Why an Entrepreneurs Real-World Sacrifices Are More Stressful Than Glamorous

Why an Entrepreneurs Real-World Sacrifices Are More Stressful Than Glamorous There are many truths, and yet there are many myths about entrepreneurship. While some people would label it as “the best ship ever”, the others would say “don’t you ever try to sail THAT ship”.So, where’s the actual truth? Is being an entrepreneur really the best thing that ever could have to happen to one? Or is it more like a road full of obstacles, disappointments, and sacrifice?We have taken an exceptional example of Anastasia Wright, founder of IMG Agency Records to show you why an entrepreneurs real-world sacrifices are more stressful than glamorous.Stay with us to catch up with plenty of useful information on how to survive in the great big world of entrepreneurship out there.MEET ANASTASIABefore we get down to specific situations and all the details “behind the scene”, allow us to introduce you to this amazing lady a bit closer.Music, as a universal means of communication, inspired Anastasia to found the music management company.The company specializes in ar tist development as well as in music marketing.Though one may get the impression that she has been in business for many years, the agency is relatively young, existing only several years.Anastasia fell in love with entrepreneurship and decided to make her dreams come true as soon as she realized that music was her very special niche.Motivated to add value ever since she discovered what does being an entrepreneur means, she headed strongly into the industry.Though on the surface things may seem ideal, beneath it there’s a lot of sacrifices.Here are some of the most valuable conclusions explained.SOCIAL MEDIA’S TRICKY PERSPECTIVEJust a single glance at Instagram, Facebook, or whichever social media network clearly displays that everything looks awesome, right?Well, WRONG!Of course, we are not here to burst the bubbles, but to tell you that behind the ideal picture of one hugging with a superstar there’s a lot of hard work out there.Pictures are here to show us the final product, the brighter side of being an entrepreneur.It’s not to say that there are no relaxing moments of enjoyment. There are many of those, of course, but the road to them is not an easy one.Social media are here to show us that one’s dream may come true.After all, don’t all of us post only the best pics, instead of the ones where we look exhausted, sleepy or messy? The same goes for entrepreneurs.They will be proud to showcase crème de la crème of their job, but perhaps not all of them are willing to explain what’s behind the scene.So, if you are among those willing to start his or her own business, have that in mind.HOW ABOUT LIVING OUTSIDE OF OUR HEADS?“Pull yourself together” is what people often say, aiming to tell one to be reasonable, use brains and so. This goes for life in general, including the working aspect of it.However, with a demanding project like a personal business, usually starting from scratch, one needs to use supernatural capacity and try to think of as many situations as possible and work out on ways to handle them.Sometimes it requires an upgraded brainstorming that one may get the impression he/she went outside of the head!No, of course, we don’t mean going nuts, absolutely not!What we are trying to say is that one needs to live outside the head and be able to see the situation from the objective point of view.Being able to do so is not an easy task, particularly when something so personal is involved in the situation.It’s definitely the virtue that comes with time and experience. So, one needs to put him/herself in both positions- as the one delivering services or products and as the consumer.THAT’s what living outside our heads mean. We need to be aware of how things look from either of perspectives.Only then we will be able to summarize the situation and change or upgrade if something requires so.FINANCIAL CHALLENGES PUT MORE WEIGHT ON MENTALWhichever niche one chooses, they all have one in common- money. Whether in th e initial phase of working on a plan for another project, its funding you need.Some people have enough luck to enter into business with a solid financial base. The others may not be so lucky.As a matter of fact, the majority of business start with very little money and huge dreams.No matter how dedicated one is and able to project a situation from numerous perspectives, sometimes you cannot predict everything.There are many factors that have an impact over that, and it may happen that one loses more money than expected.It’s not rare that people invest lots of money and lose it just like that.That’s because there are many factors that are beyond our reach.We cannot influence everything.When that happens, people often feel desperate and such challenges may seem too difficult to cope with them.However, instead of drowning in the sea of our own tears, we should move on.Try to look for the factors that led to financial debacle, and if possible, find the way to avoid them next time.Ex periences like this should be a valuable lesson. Only if we are able to see them in such a way will we succeed.LEARNING TO LET GOThis is perhaps the biggest lesson one needs to learn- to let things go.But, how, when you know that you invested money and what’s even more important your energy and ideas, your nerves? How to let it go just like that?Well, instead of lamenting over that loss, try to get something useful out of every difficult situation.Besides learning to see things through (or live outside your head, as you wish), see what that stressful event brought you.Each situation is different, and despite working on as many solutions as