When Things Don’t Go Your Way

Many entrepreneurs love to share their journey of success, fame, and fortune. It’s attractive, it’s engaging and you can instantly picture yourself sitting next to them sipping a margarita at some exotic beach location. 

Success is magnetic. 

But what about failure? When things don’t go your way? Where are the videos of entrepreneurs working second or third jobs to make the dream a reality? Chase away their kids from their desks located in the dining room because the new baby took over your office space. Where are those real-life stories? 

I like to think of myself as a “glass half full”, optimistic guy- but I’m also a realist (as I think most of you are). As landscape architects, we were drawn to this profession because of its precision. Draw a line= to produce something beautiful. Follow a formula that produces exact results. Rise/Run=Slope. Run x Slope=Rise. Rise/Slope=Run. As simple as that right?

However, when you add the titles of “entrepreneur” or “small business owner” to landscape architect, that beautiful precise line gets blurred or even smudged. The exact results you were hoping for aren’t easily produced. It’s no longer as simple as a click of a mouse. You are now balancing budgeting, insurance costs, conflicts with needy clients, and bidding projects alongside some frustrating characters. You no longer feel like you can balance all of these competing needs. 

Let me throw you a life raft here….

I’ve been there. My story is as bumpy and complicated as it comes. Several moves across the U.S. to chase the dream of entrepreneurship, working in a cramped basement, and leaving a secure job in order to launch into small business ownership at the ripe age of 34. The struggle is real folks. I am passionate about sharing my struggles because I can personally relate. 

You don’t have to do this alone. You may be your own boss but you aren’t your own co-worker. There is freedom in owning your own business but there is also a degree of isolation. Greg, my old business partner & I were originally professional peers that went on to collaborate on our Plans for the Future course together. 

Our partnership was grown from a concept we believe in called “iron sharpens iron”. 

If you are a landscape architect or designer, or just want to learn a few things about starting your own design business, check out our course called Plans for the Future. Learn from our failures hear our stories, or better yet- let us come alongside you in your moments of grief, pain, and utter TERROR of small business ownership, and together we can find solutions that will make your business a success. 

Let’s flip the script and say failure is magnetic. Because out of failure there blooms something even greater than success...wisdom. Wisdom sustains you through the different seasons of life. We invite you into our failures, our lives, and our professional ups, and downs and promise you that while we may not have all the answers, we certainly know that it’s ten times better than doing this journey alone.

So if you're looking for wisdom, you've come to the right place. Join my new and FREE private Facebook group at the link below and share your story with our community.