Good things come to those who hustle

There are a lot of things we have to do in our businesses as entrepreneurs – many of them new and difficult. In some ways it was much easier working in a corporate environment because someone else brought in the business, handled payments, did payroll, cleaned the office and paid your health insurance.

As an entrepreneur there are a hundred things to learn and it can be overwhelming. So what’s an entrepreneur to do?

Hustle.

Because chaos is everywhere, there will be times when you need to hustle to get chaos under control. Clients requesting support, leads to follow up with, marketing to do… it takes some hustle to grow your business!

It’s one of the reasons I love this quote from Actor Will Smith, “The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. You might have more talent then me, you might be smarter than me, but if we get on a treadmill together, there’s two things: You’re getting off first or I’m going to die.”

His motivation so clearly illustrates that hustle evens the playing field, because if you’re willing to do the hard work, then you’ll get the results.

Hustle or Flow?

A question that invariably comes up when talking about hustle is ‘What about living in “flow” and “in the moment”?’

Like you, I hear that from entrepreneurs a lot and there are a few things I consider. First is that many of these entrepreneurs are several years or decades into their business, and most would agree that to grow to this point they spent many years hustling. Now that things are going smoother, it’s easy to sit back and let opportunities flow.

The second consideration is your own financial circumstances. I’ve heard from clients how much they appreciate my perspective as a single woman – something I’d never considered. But when I look at the business owners who rely on their partner’s income, family money, or even the income and success of a previous business, it’s easy to understand how the decisions can flow at a much slower pace.

Hustle is not about making snap decisions and forcing yourself to work for the sake of working. But there is a sense of urgency that if you want to reach your goals, then there has to be a little hustle. Often the entrepreneurs who encourage “relaxing in the flow” in lieu of taking action don’t have that urgency in their income or growth.

I always defer to taking action.

In my experience, you learn faster and deeper lessons when you’re moving. As one of my mentors is fond of saying ‘you can’t steer a parked car!’

By moving forward it’s easier to judge what strategies are working to bring in results for your business. Hustle is not about work for the sake of work! As you begin to conquer the chaos to learn how to operate your business, hustle is what keeps you moving forward consistently.

If you consider the reality of your business and goals, then you know that the world is moving faster, not slowing down. The art of the hustle means keeping up with the rapid changes. Your business is here to do great things, and if that means learning HTML or trading in your floppy disc for a USB drive, then that’s what we do to survive.

Can you borrow hustle?

Absolutely! But even if you’re going to employ the most talented hustlers in the world for your sales, marketing, production, etc. you still have the role of owner, leader, and mentor. So the focus of the hustle might change but the act never does!

(I know, it’s a little depressing. I’m always going to work hard and face new challenges if I want to grow? Well, is your business worth it? I hope so!)

The sooner you embrace the hustle and commit to doing whatever it takes in your business, the faster your growth will accelerate – both personally and professionally.