Entrepreneurship is in the blood
It is still early when I am on the field on Saturday morning for the weekly boot camp hour. Quite tough after the short holiday we came home from the day before and even before I see the grass, I already regret the cheeses and rosettes from last week. Oops! After a lot of suffering (and guaranteed muscle pain the days after) I walk back to the gym tired but satisfied with my also tired fellow victims. I walk next to a young entrepreneur from the neighborhood. A year ago, she started a hip business in the center and while we are out, she says that a holiday with such a new company is still quite a challenge.
Of course I hear this from our entrepreneurs more often and while I tell what I do for a living, it comes up that so many companies go wrong in the first years. I say that I have already had quite a few people at the table who have been living below social assistance level for years. She looks at me with great surprise. "What are you doing it for then?" That is of course a legitimate question that I have also asked myself. Continuing to do business despite the disappointing results is for some people it is a matter of burying their heads in the sand and for others it is perhaps not wanting to give up “their baby” of the company. In any case, it is crazy to realize that these people work very hard day in and day out without making any money. There can be all kinds of reasons why these hard workers (that's what they are!) Do not want to give up, but we often see that people still experience a sense of failure.
As far as I am concerned, identifying problems in time and calling in the right auxiliaries on time is a sign of good entrepreneurship! Sometimes a company needs a push in the right direction and sometimes it may not be possible to save the company. Stopping in time is absolutely no shame, but rather prevents a lot of misery. Using the right (assistance) facilities can also greatly limit the damage. Of course you take pride in entrepreneurship, but recognizing your pitfalls and hiring professionals need not detract from this. If you, as an entrepreneur, are unsure whether your company is going well, my advice is to take the time for rest, reflection and sound advice. After countless conversations with entrepreneurs, I have learned that entrepreneurship is not the company that is currently registered with the Chamber of Commerce.
Entrepreneurship is in the blood. This was also evident from my entrepreneur from the boot camp club: He immediately tried to sell her products to me! Fortunately, her first member of staff has recently become a fact and that holiday will not be long in coming.
Manon Luitjens-Bakker
Team leader Insolvency at Zuidweg & Partners