When you see a new viral business owner come on the scene, what are the first thoughts that pop into your head? Be honest!
Maybe something like, “Why the heck can’t I get the same results? I’ve been working my butt off for MONTHS!”
I get it! But, no business goes from seemingly nonexistent to viral success overnight. It’s a myth, it just does not happen.
As an outsider it may appear that this business just appeared out of the blue, but if you take the time to do some serious research, you’ll quickly learn how much time and effort went into the creation of that business.
We All Start Somewhere
Today the online world is an ever changing place, full of information and lots of businesses. With the existence of the internet, more and more people are able to create the business of their dreams, but for every one of those people who have started an online business, there are likely months, possibly years of hard work that went on behind the scenes.
Jill Stanton, a recent guest on Success Unfiltered is no different. She began her entrepreneurial journey back in 2006, creating a web TV show, before web TV was really a thing. Jill and her partner poured their blood sweat and tears into the creation of this show, they had 150 episodes and really believed they were ready to start taking on sponsors.
They reached out to Johnson & Johnson, AOL, even some alcohol brands and they were repeatedly turned down. It didn’t matter how much time or effort went into the creation of their show, big brands just weren’t interested.
It was heartbreaking because Jill really thought this was her big thing, but it just didn’t work out. What it did do was prepare her for what lay ahead. It allowed her to build-up her resilience and prepare for the hundreds of NO’s she’d receive in the future.
As Jill said, “You have to be a special breed of person to go down this entrepreneurial path.” It isn’t easy, Royal Fam!
Ten Years In
Let’s put this into perspective, Jill started her business in 2006, and has just now begun to feel comfortable around hearing NO and experiencing her success. That’s over 10 years later!
Everyone’s experience will be different but, business is like working out. If you want to go to the Olympics, you need to train hard. Maybe hire a coach and be resilient about going to the gym every single day. You can’t expect to win if you don’t work your butt off every chance you get.
An Olympian will go to the Olympics and may win gold, but it’s more likely that they’ll try their best, but come home with just the experience and the lessons learned. The next time they go, they may win a medal, but again, they need to take those lessons and experiences and grow from them. Continue working hard and then MAYBE win the gold.
The point is, that Olympians may appear as though they just came on the seen and got the gold, but the reality is they’ve been working on it for YEARS.
Business is the long game. It’s not fast or easy, but if you commit to putting your heart and soul into your product or service it will be fun and exciting, and YOU WILL BE a success (in time). It just takes patience!
Even the Most Successful Entrepreneurs have Major Failures
I know it may be hard to believe, but you are not alone when it comes experiencing major business failures. Almost ALL entrepreneurs have at least one BIG story about something they launched that went completely wrong. I know I sure do with my last Company, FITzee Foods that I had to close in March of 2017.
When you start out you’re inexperienced, you’re eager, you don’t know all of the nitty gritty details that go into a successful product or service launch.
And, you know what!? THAT’S OKAY!
You don’t need to. In fact you shouldn’t. Literally the best way to learn is from your mistakes, essentially failing forward.
Back in November of 2012, Jill and her husband launched their first ever product titled “Badass Guest Blogging.” They were certain it was going to be a success, they even told their entrepreneur friends that they were going to have a $20K launch.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. They ended up not making one single penny from that course, however they did learn some valuable lessons:
- They didn’t have the correct target audience for this course.
- They never asked their list if they wanted a course like this.
- They gave no context to the pitch they sent out.
- Finally, and most importantly, they didn’t have a plan.
This was absolutely devastating to Jill and Josh, but it led to their biggest breakthrough.
Shortly after, in April of 2013, Jill and her husband, Josh, launched Screw the Nine to Five, which I can say is an incredible source of business teachings that helps entrepreneurs build their businesses more strategically, and with a community that is loving, supportive, and just so amazing. I know because I’m a paying member in the group.
In Conclusion
It took Jill over 10 years to create a business where she feels completely successful and fulfilled.
If you look at Jill and Josh from the outside, it may appear as though they’ve always had this level of success. But, it just isn’t true. Every entrepreneur works hard, puts in an incredible amount of effort to make their businesses a success. It takes time, effort and patience to build the business you want.
Remember this the next time you see a new, successful entrepreneur come on the scene. They likely have been working at it for YEARS!
