ideal situation to discuss with your business coach.
- Listen to your customers
I often use the phrase ‘marketing is knowing your customer so well that the product that you supply fits them perfectly and sells itself’.In the 30+ years that I have been helping entrepreneurs, a common denominator is that not enough research has been done and is being done constantly. We assume we know what our customers want and jump straight into the production process. No wonder you end up picking out your hair, strand by strand.
Be Thankful for the Curveballs
I do believe that curveballs in life, and specifically in business, are something to be thankful for. A gift from Above to show us that we still have options. Yes, it is not always easy to accept and it can take a whole lot of meditation and prayer to work through the status quo and modus operandi. I do believe that a thankful heart is a calm heart. You cannot make sound decisions if you are overworked and stressed out.
More Dopamine. Less Cortisol.
Take time out if you can. Go for a run, a paddle, or whatever you must do to get your heart racing. When the dopamine levels rise, the cortisol levels drop. And yes, simple activities like walking barefoot on green grass or cooking your favorite dish can also send the bad hormones packing and bring out the happy hormones for a play.
The Story Continues
Whatever you do, don’t stop writing your story! You have come so far. Whether you want to give yourself credit or not, you have made a whole lot of progress, and stopping now will destroy all that hard work that you have put in up until now.
I will be taking on my 40km Vaal Paddle very soon. I might need a little help along the way and I might not do it in record speed. But that’s OK. I am going to have fun completing this challenge. My contribution towards proving that pivoting can be a really good choice and you can have fun while doing it. Henry Ford famously said: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way, you will be right.”
Need help to navigate your Business Curveballs
addVentures offers various Brand Coaching options to help you navigate your business curveballs, from one-on-one coaching, to group coaching and online support available from addVentures Business Club. We are ultimately here to help you write the most inspiring business story that you could have imagined.
Not sure whether you need a brand coach or not? Contact us today to discuss your requirements.
