Hannah’s Journey – How To Conquer Roadblocks In Your Business (and Life)
How to conquer roadblocks on your journey to business success (and a better life)? What to do when the going gets tough? Questions like these are a challenge for most business owners at some time or other.
In this ongoing series of the Smart Hustle Podcast, “Hannah’s Journey”, Ramon Ray speaks with Hannah Perry, owner of The Giggling Pig Art and Party studio about the challenges and success of growing her business.
See the previous episode here and all episodes here.
Here are key lessons from the interview:
Learn from Your Challenges
Regardless of your industry, you’re going to meet roadblocks. That’s part of business ownership (and life). What do you do when you face a roadblock?
How you react to business challenges determines your success. You have two options – fight or flight. All successful entrepreneurs try to learn from challenges so that they can be better equipped to fight the upcoming hindrances.
Here is what Hannah has to say about challenges:
I’m constantly meeting challenges. But I’m also learning, even now, how to look at them differently. I don’t look at them as failures or these terrible things that have happened to me, I look at them and then I figure out how I can learn from it and what the lesson might be so that I can quickly move through it faster.
Never Give up on Your Dream
Entrepreneurship is not smooth sailing. In fact, it is a bumpy ride. Moments of despair are bound to come to test your grit. Successful business owners stick to their dreams and leave no stone unturned to turn their dreams into reality.
Last year, Covid-19 tested the grit of most business owners, and those who believed in their dreams survived and thrived.
Hannah’s company was also hit last year, but her resilience made the difference.
In her own words,
Last year, I could have easily lost my business because we weren’t making any money for some months and it was very, very difficult. But I just knew, I knew that I wasn’t going to be… It’s my life’s purpose and I wasn’t willing to give up for anything.
Tweak Your Core Message to Optimize Success
Marketing plays a critical role in businesses’ success. But it seldom happens that all of your marketing campaigns will enjoy the same success. Some campaigns bring in tons of sales, and some don’t move the needle.
Therefore, you should not feel low if any one particular campaign is not creating the results you want. Instead, you should consider tweaking your core marketing message to strike the right chord among customers.
Hanna stated,
When you’re investing your money into products or you’re marketing things and nobody’s paying interest in what you’re trying to sell, then you have to look at your messaging.
Sometimes, I sell my things and they just fly off the shelf, and other times they sit there for a while but then eventually they sell. I think it’s about timing, messaging, finding an emotional connection with your audience.
Get Support to Stand up
It is ok to feel down sometimes. After all, we all are humans. However, you cannot let despair take the hold of you. When the going gets tough and you’re not able to see the path clearly, you should try to find support.
You can join support groups, get a mentor, or talk to your family members and friends. Do what makes you stand up. You owe it to yourself to get out of a gloomy state and do better.
Here is how Hanna handles bleak phases,
I’ve actually definitely gone through a lot of downs. I’ve done all three things. I’ll contact my mom and have a good chat, and then I’ll contact my friends and have a good moan. Then a lot of times, I actually just listen to motivational things to help me get out of the slump that I’m in.
Focus on Positive Side
Running a business means meeting a wide variety of people. Some folks will bring a smile to your face and some can destroy your mood. You should focus on positive people and never let the negativity of people govern your sanity.
Hannah said,
I have encountered some not-so-nice people that I wouldn’t welcome back into my studio. It was nothing that we did, it was just their attitude towards us that I didn’t accept. It makes you stop and think, “Why am I doing this?” Why am I dealing with people that are so mean, or ungrateful, or whatever it might be.
And then of course, I’ll get a little email that comes in my inbox from a kid’s mom that will say, “You really made my kid’s birthday so special and we thank you.