possible, sometimes you feel that nothing else one would do.But, at that moment you somehow realize you have passed the point of no return.There’s no giving up. But, if the final outcome is negative, just let it go.Always have in mind that you did your best no matter what.This is indeed hard to explain to people until they hit that point.Peopl e can rarely understand why someone doesn’t give up despite all the obstacles.Why do people become so stubborn? Are the chasing losses? Or they feel more confident that THIS is the moment when success is imminent?These are just some of the questions that actually explain what one needs to know to be a successful entrepreneur.We shall try to list as many occasions to make it easier for you to evaluate if you are the one able to handle them all.Of course, do not expect some sort of magic formula that will lead you to stars and make the ugly sides disappear, but expects to get a better insight.THE UGLY TRUTH OF BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR 101Before we dive into a bit detailed explanation of what it takes to identify yourself as a potential businessman or businesswoman, let’s briefly summarize Anastasia’s valuable lessons.As you can see, these are some common spots, but still, no matter how obvious, people often oversee them or forget the truth behind.Just look at any of the current gia nts of the entrepreneurship; they all have wonderful stories that can motivate and educate us.What we learn from Anastasia is that living outside the head and getting a wider perspective as possible is one of the essential things.Moreover, the financial aspect is indeed challenging and sometimes one literary reaches the bottom, but rising from the ashes like Phoenix and learning to let things go is what we should do in crisis times.The time has come for the ugly truths. Here they are:THE SCHOOL MATTERS, DONT DROP IT LIKE THATOkay, we all like to make some excuses, something along the lines “If Steve Jobs could do it, why cannot I?”Because that’s the picture that media and social media (remember?) like to show.It’s the most common initial mistake of misguided and non-informed individuals trying to become business people.Just drop off the suffocating shackles of higher education, and you will be the next one creating Apple. Well, NO!The gigantic Steve Jobs may have dropped the school OFFICIALLY, but he certainly didn’t spend his days playing GTA or whatever else.He continued education and worked on plans of establishing a brand. Of course, he’s an exception, but let us tell you something.It’s the perspective that matters here. So, instead of seeing this as “I don’t need the school to become successful”, try to look this as a motivation that it is possible to make the dreams come true even if you didn’t attend the fanciest university in the world.It’s a lot of knowledge and hard work that represent a necessary combination for one to succeed.So, it’s about finding a useful source of knowledge and information which will help you make your idea become a reality.WE ARE TALKING SELF-MOTIVATION, BUT LIKE INSANELY LOTS OF ITIt’s not just something that you want, but something that you truly, deeply and wholeheartedly desire.Having in mind all the obstacles we listed, one needs to be a tough character.One needs to be able to get up and continu e even if debacle occurs.This is possible only if one has a good plan and the idea where the idea actually leads to. What is it that you are trying to achieve?Is it something objectively achievable or perhaps it’s too dreamy to make it become a reality?Define the goals, see how fulfillable they are, and that’s where self-motivations takes place. Prepare plenty of it; you are going to need even more than that.Some people creatively describe it as playing all the instruments in an orchestra by yourself, but that’s the truth.The ability to multitask combined with strong self-motivation is the key to success. NO GETTING RICH OVERNIGHTYou know that feeling when things work smoothly, and your project is bringing more profit than you hoped?You suddenly see yourself imagining yourself in some exotic location like the Bahamas, sipping some refreshing cocktail away from all the worries.And the moment you are about to order yourself another one, here comes the reality check when you real ize that the current success doesn’t mean things will continue being smooth always.When it comes to the financial aspect, it’s very important to be reasonable.The market is changing day today, and the thing that brought you profit today may not necessarily bring you the same amount of money tomorrow.It’s essential to work on ideas constantly and adjust them to meet the needs of your consumers.And of course, even if your business is profitable, don’t waste money on some unnecessary items just because you feel like doing so.Nevertheless, you can enjoy when a longer period of financial stability comes.That usually happens after establishing your brand as a reputable one, and gain a wide base of consumers that stick with you.It’s absolutely okay to let that feeling of wealthiness relax you for a bit because after all, you deserved it.THE SWEET AND SOUR TASTE OF PROCRASTINATIONWhile at school (the one we DIDN’T drop, to remind you) we were taught that it’s a bad habit. And it’s so true, but it’s the rule that works exclusively during school.Yeah, it can result in some caffeine-addicted all-nighters (why do I recognize myself so much in this one? ) but we are adults, and we can determine ourselves what’s the best hours to work.One would call it a good side of being your own boss, while the others would see it as a curse.Okay, we can agree that having such an unpredictable tempo can result in some health issues