When the old comes to an end and the new is not yet fully within reach, we find ourselves in a space in between. It's an uncomfortable, but also a rich creative place to be. I once again find myself "in between" and am taking the opportunity to step back, reflect and share some lessons learned from the past 10 years of Being Entrepreneurship.
A brief history
The idea to write The Being Entrepreneur has been there for many years now. Quite early on, I knew this entrepreneurial journey that I was on, was different than most. It was fueled from a place of inner conviction. My inner voice was nudging me in a certain direction but there wasn’t an explicit need in the marketplace for what I had to offer. This of course goes against typical best practices when it comes to launching a new venture.
Traditionally, entrepreneurs start with identifying an opportunity in the market and then apply their unique skill sets or experiences to create innovative solutions that appeal to their target group. Many books have been written to support this kind of entrepreneurship and I’m sure this approach will continue to fuel great progress in the future.
However, there are not many resources or best practices for people like myself who choose to walk the inner path of entrepreneurship. I learned early on that applying typical business building principles would not work for the adventure I had committed to. I also realized that the lessons I was learning (sometimes the hard way) were not just unique to my experience, they seemed to also resonate with other like-minded entrepreneurs. This is when I decided that, one day, when all the dots had connected, I would write this book and tell the story of the Being Entrepreneur.
June 6th, 2019
My heart beats with anticipation as I finally sit down to write the first lines of this story. I can feel the intensity of each individual experience over the past 10+ years culminate into this point in time. I can now see how every single step, even the painful ones, have led to a very unique entrepreneurial journey that I now know needs to be shared.
In the years leading up to 2010 I could feel a deep calling coming through me. At first it was a whisper that could easily be ignored but with time that voice became clearer and bolder to the point where I was catapulted into action. The adventure of a lifetime had begun. It has taken me to unimaginable places where I have felt stretched way beyond my comfort zone, yet chose to say “yes” to many seemingly impossible projects and ideas. Of all the unimaginable places I had to explore and discover, the one that stands out most is the place deep inside myself - the Inner Being.
So much of what I had experienced as “real” until then had to be reexamined and eventually deconstructed to a profound core. Many of the stories that had shaped my life until then could now be left behind. I was free to change “the rules of the game” and, in doing so, I started to craft a new story.