by Kulani Shiluvane, Founder and Chief Consultant at Shiluvah
In the age where becoming your own boss is becoming the order of the day, the dream of entrepreneurship and the realities of entrepreneurship often present a harsh reality that not everyone is ready for. However, does mean that one should walk away when the going gets tough?
Having only started my entrepreneurial journey in the past year (even though it feels like 10 years already) I cannot begin to explain how many times in this short period I have been told (by others as well as myself) that my business idea doesn’t make sense, and therefore success is unlikely. As you can image this kind of talk and self-inflicted doubt did not do anything for my confidence in myself and in my business, until I realized that the only “approval” I needed in order to make this work was buried deep within me and that it was my responsibility to unearth it.
Often when one starts on this journey we expect those closest to us to be our biggest and loudest supports and that we can use this energy to propel us to new and greater heights. Sometimes this might not be the case, and therefore it is VITAL that you become your biggest and loudest supporter.
In business, like in life, it is important to hold to yourself when there is nothing and no one to hold to, ignore the negativity from any and all directions, and rather fuel that fire that got you going in the first place.
Dig deep, find that value and begin to unearth it – yes it will be painful as well as exhausting, and yes you will cry – but in the end it will be worth it. It is this kind of grit and tenacity that will form the foundation for growth and success, both personally and in your business. As the saying goes, “nothing worth having ever came easy,” so knock on this door and keep knocking and keep knocking, because while the first few knocks might land on deaf ears, your grit and tenacity will ensure that somewhere down the road in the most unlikely of circumstances and at a time when you are almost ready to give up, your knock will be heard and answered. Therefore, start a sequence of events that will lead more and more doors to open, and then all you have to do is simply walk in and make it happen.
So the moral of the story is - you still (and will ALWAYS) have You on this journey of entrepreneurship, and it’s up to You and only You to ensure that you make it work. The loud support and encouragement you seek from others will find you along the way and by then you might not even need it - however, it will always be nice to have.
Kulani Shilivane is the founder and chief consultant at Shiluvah. She is an accomplished business development professional with a post-graduate qualification in Management from the University of the Witwatersrand. She is a skilled operation, logistics and strategic professional with experience in strategic planning and implementation, stakeholder engagement, human resources and public relations. Kulani served as Chief Operations Officer in a medium-size organisation in Johannesburg for 9 years and in 2017 she started Shiluvah. Kulani has a keen interest in conflict resolution, problem solving and organisational relations and development. Accredited as a mediator by Conflict Dynamics in 2018, her mediation interest areas are: commercial dispute, workplace, management and labour. www.shiluvah.co.za | Facebook | Instagram