Starting a Business – Enjoying the Entrepreneurial Ride

I grew up on an acreage in Central Canada, and enjoyed the serenity of nature and freedom of wide open spaces. I have always been an animal lover, and was horse crazy from my very first steed (his name was Pokey and he had springs and a metal frame).

When I was old enough, my dad gave in and bought me a beautiful Welsh pony, and one led to another. Having my own horse was a dream come true but like many young girls, as I grew older, I had less time for my horses, and the time came to sell them.

Twenty-five years later, I’ve returned to this childhood passion of mine and fulfilled my dream of owning my own horse again (that’s me with my beautiful curly horse Spirit, above).  Much has changed for the better in the past 25 years in the field of horsemanship, not to mention my brand new awareness of fear and the potential of getting hurt, and all of the things a mother with a mortgage thinks about when doing something with an inherent degree of risk.

Becoming involved with horses after so long has brought a new dimension to my life that I couldn’t have imagined. The ripple effect of this one action is incredible and could fill a book full of experiences, observations and lessons learned – personally, professionally and physically! It has been transformational for me, and I believe it makes me better at my work as a business strategist as well.

You see, several things had to happen for this experience to materialize – and the parallels to the entrepreneurial journey are striking. First, I had to make the decision that I wanted to be involved with horses again, even though I had no idea how (at the time, the sheer logistics of owning a horse again seemed impossibly beyond my reach – where would I find one, where would I keep it, would I know enough to do this on my own, what about my travel schedule, let alone the cost…and so on); then, I had to take a first step (I decided to start by replying to an ad to someone I didn’t know, who was looking for someone to ride her horse over the winter); next, I had to face up to my own limitations (the distance to the ground multiplies, I am convinced, for every decade we are on this earth); I also had to find my inner strength while literally shaking in my boots in order to command the attention of a powerful 1,100 lb animal (walking confidently and calmly to catch a snorting, prancing horse who has gotten away from you – when you are 130 lbs and “two apples high”); and above all, I had to be willing to be a student again (the first time I put my foot in the stirrup, I realized how clunky and unnatural it felt). Had it not been for my sheer joy and determination, I might have let discouragement overtake me. But how amazing it felt to be riding like the wind, without the security of a saddle, seven months later.

When you choose to start your own business, especially after a long career, you’re faced with the new challenge of running a business in addition to performing your craft and serving your clients. Starting a business involves a believing in something you can’t see or touch (the ultimate definition of faith), and changes every aspect of your life. It pushes limits and pulls muscles you didn’t even know existed. Doubts arise, obstacles are encountered and you sometimes feel like the weight of your world is on your shoulders. And like a living, breathing, powerful animal, it can melt your heart and break it, all in the same day.

It may seem incongruent coming from someone who has spent 20 years working in a highly creative, yet methodical and strategic profession – but the biggest lesson I’ve learned from horses that helps me help entrepreneurs is the concept of harmony and what a favorite writer and horse trainer, Mark Rashid calls “the art of going with.”

“Going with” requires the ability to move without resistance, instead of bracing yourself against it. It’s about going with rather than fighting situations and being able to see what’s working and using that positive force, instead of concentrating on what isn’t. It requires a great deal of self awareness and often includes swallowing a huge serving of pride.

In the world of business, as in horsemanship, many people expect to achieve great heights without first mastering the skills they need. They also frequently resist change at all costs, even while outwardly insisting they want it.

On a horse, pushing beyond your ability and being inconsistent or wishy-washy in your cues can cause injury or even death; in business, it can cause you heartache, financial setbacks and possibly, failure of a dream.

“Going with” means accepting where you are at a given time, while still being committed and doing the work that will get you to the next step. When you can truly define, without judgement, your limitations, and areas where you need improvement, and be willing to accept and learn from them and accept help from others, you are moving with the change, rather than letting yourself be pulled, pushed or controlled by it.

“Going with” also means you learn to rely more on finesse than force. There is a fluidity and magic to business that you can only experience when you are paying attention and are still enough to catch it.

When I work with entrepreneurs coming from a corporate background, I see the results of years of conditioning in going against. The methodical, linear, progressive and controlled steps of education and employment do little to prepare us for our new roles to “think outside the box”. Inside, we expect to carry over the high level image and position of our career that we hold up as our proof of attaining a certain level of skill in our profession – especially if we’ve attained a senior executive level and high salary. We fail to acknowledge that when it comes to the art of entrepreneurship, we don’t know what we don’t know – for any variety of reasons. After all, saying “I don’t know how to do this” is extremely difficult for someone who is used to being the boss or being at the top of the game for many years.

Add to that, the personal boundaries encountered when becoming your own boss, and you can soon be going against instead of going with.

There is a wonderful anecdote Mark Rashid tells in the book Horsemanship Through Life about a woman attending one of his workshops. When he asked her how long she had been riding, she answered 22 years. Over the course of a few days, the skilled teacher could see gaps in the woman’s basic fundamentals although she had been able to compensate in other ways. At the end of the event, she told Mark that she had realized that she had been in such a hurry to master the next level of skill, that she jumped from one thing to the next, and to the next, never truly understanding what she was learning and grasping the reasons behind each step. She also confessed she had never allowed herself to be happy and accepting of her abilities, no matter how much she progressed. Going against instead of “going with” got her to a certain level but stopped her growth, and actually made the whole process much more difficult than it needed to be.

At the end of the clinic she reflected “Well, after these four days, what I’ve come to understand is I’ve actually only had one year of experience…22 times.”

As you approach your business and the transitions you’ll be facing, recognize that it’s often less about “muscling through” and more about finding the peace and harmony of what you naturally excel at and who you’re meant to best serve, and facing your limitations and getting help when you need it, without putting judgement upon yourself. Most of all, accept that there will be falls along the way, and instead of bracing yourself, enjoy the ride!

Want to use this article? You can as long as you include this footer: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.