Sometimes in business, you have to know when to throw in the towel. Some call it quits. I call it a temporary withdrawal.
We live in rapidly changing times, especially for businesses. Hence, the need for businesses to adapt to entirely new marketing trends and demands. Experiencing challenges in business is not anything out of the ordinary. Every business that is growing faces different problems and opportunities. As your business grows, it is important to remember that different problems and opportunities will require different solutions. To overcome these challenges, the entrepreneur must have this great asset called “creativity.” There will always be limited resources in business, but unlimited creativity exists.
Recognizing and overcoming these challenges is essential for your business’s growth. It takes creativity, determination, and discipline to face any category of challenge. In this essay, I will go through the mindset aspect of dealing with adversity. As your business grows and becomes more successful, you will face big problems that could kill it.
You must take the required actions to save the company while maintaining your clients. One of the most commonly asked questions is: What do you do when a new business does not go as planned? Do you fold your arms? Or would you keep running the company despite the difficulties? If you shut down the company, you have failed as an entrepreneur. However, on the other hand, care must be taken not to contribute to the company’s troubles. So, what are you going to do?
I am thrilled to share my experiences and strategies for staying afloat through difficult times. I have always urged budding entrepreneurs not to rush into establishing their businesses. This quotation from me says you should not start a company if you are not ready to do so. What exactly do I mean? It is not a race to see who can develop, establish, or launch an idea first. It is about finding someone who can nurse it and maintain it.
After hearing from multiple business experts, I have observed a recurring theme among aspiring entrepreneurs: “Launch your concept before someone else does.” Of course, that qualifies as “partial truth.” Throughout my entrepreneurial career, I have met numerous individuals launching the products and companies I envisioned. That, however, would not deter me from following through on such an initiative. We live in an age of low innovation, with practically every company concept you can think of being explored or pursued by one or more individuals. As a result, it is not just the originality of your concept that is important but also its uniqueness. This covers packaging, value addition, and customer service integration.
“If you walk away—if you quit—quitting will become easier and easier for the rest of your life” (Forbes, 2016). Failing enterprises are often indicators of a lack of preparation. A little forethought may have worked wonders. However, the hurry to launch a company concept and be the first to do so seldom benefits first-time business entrepreneurs. A little foresight may expose us to what would turn out to be our worst trial, and by pursuing answers, we would grow wiser and stronger to tackle similar obstacles in the corporate world.
The issue remains: what is the best thing to do when confronted with enormous challenges? If you encounter significant challenges after establishing a company concept, I recommend temporarily withdrawing the business from the market. This is referred to as “putting a company on the back burner” or “temporary withdrawal” (one of my favourite words) and then returning to the drawing board.
What does “putting a business on the back burner” mean?
The corporate stance during this stage of a business is characterized by a deliberate avoidance of attention or notoriety. The company owner has made a conscious effort to shun publicity. The term “intentional” is significant since it refers to attitude. As a result, possessing a never-say-die mentality and humility. These two characteristics indicate whether to remove a firm temporarily and when to revive it. Do not give up; instead, rebuild. Unfortunately, most new entrepreneurs are too proud to return to the drawing board. This is the most common cause of company failure.
How is this period characterized?
Although low-profile enterprises are expected to avoid exposure, they should continue serving their current audience. One of a company’s most important assets is its existing clientele. Therefore, everything must be done to maintain your customers. However, do not be afraid to let go of a tough customer. In other circumstances, a low-profile firm may shut its doors to new consumers yet continue to service existing customers. In any of these cases, the essential thing is to set aside time to analyze your business plan since this is the time and resources you will have to rethink and rebuild the company.
How can keeping a low profile help you deal with your problems?
It may seem that you have taken every conceivable step to ensure the success of your concept, yet none of your efforts appear to be working. Returning to the drawing board allows you to learn from your errors, better understand your market, and rebrand for your target market.
Spending enough time to understand your existing difficulties is the most critical task. Visits to current clientele are something to think about. Existing customer feedback might be useful. It would tell you how satisfied these customers are and what has to be done to enhance it. A market survey is particularly vital to consider during temporary market withdrawals. Maintain an open mind in the face of adversity. To earn, you must first learn and remove the “L.” This time allows you to study, evaluate, plan, and, if feasible, rebrand.
Effective leadership (attitude) will assist you in capitalizing on opportunities and generating long-term success. Enjoy the process of learning from your errors. Each adversity will make you stronger and more prepared for greatness. After each temporary retreat, sharpen, improve, and repackage your company’s idea(s) for brilliance in the current competitive market.
Conclusion
The tale of the donkey is a fitting conclusion to this work. For some reason, I do not find the donkey endearing. I developed an appreciation for the donkey due to my compassion for it, and I have taken many cues from it ever since. The donkey is often considered an inferior animal. The donkey’s story, however, contradicts that. The donkey’s intelligence is overstated. The story of the donkey is essential to any lesson about tenacity. The lessons from the donkey’s existence may be applied to any situation, whether in business or our personal lives and provide a cure for overcoming difficulties. The following are excerpts of lessons from The Story of the Donkey by Elewechi Okike.
The world will throw dirt at you, not just one type of dirt. The key to getting out of the pit is to shake off whatever is weighing you down. Each problem we face helps us move forward. We can get out of even the deepest wells if we keep going and do not give up. Just shake it off and move on. The workplace can be hostile at times.
Nevertheless, it is up to you how you deal with it. You must know how to turn your problems into stepping stones, your walls into bridges to cross, and your lemons into lemonade to refresh your spirit. What other people think about you does not matter. What counts is what you think about yourself and what you can do. Even though the donkey in the story was “old” and no longer useful, it could still shake off the heavy loads of sand shoveled. Nobody can tell you it is over until you tell yourself it is over.