3 Ways To Overcome The Challenges Of First Time Entrepreneurship

There's a lot of advice from entrepreneurs about how to scale, grow optimize, and do just about anything to a business. But what about even just taking the very first step? Overcoming the biggest challenge for most entrepreneurs: deciding to become an entrepreneur.

We think it's important to share the stories of how other founders took that first, most difficult step.
Especially as they have some great advice for how to do it.

We recently hosted an event where we sat down with three founders to ask them for their advice.

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Take small steps outside of your comfort zone.

Abbie Morris, transitioned from a career in Ethics and Sustainability to become the Found and CEO of Compare Ethics. For her, having the confidence to put her ideas out in the world was her biggest hurdle.

"One of the biggest challenges I ever had was creating a Facebook page. In my mind I thought, 'I'm putting myself out there, most people are going to think I'm so stupid,' and now, when I think about it I'm like, 'Oh, wow,' I have so much going on, things like, 'How do you close this investor,' 'What does he want?' and it is usually a he, sadly, but it is always interesting and it really comes down to your mind. Your mind is actually the biggest inhibitor, and at each point you get so far with this confidence thing, and then you have to get to that wall and you're like okay how am I going to get over this one? But generally, it's like a mindset. I definitely feel like this was a big one."

Abbie's advice for overcoming this was:

Yes, so you literally just have to be completely comfortable with being uncomfortable after a while. That is the only, there is just no other way of doing it other than getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. In fact, I found that the more uncomfortable, the more good stuff happens.

I know that's really weird, but there's fine balance naturally and you obviously want to feel like it's going somewhere. Actually, at the time, it is quite stressful but on the back of that I started an organic following, and all of those lovely things that came afterwards. But at the time that was best, just to do it.

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Take time to build your confidence‍

Natalia Bojanic, who left a 10 year career in PR to found Form, discovered -appropriately - that hearing the advice of other entrepreneurs at public events was what helped her to overcome her biggest challenge.

"If I might add something to what you said, that trigger came to me when I was in an event like this, and I heard the sentence that if you're working on something that you're not passionate about you're killing yourself. Working on a 9 to 5 is a slow form of suicide, and literally I posted that on my Instagram today because that pierced my heart, and I said, 'Oh my god, I'm killing myself."

Natalia was also quick to point out that Founders and Entrepreneurs are often put on a pedestal. Or assumed to be fearless. She revealed that, in-fact, the confidence she had to take the first step was ten years in the making.

"But there is also a practical aspect of overcoming and becoming [a] great [entrepreneur], because I feel that there is this misconception that people potentially look at us here and have this imagination that we [founders] are fearless. And that's definitely not the case. I think we were just a tiny bit braver to take the first step, and we were building the confidence [over time to reach this point].

And that building of the confidence comes by feeling fulfilled, having the little moments where you get goosebumps or all of a sudden a coincidence, or something is almost telling you okay, keeping going. Keep going. Then you keep building your confidence and it doesn't happen overnight.

I really wish that I could tell you that it's like this, because if it was a walk in the park, everyone would do it. But I can genuinely say that if I can do it, anyone can do it. I arrived in this country 30 years ago, I barely spoke English and I built a successful career in communications right? And it's valuing every experience that you went through as a stepping stone to where you're supposed to go to next."

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Find the people that want to congratulate you for quitting your job‍

Gian Power, turned his position at PWC into an opportunity and they're now one of his own company's (TLC Lions) biggest client's. His biggest challenge was that his existing support network were worried about the risks involved with his entrepreneurial aspirations.

"I think my biggest challenge was that my tribe of people in my network, were all lawyers, accountants, bankers, it didn't even stretch that far. So everybody, almost your echo chambers, everyone was saying don't do it, you can't jump, you shouldn't, what about your future, what about your stability, you're not going to buy a house. Then I just realised that these people just don't get it. I read a great book that called them your red group, they are just going to find the risks and the warnings. They're good people, but actually when my gut is telling me something they're not the right people to be around."

Gian found every opportunity to meet founders and take part in events that would introduce him to like-minded, supportive people.

"So my challenge was finding the right people. I thought I can either complain about them or do something, so I started going to things like Tech Hub Tuesday, and making sure I leave the office at 6 O'clock to get there in Shoreditch, going to things like People Campus that is a part of that, and just actively approaching other founders. I was an accountant at PWC, 'Hey, can we have coffee, I really like your journey?' just sit with me.

Then I slowly built up my network of these people, the people who are my green team, who say go on, jump, do it. The people who, when you resign say congrats and high five you, not like what you're doing next.

So, I think that was a challenge but how I overcame it? I joined something called the New Entrepreneurs Foundation, straight out of PWC, which just found my tribe of 48 people and straight away. Some of my friends from that tribe are now my lawyer and designer.

I just think that just jumping out and being around people, I think that's everything. You've got your own mindset but having positive people, I had a big re-shift of people in my life, and they're pretty positive people who give me the get up and go every day."

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