When you have a business idea but you're too scared to go through with it, my advice is to just go for it! You will never have success without a few failures—and whether your idea is the success or the stumble, it will take you further.
1. When you realize you can't do it alone...
I have been so fortunate to have a wonderful family who has supported me through every leap of faith and every venture. My partner in life is my husband, and at work, it's all about building a great team. I have two partners in the online business, Forward by Elyse Walker (Michael Mente and Michael Karanikolas), and our strengths are totally different. That is key—find people who excel in areas in which you do not. When it comes to my stores, I was so fortunate to find Summer Holl. She handles all of our operations, management, hiring and strategic expansion. She is a pro in all of the areas that I am not (and/or don't have the time to be). It's so important to recognize that no one person can do it all. You have to be able to delegate!
2. When you learn that you spent more money than you made in the first year...
Work harder and make it up the second year. There are always ways to improve a business, like a relationship, there are always ways to make it better.
3. When you're worried someone will find out that you're just making it up as you go...
I'm not worried! I make it up every day. You can't plan what the day holds because every day brings a whole new set of circumstances and challenges. I'm making it up every day, learning as I go, and you should be too.
4. When you have no time to see friends because your business is all-consuming and you're worried it'll never get better...
I have the best friends in the world and they know they may not see me every day and they don't judge. Friends are the family that you get to choose.
5. When you obsess over the success of others...
My best business advice is not to focus on what others are doing. If I looked at what everyone else was doing I wouldn't have followed through on my own vision. I have never been a follower and I am not going to start now.
