Being in business is tough, to say the least. We have all heard the statistics that only 18% of businesses make it. In some cases, far less than that achieve real success. Those that do make it, did not make it as a “flash-in-the-pan” where they just go to an automatic success overnight. It is a trial-and-error thing. I have recently been watching the History Channels series “The Food that Built America”. It highlights story after story of these billion-dollar empires being built from Hershey and Kraft to Nabisco and McDonalds. They all have one thing in common and that was – determination. They did not give up when obstacles presented themselves and, in most cases, they faced tremendous obstacles. They chose to rise to the occasion and found a way to get around the obstacle or create a new path forward all together. It is an interesting series of shows. It shows you that if you have a dream or desire and combine that with action, anything is possible. You must act to make your dream come true.
So, if your dream is a business running at a certain level of success, then it can certainly happen. It may take a different path than you were originally thinking, or a little longer to develop, but it can happen. You may encounter roadblocks, failures, and setbacks. If you did not, you would not be in business. Remember as Tom Hanks says in A League of Their Own, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it.” Look at each obstacle as an opportunity to learn and get better. This year, we have all faced a challenge that has altered our businesses, and I think one of the best things that we can do is rise to the occasion. Look at our situation and plan a new way forward. I wish success to all of you in doing so.