We love Discovery’s The Deadliest Catch. In case you’re not familiar with it, it’s a show about crab fishing in the brutal Bering Sea.
On the season opener this year, Sig (one of the captains) said something to which we can totally relate as entrepreneurs. But first a little background…
Crab boat captains fish much like entrepreneurs. They develop a theory about where the crab might be like entrepreneurs do with customers.
Based on this theory, they put out their pots – crab fishing code for the baited cages they use to lure the crabs in. Likewise, entrepreneurs use promotional messages to attract customers.
Now back to what Sig said…
He had put out pots but the first run is often disappointing. It’s really about just trying to find out where the crabs are.
On this particular string, though, they hit the jackpot with the first pot. The team celebrated! And then got back to pulling in more pots.
But the tide turned quickly. Pot after pot, they scored zero after zero. No crabs!
Sig said, “It was fun and now it’s not so fun.”
A perfect description of entrepreneuring! Entrepreneuring is a roller coaster ride.
You’re up. You’re down. It’s fun. It’s not. And it’s often a short drive between the two.
It may happen from one day to the next. Yesterday was great. Today sucks. It can even happen from minute to minute when bad news is suddenly front and center.
When you’re the entrepreneur, you often don’t see the good news. Your employees take care of that. You also may not see the little blimps.
No, it’s the big things that hit your desk – the loss of a significant customer or key employee, an impending law suit, or an unexpected bill (e.g. a tax penalty).
The sages say you shouldn’t get emotional about business. But the sages aren’t entrepreneurs. Entrepreneuring is an incredibly emotional experience.
It forces you to reach deep down within yourself, to draw upon resources you didn’t even know you had. It makes you stronger and tougher.
Just realize this – you’re not alone. Every entrepreneur rides this roller coaster.
So when you feel lonely, reach out to a fellow entrepreneur. Reach out to us. We all need to support each other through difficult times.
It will help you get through the down cycle. It’s how you keep pushing.
Remember, the downs are usually followed by an uptick. And the journey is worth it because it ends with BIGG success!
How do you handle the down times?
Image in this post from stock.xchng
