By Brendaliz Roldan
My dad suddenly died in august 2017. I just realized that he was my support system. In fact, it makes sense. I understand now why I feel so alone in this process. He was the one who believed I could be an entrepreneur in the first place.
You may ask, why is this important? It doesn’t matter if you’re a people person or a lone wolf. We all need a support system because we are social beings.
What happens if we are looking for our support system in the wrong place?
When you start working on your own, the people who may be the most unsupportive may be your family and friends. You must be prepared for this. It hurts, especially if they (maybe unconsciously) underestimate your abilities. You will have family and friends who can do business with you, but most of them won't hire you (at first) because they won’t believe that they should pay you for whatever you're doing. They will prefer to silently pay someone else, and it's okay. They are entitled to do business when whoever they want. So do you. If this is your scenario, you need to start looking for a support system far away from them.
No successful entrepreneur in the past has ever succeeded alone. They all needed support. They surrounded themselves with like-minded people who believed in them, who fell in love with their ideas and helped them dive into uncertainty. This is a quote I love to use from Steve Jobs: “great things in businesses are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people”.
Find a mentor who’s aligned with your beliefs
Before finding a mentor, you have to know where you are in the entrepreneurial process. The first thing you need to know about running your own business is someone who has been through the initial steps. A mentor or a business coach can guide you and evaluate your business model to offer you some feedback.
Well some may say: “But I’m successful, I don’t need a mentor or a coach”. That is a mistake. In order to take your business to the next level, you need to keep learning and have a student mindset all the time. Do not take pride in your early success and use it as a motivation to stop learning. Everything changes every day, keep that in mind.
Get noticed!
If you’re running a startup, establishing a brand or working on a product, you should always be connected. There are social media platforms like LinkedIn, a great resource for young entrepreneurs. LinkedIn will help you locate and engage with your peers that are aligned to your beliefs. Make the routine of networking a priority and don’t limit yourself to only using social media. Also, attend live networking events.
Are you not “very social”? I’m sorry to tell you this but, you need to start changing your mindset if you want to run a business. Businesses are relations. You cannot have a business if you cannot connect with people!
Live events have changed my life. I have met new people, I have made alliances, I have identified new business opportunities! I have attended more than 15 events this last six months. I was expecting to know someone who helped me in the process (a mentor) and God gave me one on December 1st.
I assisted with the event Put Your Dream to the Test, not knowing anything about the speaker or the concept of her organization (Ask Leadership Team). All I knew she (Sarinnette Caraballo) was a John Maxwell certified coach. God knew how I felt each time I attended a live event. I miss my dad every day, every time. God knew how much I needed her. The Lord has worked with me through her in many ways since that day, I am forever grateful. (Matt 7:7)
About Brendaliz:
Brendaliz Roldan is a Certified Digital Media Specialist with a Master Degree in Marketing. She founded SEPROMS-PR, a professional marketing agency created to support small business owners and entrepreneurs. As a cum laude University of Phoenix graduate and native of Puerto Rico, this business-savvy wordsmith is avid about assisting clients in having better business opportunities and better exposure through creative and affordable digital marketing strategies. To learn more, visit her website and connect with her on Facebook.
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