I saw a quote recently in an article about entrepreneurship. I was immediately drawn to the article because the author was a woman - and these days seeing another female who can relate to the day to day struggles of starting a business and/or running a business is usually enough to get a click from me.
I was a bit amused by this quote (I am paraphrasing a bit).
"Starting a business is like a near-death experience ... and only if you're successful at it."
I say amused but it was sort of like a validation for me too. I hear so many people around me who romanticize the idea of starting a business. We've all heard these.
- Work for yourself.
- Make your own hours.
- Reap the rewards of your efforts.
Now that's not to say that these things aren't true. But let's face it, those of us who run businesses for a living know that it ain't cupcakes and champagne every day. It takes a whole lotta work to make what appears to be very simple, happen on a regular basis.
Day to day operations to social media to live events to video shoots. It's a crazy, busy, crazy lifestyle. And guess what - we're not zillionaires.
Like everyone else, we have families to support, bills to pay, friends who miss hanging out with us and thoughts about our future and what's down the road for us.
We all work really, really hard and pour so much of ourselves into this. And to this day, I'm still not sure what God really has planned for us, or just how many people will actually be drawn to what we do.
That's a hard reality to face everyday. Even harder to run a boot-strapped business that way.
People ask me how I've been able to pull this off all these years and the truth is that I lean on God and his angels everyday. I have the same questions and doubts and fears as most people who run businesses. He always seems to put people in my path at the right time to encourage me and uplift me and counsel me.
So, on this day I say to the enemy that I'm still standing. I've let yesterday go and I cannot see what tomorrow will bring... but on this day I say,
I WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT.
Thank you Father.
Romans 1:16
Kristy McCarley is CEO of Shazzy Fitness. She writes blog articles about faith, dance, exercise, fitness and wellness. Subscribe to our newsletter and get awesome updates on faith, fitness, fun, family and fellowship.