Do you ever find yourself wanting to crawl on the couch and binge-watch your favorite Netflix series to avoid the “real world” after you’ve experienced a setback?
I know I have!
I have a quick story I want to share with you about the worst setback I had ever experienced as a business owner.
Guys, this is a day that was so devastating that I can recall it like it was yesterday. I mean, it’s vivid in my mind (still today) that I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was wearing.
It was years ago now (1998 to be exact) and we had sold our security business to a Fortune 500 company. After we sold it to them, they kept us on as employees to help them in the transition.
Fast forward a year later, I just left a parent-teacher conference. And I received a horrific call from the corporate office telling us that they were closing the business, filing for bankruptcy, and the checks that they issued to the entire team were going to bounce (like Tigger going to visit Winnie the Pooh).
I can make light of this now – but, trust me it was a gut punch at that moment. I just wanted to go home, put my head under the covers and hide forever.
I mean, we spent years building this business – our baby. It was personal. These were our clients and employees that we loved and spent a lot of time with.
Our employees weren’t getting paid.
Our years of hard work were gone.
And to top it off, both my husband and I were out of a job (and to boot, we just purchased our first home).
They ruined everything!
I felt like everything was out of control – yet, I had no control.
My heart was racing.
I felt like a failure (even though I didn’t cause this).
I was terrified, anxious, and fear took over!
Have you ever had the feeling like you were sucker-punched right in the gut?
That’s exactly how I felt!
So, as much as I wanted to shut out the world. I knew I had no choice but to fight back. I had to pull up my big girl panties and get to work.
Have you ever seen the movie Jerry Maguire where Tom Cruise is frantically calling all his clients to get them to go with him to his new company when he got fired?
That’s exactly what happened to us. We were fired, our employees were fired, and our clients we left with no safety and security.
So, we got on the phones (just like the scene in Jerry Maguire) to try and salvage what we could and take our baby back.
Fast forward, we got on the phone. We called every single client to let them know what was happening and that we would be there to take care of them (come hell or high water).
We also knew that we needed employees to take care of the clients that were going to stay with us – and of course, with employees comes payroll, which we definitely did not have at that moment! But, we were determined to figure it out. And I’m proud to say we did!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had many setbacks in my journey as an entrepreneur. None quite as devastating as this one – but, some other real doozies that I won’t bore you with today.
The best thing about experiencing all of these challenges?
I am a freakin’ rockstar when it comes to bouncing back and creating an action plan to overcome any obstacle that my business (or life) throws at me! I come by it honestly. It’s taken me 30+ years in business and a whole lotta setbacks to figure out how to be resilient.
And I want to share my process with you! I call it my Bounce-Back-Ability System.
Challenges are inevitable in business (and life). The key is learning how to be resilient and not let emotions control how you act and react.
If you are struggling to stay motivated…
If you feel like crawling into a hole…
If you feel like every challenge is eating away at your confidence…
If you feel like embarrassment or fear takes a stronger grip on you every time you experience a challenge or setback, I want you to know that overcoming these feelings and claiming your confidence is easier than it may seem.
It doesn’t matter if you are struggling with:
- Lack of support…
- Fear of failure…
- Self-doubt…
- Or a problem that seems like there’s no solution…
My bounce-back-ability system can help!
I want to invite you to join me in my upcoming Live 3-Part Virtual Coaching Program where I will help you learn how to get unstuck (quickly), create a plan of action, and execute it with confidence so that your emotions don’t take over, and you can reach your goals and build a life and business you deserve!
You’ll find the link in the comments below. I hope to see you there!