Ownership

By Whitney Hagarbome, Innovative Energy

We’re a funny breed, us entrepreneurs and artisans. We crave the independence, the freedom to be creative and make our own rules. We set out to chase our individual passions and build the life of our dreams, on our own terms. We dream of how amazing it will be not to have a boss to answer to and schedule to clock in for. It all sounds exciting and empowering, until we’re in it. It’s then we find ourselves stressing over those very same things we set out to achieve.  

The tone starts to change. “You mean I have to make all the decisions by myself, but what are the rules about this?” “How am I supposed to know what to do?” “I’ve never done this before.” “What if it’s the wrong choice and it doesn’t work out?” “But I didn’t do that, it was the girl I hired for the weekend.” 

All of a sudden, all those freedoms we wanted start to feel heavy, and scary, and frustrating. In these moments we can find ourselves looking around for who’s supposed to be in charge when decisions need to be made, things go wrong, and tough conversations need to be had.  

The reality is there’s two sides to every story and this is just part of the deal. Yes, you get the freedom and the opportunity to build something amazing, but that comes with the weight of you actually being responsible for everything that happens in your business.  

So how do we manage this, sometimes paralyzing, pendulum? Here’s a few tips I’ve learned along the way that help keep me moving forward even on the days that feel heavy.  

OWNERSHIP

The hard truth is, you signed up for this and no one is coming to save you. It’s time to take responsibility for every detail of your business. From your brand, to your team, your direction, and your success; it’s all on you. Now I know that sounds direct, and I’m not saying everything that goes wrong is your fault and you should walk around feeling guilt and failure all the time. There are plenty of things that happen outside of our control, and we are just doing the best we can with what we have, but regardless of how things happen it is still your responsibility. It comes with the territory. Don’t know how to do something? It’s your responsibility to figure it out. Don’t know if it will work? It’s your responsibility to carry the weight and push forward. An employee messed up an order? It’s your responsibility to make it right. After all, you hired her. Learning to make a habit of accepting responsibility immediately and finding the way forward will eliminate tension between other parties, and shorten the amount of time spent feeling stuck. 

GRATITUDE

Now that I’ve scared you, I’m going to tell you to be grateful for all this responsibility. It has greatly helped me to keep it in the forefront of my mind that I did indeed ask for this. I don’t HAVE to do all of this, I GET to do all of this. Yes, while there are moments that feel hard, there are so many good parts should not be lost. The pendulum does swing both ways, so get intentional about recognizing it. We all know the good parts deep down if we stop to think about it, but that’s precisely it. We hardly ever do stop to actually think about it. Whether its checking off a to-do list, celebrating goals, or practicing thankful Thursday, find ways to make gratitude, and acknowledging the good, part of your routine. The cool part about taking ownership of every detail, is that when things go right, you get to be really proud.  

USE YOUR RESOURCES

Even though it often feels like you’re alone, you aren’t. Learn to ask for help and use the resources you have available to you. Google and Youtube are your friends. Seriously, there is so much information available for free. And remember that sales rep that sold you your insurance, or whatever service you’re struggling with? They should actually understand how it works and be willing to help you. This next part I already know you’re a rockstar at because you’re here in the Collective. Create a strong support system of people that not only understand what you’re going through but that have potentially been through similar struggles themselves to point you in the right direction. Being able to skip ahead can save you so much time, energy, and money, which make those heavy moments feel a lot lighter.  

EVALUATE

Last but not least. Just keep evaluating as you go. Keep looking for the lessons as they show up. Find ways to learn and improve when times are tough instead of beating yourself up. When you know better, you can do better, but you’re only going to improve if you’re out there trying to grow.  

Once you survive making some of those hard decisions and having some tough conversations, you’ll be able to build confidence in your ability to make it through whatever comes your way, even if you do have to be responsible for it all. The truth is, anyone who’s growing is often in uncharted territory and just trying to figure it out as they go. So, use your resources, find gratitude, and thank your business friends for being in your corner. We’re all gonna be just fine.