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I have been a creative-preneur (is that a word?) most of my life. To date, it has been everything you can imagine. I have days of questioning my sanity for starting a thing. Days of understanding why I do what I do. And the famous, 'What the actual f***' moments. An honest entrepreneur will tell you that joy exists, and so will the nightmares. Entrepreneurship is an actual rollercoaster.
I am grateful for the years that I have stepped forward and tried. With each attempt to build, I have walked away with valuable lessons. If it isn't all that obvious, I am going to share them with you.
Don't try to take everyone with you.
In 2015, I decided I wanted to start an events management company. The idea was to create platforms for Zimbabwean creatives inspired by the reality that the creative industry was struggling. I had met many talented creatives who didn't have space to showcase what they did. I thought that was a gap that I could fill.
Who did I tell first? My friends and I roped them into the idea which they loved. Everything fit like a puzzle. We each had a strength that benefited the business. I found joy in envisioning us all being financially free whilst doing something we loved. I loved the fact that MY idea was going to help my friends.
Eventually, we clashed, and it almost cost me the people I loved. You would think it was the last time I tried, but it was not. And each time, the results were the same. I re-evaluated my strategy. My heart was in the right place, but the truth was that the passion was not the same. Things fell apart because our visions for growth and commitment did not align.
You want to build things with people who still have drive after the excitement of a new thing is gone. It's hard to find. I found another truth about myself in this journey. I desired to take everyone with me because I feared trying alone. I found comfort in starting, building and failing with other people. They were a form of cushioning. It sounds selfish, but it is true for many of us.
The challenge is to find your place on your own, scary as it might be. Your tribe will find you along the way.
Saying no is okay.
One time, I was in consultation with a potential client. The energy was off. I could tell we wouldn't gel well. I was not the right person for them. However, I started making plans with the money I had quoted for the service, and it was enough to kick out my conviction.
Did I regret this? Absolutely! It wasn't long before my fears showed themselves in our work arrangement. That client became the reason I dreaded cracking my laptop open. They became the reason I craved the weekend because it meant a break from being micro-managed. Side note: micro-management makes me feel like I am being suffocated! Just me?
I found the strength to cancel the contract because I wanted to love my work again. I share this sentiment to remind you that when your mind, soul and body say no, listen. Let your lips repeat what the rest of your being is saying.
Chase change instead of fame.
Fame looks good when we are looking from the outside. It looks luxurious and fulfilling. I have never been famous, so everything I will say in this case is second-hand information. Those who have tasted it say fame feels like you are forever in a chase. They say it feels as though your life is unfulfilled and unfinished at every turn.
Every time I chased fame, nothing worked out. Maybe that was because there was no meaning to what I was doing. I was blowing with the wind, clutching to every trend out of fear of being forgotten. I whistled when I needed to sing. I barked when I needed to whisper. I remember one day laying in bed, feeling empty. That emptiness lived in me because nobody was whistling or barking back. Who was I without the people to fan my flames of fame? Nobody. I had stripped myself of the opportunity to be myself by chasing something that was barely feeding my soul.
My inclination is that we only have one life. Use it to change someone's life. Leave a positive impact on this broken world. And the truth is when you live in your true purpose, this will be easy to do.
I hope my lessons helped someone, and I would love it if you shared what your career path has taught you in the comment section below.
To finding our purpose, living in it and oversharing! *clink clink*