The Road to Entrepreneurship
You wake up one day and realize that YOU want to change the course of the world.
That YOU can make a difference or at least start doing things differently. Better.
That’s how MY story started.
I like to think of myself as a superheroine. I’m constantly changing lives, families, professional journeys or I give people the wake-up calls they need. I touch souls and reach people’s inner world. Not every time, it’s still a desire to cultivate a professional discipline in people. It doesn’t always work out. And that’s okay.
From the very beginning, I added: passion, a business mission, and a business plan.
After that, I carried on with:
Conscientiousness — I wake up at 06:00 AM so I can have an hour just to myself. For my personal and professional development — reading, listening to podcasts, or just for some quiet time with myself and my philosophy.
I make it a mission to respect my commitments, so I would rather set an extended deadline and surprise with promptitude, rather than disappoint or not deliver in the conditions laid down.
Quality — I set up that the services we offer should be high-quality before anything else. That we should be advocates for candidates and also for businesses. For the PEOPLE that understand we are by their side no f#cking matter what.
Because we are their extension in the business relationships we develop and so we pursue their interests whichever side they are on.
And even when we have different views, we are willing to debate and discuss ideas, arguments and reach solutions TOGETHER.
Empathy — helps me to understand the background and professional expertise of each person I interact with. I want to know as many details as possible to better understand the context.
It enables me to be useful, to contribute to a person or an organization’s evolution. This is where our essence lies, as human resources people. At least that’s how I see it.
It’s not easy being vulnerable and opening up to a stranger, but it sure does help a lot. Empathy is a form of knowledge, especially of the social inner self.
Take my business, for example, the more information an expert has about the labour market, the industry, the social context, or the business model, the more he can do to help you.
He can save you time. He can offer advice and professional counseling.
All of this is possible only if both interlocutors choose to stand by their actions, to be responsible and honest. I believe that this is the only way to receive a piece of advice or information that turns out to be constructive and objective feedback.
Partners and Mentors — I chose the right partners for my business. The ones that understood my ideology, my aspirations, and most importantly, the mechanism on which my business is built. Any business is a living organism and needs analysis, guidance, and objective counseling.
“The spiritual leaders” are less attached to my business than I am, so they ask me about my intentions, they question my opinions, help me shape new business directions, and offer me a broader vision.
Challenges — assuming risks and failures, quite calculated ones in my case. Maybe because I’m a woman? Waiting for feedback on that : )
I considered the risks and I internalized them for 7 months before taking the big step of becoming an entrepreneur. Be the legal, fiscal, accounting, or human resources related. But I have always remained aware that in entrepreneurship there is only one constant: the unpredictable.. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Chaos — that’s how some people call it. I prefer the word “adrenaline”. There’s not a day that resembles the other. Challenges and new situations appear at every step of the way. But chaos has its beauty: you never know what’s coming, but you take every situation at a time and find solutions for every problem.
Madness — “Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do”. I will also change the world soon — although I already do.
Just at a different magnitude.
I left my comfort zone as an employee, and I decided to head into the unknown.
Mistakes — some people need help and I’m more than happy to counsel them. I call them good deeds when I do them pro bono. But I gave up doing this for free — because there is a need for reciprocity so that people appreciate what they receive. It takes an exchange in the universe — either of information, data, or financial.
There are very few people who understand that your time is money. It’s gonna cost you, your business and its development if you only do pro bono work. I’ve worked hard (and I still do) to get where I want to be. That requires being rewarded for my business consulting/counseling. Sometimes you lose, but we’ll talk about losses in another article. ;).
Failures — I choose to celebrate them. Those are the ones that drive me and my business forward. I admit I celebrate them every Friday. That helps me become a better, more thorough, and more worthy business person. Failures are rewards but also wake-up calls that my business needs another approach, another Cristina entrepreneur.
A lot of work — Baby, I’m here when it comes to that! It takes planning, organization, consistency, and consciousness. When I feel like giving up, I take a break, I breathe in and out..and carry on.
I always talk with my team about what can be improved — only my team can give me the best insights. We need to raise the bar constantly.
Letting go — When certain things, projects, relationships don’t work, it’s better to let go. When the report is unbalanced, it’s time to get out of that relationship.
Pay attention to the ROI, be it services, employees, clients, suppliers, etc.
In my case, letting go became part of my personal life as well, not just my business: I gave up on superficial relationships, that didn’t nourish me from an intellectual or emotional point of view. As an entrepreneur, I have less time than before, so I’m very careful where I invest it.
Meaning — I have a mission, values, and vision. I share them with my team as well as our clients and partners. Sharing helps both to create durable relationships and deliver performance.
As humans, we need direction, meaning, and purpose. And it’s great to share those because then we offer others the chance of contributing.
Solutions — Thinking in terms of solutions is essential when you’re an entrepreneur. Otherwise, you won’t be there for the long run. Any problem has a multitude of ways to solve it. Sometimes you need to take quick decisions, other times you have the privilege of taking time to analyze and come up with the best solution. In time, I learned to make quick decisions when the stakes are not that high and to make informed decisions when the impact on the business is a major one.
Succes — I stick to my objectives and the motivation of going down this road. I measure success by various performance indicators, as well as execution indicators. I stay grounded with my essence and core values, and I enjoy every win because I know that is the outcome of our joint effort.
The journey of entrepreneurship involves 3 substantial roles, besides the one of Entrepreneur: the Specialist, the Manager, and the Investor. Either you choose to play all of them, either you designate a person or more for each of them, they are essential to a healthy business.
Being an entrepreneur is a state of mind.
Stay human! — In this century we quit talking about B2B or B2C and started talking about human to human. Choose to wear this hat first.
P.S I resist as an entrepreneur! And, God, I love it!
Until the next time, beautiful people.
Cristina Cherecheș
