Punch Fear in the Jugular

                                                                                        (photo credit: lifehack.org)

Fear and I have been in a massive battle recently.  It’s the first time in my entrepreneurial journey that I have really let fear have a stronghold on me.  I believe it is a result of other areas of my life that have been challenging, but for a while, fear had the upper hand.  I was fearful of failure, fearful of risks, fearful of financial insecurity, fearful of what others will think, and even fearful of growth.  And then I stepped back and punched fear in the jugular. 

As entrepreneurs, we cannot allow fear to navigate our path, because the only path navigated by fear is destructive, full of unnecessary hurdles, and ultimately failure.  The type of failure that could have been prevented; the type of failure that we are not proud of.  So, today we are punching fear in the jugular and we are going to make those scary decisions for the growth of our companies, for our future. 

Here are five quotes about fear that every entrepreneur should know.  I came across these quotes in Entrepreneur magazine and had to share.

 

                                           

Fight your fears and you’ll be in the battle forever.  Face your fears and you’ll be free forever.  - - Lucas Jonkman
 

 

We should all start to live before we get too old.  Fear is stupid.  So are regrets. - - Marilyn Monroe

Do not fear mistakes.  You will know failure.  Continue to reach out. - - Benjamin Franklin

What Franklin said is perhaps the best way to think about fear, not as a thing to worry over, but to know that failures are a certainty in life but that you can choose to keep going forward toward your dreams and successes. 

Women are rising to the top of the startup scene...

                                                                                                  

                                                                                                        (photo credit: EYIF.wordpress.com)

I begin each morning with a cup of coffee and an insatiable appetite for reading.  That is the time of morning that my mind is most clear and I soak up as much as I can.  I attempt to read before bed but I open a book, a magazine or an article and it has the same effect on me as does the humming of a fan or a couple of glasses of wine…it knocks me out.  So, morning is my time to read. 

Friday morning I was reading through some Inc. magazine articles (my favorite publication for entrepreneurship) and came across their 6 Essential Resources for Women Entrepreneurs.  I thought the resources they provided were essential and in the event you missed their article, I wanted to publish the resources they highlighted on my blog.  I encourage you to share these resources with all the women entrepreneurs you know.  Enjoy!

1. Women Who Startup

There’s strength in numbers, and Denver-based Women Who Startup aims to bring women coders, founders, and entrepreneurs together through networking events and summits. Also, their Women Who Startup podcast lets entrepreneurs around the world participate in the conversation.

2. The Women’s Venture Fund

The Women’s Venture Fund is a New York and New Jersey-based organization that offers training programs, one-on-one advisory services, and business loans to women entrepreneurs. Their goal is to make information and resources available so that their clients’ businesses can succeed.

3. Women’s Tech Radio

A podcast produced by Jupiter Broadcasting, Women’s Tech Radio hosts conversations between women who work in all areas of the tech world–from coders, developers, and engineers to founders and entrepreneurs. If you’re looking for community and role models, this is a great place to turn.

4. In Good Company

In Good Company is a New York-based co-working space that also offers much, much more: networking sessions, group "get S$% done" sessions, classes, and peer mentorship opportunities for women entrepreneurs. Beyond simply providing resources for women, In Good Company aims to help women empower themselves to succeed in business. Their blog offers refreshing advice on topics from dealing with sexism to figuring out how to take maternity leave as an entrepreneur.

5. 37 Angels

37 Angels addresses the untapped potential that women can bring to investing, with the goal of achieving gender equality in angel investing. The vast majority of investors are men, and 37Angels thinks that including more women in the process can result in greater innovation. Their mentorship network works with women who want to become investors, and their investor training boot camp empowers women investors with knowledge and resources.

6. Astia

San Francisco-based Astia identifies and promotes high-potential women-run ventures, providing networking opportunities, mentorship, and, crucially, access to investors and capital. By involving entrepreneurs, advisors, and investors, they’re working to change the startup ecosystem.

