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Optimism: An Entrepreneurial Essential Alicia Baraniewicz In today’s fast-paced, cut throat business world it is difficult for even the best equipped entrepreneurs to keep their heads on straight. Amongst all the ups and downs, ethical challenges, and constant feelings of being stretched too thin, there is only one thing that entrepreneurs have absolute control over, and that is their attitude. While it is true that successful businesspeople need to be well-rounded, the most essential attribute for any entrepreneur is optimism. In all aspects of business from the idea, to the start-up, to recruiting, advertising, and the general operation of the business, there are ultimately two possibly outcomes; success and failure. The key, however, is not buying into the detrimental misconception that a lack of immediate success and reward equals failure. Without optimism, it is virtually impossible for an entrepreneur to put their business plan into action. Successful ventures require investors, employees, and loyal customers. Let’s face it, while the entrepreneur usually has the most resting upon the success or failure of the business, many other people must put stake in the company as well. Entrepreneurs must convince investors that their company has great potential and is a sound investment. They also must convince prospective employees that their company is a wise career move that is able to provide lasting and enjoyable employment. Lastly, entrepreneurs must persuade customers to believe that their product or service is necessary, and in fact, better than the alternatives currently present in the marketplace. When it comes right down to it, if the entrepreneur is not optimistic about their company no one else is going to be either. A business cannot survive if people are unwilling to invest their trust, effort, or money into it, therefore making optimism absolutely fundamental. The need for optimism, however, does not end there, in fact, after the business opens its doors to the public, optimism becomes even more essential. It is often said that a company’s first few years of business are crucial, and it is in these years that most companies will fail. This added stress along with the stress that comes from trying to work out the kinks of your business plan while just getting by on the miniscule, if any, initial earnings is a bumpy road to travel. Julianne Baraniewicz, my mother and two-time entrepreneur explains,
As Baraniewicz implies, entrepreneurial ventures go beyond the visible risks and stresses and involves a great deal of sacrifice. Owning a business, especially one that is still in the beginning stages, requires an entrepreneur to devout their undivided time and attention among other valuable resources. They are often forced to pass up doing things they find enjoyable or spending time with loved ones in order to tend to business needs. This can be very straining on not only the business owner, but those around them as well. Undoubtedly, most entrepreneurs would agree that to maintain focus in that type of environment and to rationalize that such sacrifices will eventually pay off, takes every ounce of optimism one could possibly muster. In addition, the business world is a myriad of opportunities and setbacks, in which only the truly optimistic can thrive. Unfortunately, no matter how optimistic one is, setbacks are inevitable. All up and coming entrepreneurs will experience some, if not many setbacks ranging anywhere from ineffective marketing strategies, to not meeting an expected sales quota, or even choosing a poor business location. The truly optimistic, however, would not correlate failure with such setbacks, but rather judge success on the way in which they react to those situations. If an entrepreneur is able to view a setback optimistically, they are more likely to use it to develop something positive. Many of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs and most successful people have in fact used their optimism to create triumphs from what were initially thought to be failures. Thomas Edison once wrote, “I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”2 Ralph Waldo Emerson even takes Edison’s idea a step further by claiming, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”3 By assessing why a particular idea or business plan did not prevail, one can weed out weaknesses and enhance strengths in order to develop and sounder plan, better geared towards success. In order to utilize this principle, however, an entrepreneur must possess optimism, so as not to be halted by the disappointment of an initial let down. The previously proposed theories suggest that optimism gives entrepreneurs a necessary edge, but do these theories hold true in the actual business world? Certainly. A prime example of a real life entrepreneur who succeeded through her use of optimism is Madame C.J. Walker. Walker is an African American woman born the daughter of slaves, who became an orphan at the age of seven, married when she was just fourteen, and then divorced at the age of twenty.4 In the business of black hair care products, she started selling her hair growth salve door to door in 1906, with every odd stacked against her.5 With nothing to fall back on but her devotion to hard work and her optimistic attitude, Walker became one of America’s first self-made female millionaires. She had every reason in the world to be pessimistic, yet somehow was not. Despite years of oppression, Walker envisioned change and had faith in herself. This optimism and can-do attitude drove her to pursue her dreams though people tried to hold her down and she not only liberated herself but thousands of other women as well. Early on she recognized her ability to teach and relate to others, and because she was so optimistic about her product and business, she was able to spread this optimism and hope to other oppressed women. Within a decade, Walker had recruited over ten thousand women to act as agents, selling her hair growth salve.6 Through Walker these women were able to become financially independent business women. Madame C.J. Walker’s optimism is responsible for pushing her to do what others thought she could not, making her fight harder when other’s tried to hold her down, and striving to help others achieve success after she had achieved it herself. Her contributions have paved the way for future generations, proving that optimism goes along way, and women can achieve anything they put their minds to. Some people would argue that optimism is only harmful to entrepreneurs and that perhaps it causes them to naively follow dreams that most likely cannot be reached. This ideal, however, could not be farther from the truth. Through optimism anything can be achieved, for it is only in the fading of it that we seem to fall short. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, claims,
If prior entrepreneurs or inventors did not follow their dreams that others thought were foolish and unrealistic, we would not have many of today’s common entities including the airplane, telephone, or probably even computers. Optimism is undoubtedly an entrepreneur’s most valuable asset. It is the will to learn from the past, overcome the present, and make a future. It encourages entrepreneurs to believe in what others never thought was possible, trudge on when it is easier to quit, and strive to improve what is already good. Today’s business world is fast paced and unforgiving, and only the most well prepared succeed. In order to compete in such a world, optimism is not only a necessary attribute for entrepreneurs, it is an absolutely vital one. 1 Julianne Baraniewicz, interview, 25
September 2005 . Brainy Quote. www.brainyquote.com Bundles, A’Lelia. Fortune. www.fortune.com Roseman, Jack. Post-Gazette.com. www.post-gazette.com Simmons, Michael. Entrepreneur.com. www.entrepreneur.com |
