Struggle is just a part of the process on the road of entrepreneurship. How we handle these struggles is how we handle everything. Struggle is what makes us who we are. It’s what shapes us into who we want to become. It’s what forces us to grow and persevere through discomfort even if it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. The pressure from struggle makes or breaks the entrepreneur. There are many factors that help during times like this. Who you surround yourself with plays a massive part. How you handle adversity and your problem solving abilities will be tested. Having the resolve to see things through will lead you to the promised land.
Humble beginnings
When I first began my real estate journey, I truly started from the ground floor. I had no money whatsoever, no experience in investing (although I did have experience as a realtor in sales). I had nothing to offer but time and dedication. I spent countless hours learning and dissecting how others have reached success in real estate investing. Hundreds if not thousands of hours over the last several years of my life have been dedicated to this subject. A few years later I have a thriving business with consistent deal flow and a strong portfolio. It wasn’t easy. It still isn’t easy. As a matter of fact, some of the problems I face today are harder than they were at the beginning due to their higher stakes and complexity. Things don’t get easier, you just get better at learning the process and solving problems. Struggle becomes normal as the stakes get higher and you continue to elevate yourself.
When I was breaking into the industry, I tried every tactic under the sun to get some traction. I tried driving for dollars in my neighborhood (driving around looking for distressed homes), cold calling, using the MLS and agents, and so much more. Nothing worked for me. My back was against the wall. For the better part of a year, I had been doing this with nothing to show for it. My income was solely predicated on the money I was receiving from DoorDashing. However, my resolve was strong and I refused to accept failure as an outcome. Instead, I embraced my circumstances and used my mistakes as fuel to create a more refined process and system.
Create a mission
The thing that really set me on the path to where I am now is the people I found and surrounded myself with. This thing called life is really difficult to figure out, especially when you’re trying to do something as difficult as I was attempting to do. Finding the right people around me allowed me to share that burden. We have put our heads and thoughts together collectively over the last year and have been able to develop some pretty refined systems and processes to run a successful real estate investing business. Having a shared mission with like minded individuals is critical. Struggling alone is lonely, so much so it could become unbearable and feel impossible to figure your way out of. Sharing that plight with others is like a weight being lifted off your shoulders. When you have the right people around you, you know there will be people there that have your back when times get tough as long as you can stay aligned under the same vision and goals. Creating and embodying this shared vision is one of if not the biggest key to combating struggle on your way to success.
A direct correlation
Success and struggle are directly correlated. Where you find one, you’ll find the other. Struggle is a prerequisite of success as it will teach you how to get better so that you can better accomplish your lofty goals. Finding a team of individuals to take on this journey with is a critical aspect as they’ll be able to pad the blow when things go wrong and put their brains together with yours to come up with solutions together. The power of a great team always overpowers a single individual. Find your team, embrace the struggle, learn and grow from your experiences, and success will find you along your entrepreneurial journey.