While the startup world can still be a challenging place for women, there’s no reason that it needs to stay that way, and these groups are changing it for women at all levels of entrepreneurship.

I encourage you to subscribe to Inc. magazine if you have not already.  It has been one of the largest sources of inspiration for me during my entrepreneurial journey. 

Cheers to Improving Yourself!

 

"Even the most talented leaders are constantly

striving to do better."

 

More now than ever, I have been intentional about improving myself in order to be the best person I can be in all areas of my life and that includes my business.  This may be a result of my Type-A personality, but I believe that if we are healthy physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially, then we will be positioned to succeed in ways that would otherwise be hindered by these areas of our lives that need improving.



Yesterday I spent the better part of my afternoon evaluating my goals.  I made sure that my goals included every area of my life that I wanted to improve (Another post coming shortly about setting goals).  So, what follows goal setting?  Accountability!  Maybe some of you can breeze right through your goals without any form of accountability.  Without accountability, I just fail...and miserably.  I am driven and motivated, but I set some pretty large goals that scare the crap out of me sometimes (Thank you Eleanor) and without the accountability, those goals can be debilitating. 

 

"Do one thing every day that scares you." -- Eleanor Roosevelt





 

What have you done lately to improve yourself?  Do you set goals that make you uncomfortable and scare you?  You should.  Is goal setting an area of your life that is intentional?  If it isn't, it should be.  Without a vision, the people parish.  I believe this wholeheartedly...and I'm not the only one.  Here are some really fantastic quotes from Inc. Magazine about self improvement.  So, cheers to improving yourself.  Let's do it together.  I will follow up with some of my own goals and I hope you will also share some of yours.

 

I hope these quotes inspire you, because we all need a little inspiration!

 

"We can each define ambition and progress for ourselves. The goal is to work towards a world where expectations are not set by the stereotypes that hold us back, but by our personal passion, talents and interests. --Sheryl Sandberg

 

"Sometimes it's the people you can't help who inspire you the most." --Melinda Gates

 

"Work harder than everybody.  You're not going to get it by whining, and you're not going to get it by shouting, and you're not going to get it by quitting.  You're going to get it by being there." --Barbara Walters

 

"If you don't like something, change it.  If you can't change it, change your attitude." --Maya Angelou 

 

"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others int he form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you." --Oprah Winfrey
 

"Without pain, there would be no suffering, without suffering we would never learn form our mistakes.  To make it right, pain and suffering is the key to all windows, without it, there is no way of life." --Angelina Jolie

 

"We all need people who will give us feedback.  That's how we improve." --Bill Gates

 

"When I had challenges, it taught me to be more on top of it for the future.  Things go wrong all the time when you're running your own business, but it's how you perceive it and deal with it that matters." --Lori Greiner

 

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." --Eleanor Roosevelt

 

"It's not about money or connections - it's the willingness to out work and outlearn everyone...And if it fails, you learn from what happened and do a better job next time." --Mark Cuban

 

"Don't you dare underestimate the power of your own instinct." --Barbara Corcoran

 

"I always did something I was a little not ready to do.  I think that's how you grow.  When there's that moment of 'Wow, I'm not really sure I can do this,' and you push through those moment's that's when you have a breakthrough." --Marissa Mayer

 

"We need to accept that we won't always make the right decisions, that we'll screw up royally sometimes - understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, its part of success." --Arianna Huffington

 

"Follow what you are genuinely passionate about and let that guide you to your destination." --Diane Sawyer

 

Here is a list of books to help you improve as a leader and an Entrepreneur:

1.      Rework: Change the Way You Work Forever by David Henemeier Hansson and Jason Fried

2.      8 Lessons in Military Leadership for Entrepreneurs by Robert T. Kiyosaki

3.     Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman

4.     Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t by Simon Sinek

5.     The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

6.     Ask by Ryan Levesque

7.     Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman

8.     Welcome to the Funnel: Proven Tactics to Turn Your Social Media and Content Marketing up to 11 by Jason Miller

9.     Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses Into Results by Cy Wakeman

10.  Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

11.  The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande