Read Time: 3.5 minutes

I’m fired up about this week’s newsletter, so I am going to keep the intro short and you can dive right in.

We are now less than a month from my book launch, and have officially gone to print.

Stay tuned for more announcements soon.

Now, let’s jump into it.

Live your passion

What should business really feel like?

Creating a new and successful venture only ever happens when you add something into the world, and there are few activities in life more rewarding than turning a burning new business idea into a reality.

That’s why entrepreneurship is all about passion: the passion to build something from scratch, the passion to change an industry for the better, and the passion to take on the world in the process of making it all happen.

And the reality about passion? It waxes and wanes.

Just like in love relationships, the way you feel about your business is going to hit super-high waves of excitement and super-low depths of despair. Sometimes in the same day. Sometimes it’s a little like hitting that tsunami-strength wind in the middle of a sunny-day boat race, which can either leave you in front of the pack or stranded on a remote beach without a way to get home. In love, in life, and in business, you can’t predict what will happen every moment on your journey.

The other day, I was talking about this with my friends at Nuts For Cheese, an organic cashew based dairy free cheese company that’s making a lot of waves right now, and deservedly so. Like a lot of younger entrepreneurs, their team has seen a lot of upward movement aligned with their hard work. The more time they’ve put in, the more that they’ve achieved results.

Even so, it’s not always that simple. There are times in business when you could be doing everything necessary to make that win, but you're not seeing the impact. You’re not making the level of profit you want, or selling your brand to that extra distributor, or landing that big customer deal. It feels like you’re in the depths, and on the other side is a wall you didn’t anticipate. That natural fear of failure.

Here’s the thing: that wall you’re seeing? It may be an illusion.

When you’re in those depths, that’s exactly when you’re working extra hard to make sure the ship stays afloat. You’re focused. You’re creative. You’re reaching out for support. But you’re also in a place where you can't see the clarity of your successes right in front of you.

What’s going to happen next?

Well, you could give in to your fears and give up. For sure, that’s a viable option for pretty much everyone who isn’t totally passionate about their work.

But if you have passion and immerse yourself in what you’re trying to manifest in the world, you’re going to find your way forward. Even if you hit that wall, you’re going to ready yourself to get back up and keep going. In fact, those are the times when you’re going to see a sudden growth spike because you’ve literally lined up everything you need to catch that wind in your sails.

The funny thing is, that’s exactly the point in time when you’ll turn around and you’ll hear something funny, just as my entrepreneurial friends keep laughing about.

“Nuts For Cheese? Oh yeah, they’re an overnight success.”

No, none of us are overnight successes. I certainly wasn’t. But I loved what I was doing, so much so that it felt good to keep on going even when times were tough. Passionate entrepreneurs are just doing the work and enjoying the journey. Even the hard part of the journey. That’s what delivers results.

So what can entrepreneurs do to feel ready to navigate these ups and downs?

Live your passion. Live your love for your ideas, your vision, your community, and the challenges you choose to take on every day.

You can't control what your results are going to be when you’re just starting out. There are far too many variables. But you can control the effort you put into your work, and offer a passionate attitude in showing up every day.

Know that the lows are a necessary part of the journey. In fact, you need to love those lows as well.

Sure, you need patient team members, friends and family, and supportive investors surrounding you. But even more than that, you need the knowledge that you, yourself, are someone you can rely on.

Feeling good about what you’re doing means that you’re going to want to take that next step, whether you’re in an up phase or a down phase. Know that climbing that wall can be just as exhilarating as checking off a goal.

By becoming an entrepreneur, you’re taking steps to doing exactly what you want in life,

So celebrate every part of the journey.

I hope you enjoyed the read and are ready to take your passion to another level.

Until next time.

Let’s Grow!

Here are 3 other ways I can help you grow:

1. Work with me 1:1 to grow your business.

2. Listen to my Founder to Mentor podcast. (new episodes weekly)

3. Get my free mentorship growth tools at www.fatafleishman.org.

Connect with me