Starting an adventure or even a “trip” (for the shortest adventures) in the field of entrepreneurship is full of lessons. Whether they are learned before launching or acquired in the heat of the action, these lessons remain great moments of experience that bring a lot to the life of the one who lives them.
From the day I decided to launch Planète Sports and Sportif225 , I learned so many things! I have summarized them into 5 lessons that I am sharing with you.
1- Life is (really) not a race
You will start with several others (friends/colleagues…) who will become “stars” and recognized experts in the world, sweeping up trophies left and right. However, only the finish line matters. The lesson I take from it is that everything has its time.
It’s true that we hear it every day but once experienced, believe me, we really perceive its meaning. 🙂
Observe the 3000m steeplechase runners, for example. They all start together but after a few laps, gaps widen. In this race, only the 3 medalists will be known. Only the names of the top 15 will be displayed on our screens. But what everyone doesn’t see are those 5-10 other athletes who continue to run long after the victory and arrival of the others. It is clear that they are no longer running for first place. They continue for the ranking, for their personal performance. The screens will no longer focus on them, but they will finish their laps because they are also athletes.
Same for success or achievement in this universe of startups. Starting together, sometimes even last, does not mean failing. It is in no way the speed of success that determines the final outcome.
2- Find your outlet
Because this choice to want to launch a revenue and job-generating activity (no matter which one) is not easy. If you are one of those people who quickly reach their stress tolerance threshold, this is more than important: it is vital.
False starts, disappointment, eternal restarts… You will see them in every model and color. So quickly find your “break” option: a person, a place or an activity (dance, music, crying, prayer…) that allows you to start over from scratch.
3- Trust hardly
A forewarned man is worth a thousand (because even 2 is not enough in my opinion).
The day you decide to create what common mortals call a startup, consider from then on that a forewarned man is a forewarned man.
You will tell me that this is common in all professions and you will be right. But this has twice the impact in the case of a person carrying an entire company on their shoulders or a young project depending entirely on their personal finances.
4- Smile because the problems won’t end anytime soon!
Because some believe you owe them everything,
Because after a thousand and one attempts, it still doesn’t work
Because you can’t find the right formula
Because, because, and because again… smile!
While you’re at it, might as well avoid wrinkles 😉
5- Knowing how to move on
Close people to whom I say this see it as a form of abandonment, of defeatism.
However, for me, when something doesn’t work after having turned it over and over in every direction, I think (and this is just my opinion) that it’s time to move on.
Either a pivot, or consider a totally different option.
Otherwise, it would become stupidity to persist, especially if one loses a huge amount of money, time and effort.
