Are those that encourage your business, not the ones that down your spirit.
Many years ago, when I was still an undergraduate, I had a female friend who was a creative. Her creativity spanned across writing, dancing, and physically building items. So, when we finished school, she said to me, “I want to learn shoemaking”.
It sounded weird to her, but I am one person that believes you can do anything and succeed at it as long as you believe in that dream and are willing to make sure it succeeds, I will always do my best to support. So, when I told her to go ahead and I would do whatever I could to make sure she succeeds at it, she was surprised.
She went ahead to ask some of her other friends, but most of them found it weird that a woman of her like would think of designing shoes for people. It was weird because why wouldn’t she just decide to start selling clothes or even dropship these items instead of doing the “dirty work of crafting the shoes herself”?
At that point, she was confused, and that’s because the people that tried to discourage her from going ahead with the business are those that already have booming businesses and she looked up to them to maybe give her the secrets, hacks, and lessons from doing business. So, it was almost convincing to her that if those people told her not to go ahead with the business, then, she shouldn’t. It was a battle between herself and her mind.
I didn’t know this at first, so, I reached out to her to ask for updates because we had a timeline for her to learn and establish herself. Okay, I drew up the timeline for her. (Don’t blame me. I don’t like it when people with potential try to doubt themselves and their possibilities). It was at this point she told me what others said to her. It was not “womanly”.
So, I said to her, “you see, only you see yourself, and the future you want for yourself. You know what makes you happy, what makes you fulfilled, and what you see as growth. You know your strength and weakness, so why let people who only see a fraction of you decide which business you should or should not do? This business is not illegal, so, why? As long as you have the strength, don’t let your creativity go to waste!”
I guess my words hit her so deeply that she went straight to register with someone she had been wanting to learn from.
The business today is almost two years. She is doing well, her business has rapidly grown, revenues have tripled, and she is frequently thinking and strategizing on expansion. Now, this is it.
The people that tried to discourage her at first are now part of her customers. One of them said, “you are stubborn, but I love the quality of your shoes.”
See, don’t let the people that do not know the future of your dreams talk down on it. You will hate yourself for not trying at all. Your business could start small, but you alone see the potential in it, and you should do everything to pursue it not minding what anyone may say. As long as you have done your research, you are good to go.
Happy New Week, fellow entrepreneurs.
Spanish Translation was written with Google Translate.
Son aquellas personas que impulsan tu negocio, no las que te desaniman.
Hace muchos años, cuando aún era estudiante universitaria, tenía una amiga muy creativa. Su creatividad abarcaba la escritura, el baile y la construcción. Así que, al terminar la universidad, me dijo: «Quiero aprender a fabricar zapatos».
Le pareció extraño, pero yo creo firmemente que cualquiera puede lograr cualquier cosa si cree en su sueño y está dispuesto a trabajar para que se haga realidad. Siempre haré todo lo posible por apoyarla. Por eso, cuando le dije que adelante y que haría todo lo posible para que lo consiguiera, se sorprendió.
Consultó con otras amigas, pero a la mayoría les pareció raro que una mujer como ella pensara en diseñar zapatos. Les resultaba extraño que, en lugar de encargarse del trabajo pesado de fabricar los zapatos, se dedicara a vender ropa o incluso a hacer dropshipping.
En ese momento, estaba confundida, porque quienes intentaban disuadirla eran personas con negocios prósperos, a quienes admiraba y esperaba que le compartieran secretos, trucos y consejos empresariales. Así que, casi la convencieron de que si le decían que no siguiera adelante, no debía hacerlo. Era una lucha interna.
Al principio no lo sabía, así que la contacté para pedirle actualizaciones, ya que teníamos un cronograma para que aprendiera y se consolidara. Le elaboré el cronograma. (No me culpen. No me gusta que la gente con potencial dude de sí misma y de sus posibilidades). Fue entonces cuando me contó lo que otros le habían dicho. No era algo "propio de una mujer".
Entonces le dije: «Mira, solo tú te ves a ti misma y el futuro que deseas para ti. Sabes qué te hace feliz, qué te llena y qué consideras crecimiento. Conoces tus fortalezas y debilidades, así que ¿por qué dejar que personas que solo ven una parte de ti decidan qué negocio debes o no debes emprender? Este negocio no es ilegal, así que, ¿por qué? ¡Mientras tengas la fuerza, no dejes que tu creatividad se desperdicie!».
Supongo que mis palabras la impactaron tanto que fue directamente a registrarse con alguien de quien quería aprender.
El negocio tiene casi dos años. Le va bien, su negocio ha crecido rápidamente, los ingresos se han triplicado y constantemente piensa y planifica su expansión. Ahora sí que ha llegado su momento.
Las personas que intentaron desanimarla al principio ahora son parte de su clientela. Una de ellas le dijo: «Eres terca, pero me encanta la calidad de tus zapatos».
Mira, no dejes que quienes desconocen el futuro de tus sueños te desanimen. Te arrepentirás de no haberlo intentado. Tu negocio puede empezar pequeño, pero solo tú ves el potencial y debes hacer todo lo posible por perseguirlo sin importar lo que digan los demás. Si has investigado bien, estás listo para empezar.
¡Feliz semana, compañeros emprendedores!
Images are from MetaAI.