The 2020 Pandemic has been a roller coaster to say the least. Small businesses and entrepreneurs have been hit hard. All over social media you can see, read, and even feel the level of fear, anxiety, frustration, and worry rise daily. On the other side of this are the people who advocate for everyone to jump out on faith and become an entrepreneur. I want to first say that entrepreneurship is a beautiful thing for me. I enjoy just about everything about it ?! I want to also say that this journey has NOT been easy! Entrepreneurship will test you from the inside out…emotionally, mentally, and physically. There is a great amount of sacrifice involved, you must be willing to endure it all. I believe in the power of entrepreneurship; I also feel strongly that it is not for everyone.
Social media has been full of people TAUNTING anyone who isn’t a small business or entrepreneur. I have no issues with promoting how you feel about entrepreneurship at all. Where the issue lies is in the verbiage being used to promote “being your own boss”. I have seen some highly disturbing posts that I’m sure most would find offensive. I will not give exact quotes, but I will provide some examples of some of the words and phrases that have been used:
- You look stupid letting them decide your paycheck
- Only broke people don’t become entrepreneurs
- I have been telling people to join my business, but people are sheep
- I bet my little business isn’t too good for people to join now
- You better invest your stimulus check into a business
It went on and on…and that list is MILD. Here is why I have an issue with the way things have been delivered. I believe that true leadership is done with LOVE! The Pandemic is an opportunity to highlight some of the benefits to entrepreneurship, but you don’t have to belittle folks to do so. Just being completely honest everyone is not stable enough mentally and emotionally for this ride. Then there are others that do very well in Corporate America, they exceed and excel in their positions. There are those who financially don’t have the ability to move away from their regular pay. Then there are those who do both, they have a 9 to 5, and run a business. There are so many reasons why someone would choose not to own a business, that doesn’t make then any less ambitious, any less intelligent, or any less focused. It simply means business ownership is just not for them. More than anything right now simply BE KIND to everyone! There is so much going on already that adding insult to injury just doesn’t make sense. People are going through a lot, again simply BE KIND!
I want to be clear that at no point am I say not to promote owning a business, I am just simply asking that you do the following while doing so:
- Use verbiage that is inviting
- Lead the conversation with LOVE
- Focus on the benefits without putting down anything or anyone else
- Offer assistance that isn’t always a HARD SALE
- Consider the entire situation
- Remember EDUCATING is the most powerful thing you can do
- Consider you are always representing your brand …choose your words wisely
Empowering through education will lead to far better results. This Pandemic impacts us all differently and if you gain nothing else from this blog please take this… BE KIND!!!
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