Will my need to survive and put food on the table be enough to push me to success in business?
"You won't believe this. But there used to be only two barbershops in this neighborhood.Lawrence*
Mine and one other shop down the main street.
I was 20 when I opened this shop.
Hm. It was a very scary and tough time for me.
I got my girlfriend (now wife) pregnant just when I was about to finish my training as a barber.
I had no money and no idea of what I wanted from life.
But somehow, I have to take care of myself and two other people.
Two!
So, I worked three jobs, including working at my dad’s carpentry shop on weekends to save up enough money to open this shop.
Luckily, I found a place here to put my small wooden kiosk.
With barely any barbershops around, it felt like I hit the jackpot.
Business was so good that sometimes, I would close the shop for a few days, just so I could get some rest.
I was able to build a small 3-bedroom house, got married and placed my kids in private schools.
Yep, we gave birth to two more.
But that was 15yrs ago.
Right now, I barely get anyone coming into the shop.
Sales just dried up ever since those "nice" barbershops opened.
There's like 8 of them now.
To be honest, my shop has been in a bad shape for a while now.
So, I've been meaning to upgrade it ever since those people showed up.
But I barely make any money nowadays.
Meanwhile, I now have a bigger family to care of.
It's like I'm back where I was, 20 years ago.”
Barber and Owner of a Barbershop
“The restaurant originally started as a barbecue food stall in 2006.Martha*
It was first owned and ran by a friend who used to help me out a lot.
I was 29 at that time. No job, no money and already pregnant with my second child.
One day, she told me she's moving out of the country.
So, I asked her, "Would you mind if I give the food stall a try.
She said, "It's all yours" and I became the owner.
I did really good and even outgrew the food stall.
So, we moved to a bigger location and became a proper barbecue restaurant.
I own a house now and my kids lack for nothing.
Everything was good – until recently.
Two years ago, we lost the restaurant in a fire that broke out in our building.
The insurance money came. But it wasn't enough to buy new equipment, let alone lease a new space.
They claim most of everything in the restaurant was old and outdated.
I've no savings and no bank will loan me what I need.
I'm 57yrs old now and I don't have the fitness to start all over again.”
Cook and Restaurant Owner
*Names in this article have been changed.
One of the worst feelings in life, is being helpless to take care of yourself and your loved ones.
It’s just painful and heartbreaking to not be able to put food on the table.
But, that’s still not an enough motivation to make you a successful business owner.
“survival is just a basic need”
We often believe that poverty and hardships are strong enough to push anyone to excel in life.
But that’s not true.
Of course, the need to survive is very important.
However, the best it could ever do, is to keep you alive, safe and comfortable.
Like what Maslow said, survival is only a basic need.
Our need for happiness and success rather come from the need for love & friendship, status, freedom and purpose.
That’s after we’ve taken care of our survival needs.
Unfortunately, some people give up when that happens.
Take everyone you know who has a job to make money, for example.
How many of them are really trying to be happy or find success even though they barely make ends meet?
And, it’s not just at the survival level.
So many people also slow down and settle when they reach the status level.
That’s after they’ve managed to obtain something they can show off or brag about.
Like having a nice car, a house or sending their kids to some prestigious school and so on.
“take Martha and Lawrence, for instance”
You’re probably thinking they’re not lucky.
But, that’s not 100% true.
Martha and Lawrence have actually been very lucky.
They enjoyed early success.
Most people who go into business to survive either fail or quickly quit and move on to something else.
But not these guys. They found success from the get go.
So, the big question is, why are they failing if Martha and Lawrence are indeed lucky?
Well, the answer is simple. They gave up.
They had opportunity and time – so many years to:
- improve
- build on their successes
- and secure the future of their businesses.
But they rather became lazy and comfortable.
“success is an everyday hustle”
First off, people are generally lazy.
We easily give up or get comfortable when we feel our survival isn’t under threat.
For instance, if you think you’re making enough money, you probably won’t do much to earn more.
We tend to avoid using up energy unless it’s absolutely necessary.
It’s human nature.
Created over millions of years to help our ancient ancestors survive the threats of predators or enemies.
But that same nature also makes us useless when it comes to being happy or successful.
That’s because, happiness and success don’t last.
It takes deliberate action and work every single day to stay successful or be happy.
That means, if you’re to stay successful in business, you’d have to keep:
- improving
- and working for a much bigger reason.
You can’t slow down or settle; or else, you’ll find it difficult to stay in business – let alone be successful.
“a much bigger reason”
Look, you’ve got every right to do whatever you need to take care of yourself and your family.
But, if you want do it by owning a business, then your reason has to go beyond just looking to survive.
You would need a much bigger reason.
Like doing it for the freedom to live your dream life or to build a legacy, help others or make an impact or create change.
But hey, if you’re still bent on going into business,
I say, “do it”.
But don’t start a business, just so you could have a survival nest.
Or else, you’ll end up as another victim in the graveyard of failed businesses.
Or worse, become bored, lazy and give up under the pain of owning a business.
A failing and mediocre business that’s unrewarding and has no future.
Small To Sprout 