For all the starting entrepreneurs!

What I often hear: “Wow, super cool that you started for yourself, I wouldn't dare.”

Yes, I also think it's very cool that I started for myself. But holy shit, I also find it very hard sometimes. How often I run into myself. I encounter all my insecurities, fears and doubts. How often I think: Gee, should I just go back to being employed? And how often this runs through my head: Who am I to do this? Are people really waiting for this? There are so many others doing this, and better ones at that! Why should people take anything from me on Instagram, LinkedIn or my website?

You may as well know this: I am constantly adjusting the texts, I often have a post or blog ready and then I still don't post it, doubting if it is right, too much or too little explanation.

Well, you don't often see what happens behind the scenes. But a lot happens, and I don't think I'm the only one. So yes, it is indeed clever that I have started for myself, and I don't always dare either. The person behind the business also goes through quite a process. I want to do it right! To appeal to and inspire everyone. I want to keep everyone happy, but I can't. I have to dare to be authentic, to express myself fully. That's part of being an entrepreneur, and I find that exciting sometimes. Daring to be different is a BIG TOPIC for me. 😛

Entrepreneurship is a struggle at times and I'm just doing it. Sometimes it feels like I'm at a complete standstill, running behind. Then I'm busy a lot in my head, and not much is happening in my eyes. There is little certainty, no steadiness. If I do nothing, nothing happens! If I take a vacation, no money comes in. What is required of me then is to rely on the long-term value of what I do. On the indirect value of the time I invest. And that, for me, is the challenge of entrepreneurship. If I take a break, is that value?

And yes, I get a lot in return. What growth I go through as a person, and let that be my hobby: growing. It's like a rollercoaster. Sometimes I feel like I have everything under control, and other times I completely fall into a hole. And that's okay. I'm building resilience, getting to know my use case better and better, so it happens less and less often, and allowing me to disconnect my thoughts from my actions. I pick it up again, and I allow myself the rest, the moments of reflection, the moments in the void, where I then find the very inspiration again.

Me, Manon, an entrepreneur! Holy shit. Yes! It is indeed fucking cool that I am doing this. And wow, how proud I am of myself for not giving up. But wowie, some moments are tough, and I'm beating myself through that, with the support of my dear surroundings.