or something like that, but it’s us the one that decides to do so.There’s no director or a teacher to breathe down our neck.However, such business style can work for some period of time, because long-term behavior like that undoubtedly harms our body and mind.And we come to some of the silliest ironies regarding self-employment.It’s very important establishing real work hours, routines and stick to those.Treating your business as a real business is the whole point.But, it’s nice to know that you can make exceptions, right?It’s the power of being your own boss.IT’S NOT ALWAYS GOING TO LOOK LIKE A DREAMLANDHere’s another not so sweet side of turning your dreams onto your business.Sometimes things become so challenging that you may even forget what your dreams were actually.That’s the moment where doubts take place, and you start hesitating.Instead of letting that feeling take you and stray you away from the goal, even more, hold on and take a deep breath.Calm your head and try to remember what motivated you to start your own business. Try to identify the phase where things went wrong and work on a solution.There are many aspects involved, and when you occupy yourself with some techniques of financial issues, it’s only natural that dreams become foggy a bit.Always remember that there was something that pushed you in the wonderful world of start-ups.YOUR PRIDE MAY ENCOUNTER MULTIPLE CHALLENGESThe reality check (again) reveals yet another not so pretty side of entrepreneurship-almost 80% of businesses fai l.And if you happen to be a part of these sad statistics, and people keep asking you “how’s the business going?”, pride gets seriously endangered.So, what to do? It’s impossible to become an outlaw or keep yourself hidden from friends and family. So, try planning your approach in such a situation.Practice the situation at home and try to point out the valuable things you learned on the way.It’s not easy, we know, but it’s also a part of strengthening your personality both in private and in the business aspect.SAY GOODBYE TO IDLINGWith more and more information available via multiple platforms and so many entertaining contents everywhere, it’s hard to keep the focus where it should be.And you need a whole load of it when starting your project.Limit yourself from checking the social network profiles every minute and keep away from scrolling through some sensational articles. Save the attention for doing something valuable.Again, we are not saying that you should never ev er do something but work, work, work, but make a good plan.Take a break from work and then treat yourself with some funny content.INSTEAD OF BEING A ONE-MAN-BAND, GATHER AN ORCHESTRAOnce you realize that you don’t have to do all by yourself, things will become lots easier.One is neither so knowledgeable nor qualified to encompass all the aspects of a certain business, and that’s why business partners exist for.Try to gather a team of people with the same aspirations, so that all of you would strive to achieve the same goal.But diversify it by including people with various skills and expertise, with various levels of experience.That way, you will have a successful team that works like a perfect mechanism.Hold meetings from time to time and see how team members feel about the project.Of course, it’s essential to establish yourself as a leader, but the one that is willing to listen to what others have to say.Valuing one’s opinion is of vital importance.WORK ON YOURSELF 24/7, 36 5 DAYS A YEAR OR EVEN MORE OFTEN THAN THATAfter realizing what it takes to be an entrepreneur, there’s one more lesson to acquire.Have in mind that it’s a project that requires constant work, not only regarding business but yourself.There are many challenges on the way, and one often encounters situations where simply cannot recognize him/herself.For that reason, approach the whole project as a constant work on yourself as well.Since it involves plenty of emotions, it’s only natural that one has to adjust to the situation and find ways to handle the situation.It’s the only way to minimize the stress and maximize the positive effects.Such things fall to the “easier said than done” category, but give it a try. It doesn’t cost any money, and you may get a lot in return.Only when you become able to perceive every situation as a lesson that brought you new insight or new quality will you be able to survive.Whichever industry you choose, the competition is merciless, and on ly the strongest ones withstand.Do your best to be the one who changed things, the one who managed it. FINAL WORDEvery story about business is inspiring in its own way.As you can see, there are many ups and downs, but it is possible to make your dreams come true.There’s a lot of work, it’s a challenging journey, a unique adventure, but it’s worth it.Turning your ideas into a business is really one of the biggest achievements in life.But it gives plenty of satisfaction, which is a strong motivation to push forward.Learn from the failures and mistakes, and turn that useful lesson into a future advantage.An entrepreneur is a mindset not just yet another job. It’s your own idea transformed into something that earns you living. It’s something with plenty of YOU inside.And that is something truly special, isn’t it?So, the next time someone asks you “Are you willing to go there?”, proudly say YES!We gave you a precious insight into those not so often discussed aspects and h elped you get a clear picture of it.Now that you know why an entrepreneurs real-world sacrifices are more stressful than glamorous, you can be more confident that success is out there.So, head on, be brave, and the reward is enormous.   Let it really be the best ship you have ever sailed!