Jacob Baranski is a passionate entrepreneur whose life centers around woodwork, family, living mindfully, and building relationships. He has been on the entrepreneurial journey for 20 years and knows it is a journey filled with ups and downs, successes and failures. And one of the greatest challenges of being an entrepreneur, according to Jacob Baranski, is staying motivated through the hard times.

Challenges are an everyday reality when you want to bring a new idea to fruition. But most new ventures or startups fail or dissolve in their first or second year. Most entrepreneurs fail in their careers right before their business peaks. This is because the peaks are generally preceded by pitfalls. Jacob Baranski agrees that if entrepreneurs can stay motivated through this phase and recover from it, then they are more likely to achieve growth and success.

When faced with setbacks and challenges in their journey, entrepreneurs tend to lose momentum and certainty of their idea’s success. Jacob Baranski has also seen that just when the pace starts picking up and plans start progressing in a startup, the entrepreneur starts feeling overwhelmed, and they might burn out and eventually give up.

Staying motivated through failures can be hard and learning to get back up is a process that is unique to everyone. You must first define what failure would mean to you and learn to accept setbacks as opportunities to learn. After all, you are trying something new, so figuring out what doesn’t work and why can be a valuable piece of knowledge to ultimately getting it right and also for your other ventures. While each entrepreneur and their business has distinct challenges and processes, Jacob Baranski suggests a few common practices for entrepreneurs to keep themselves going through the hard times and stay motivated on their journey.

Jacob Baranski’s Tips to Stay Motivated

• Write down your vision.

Your vision is what got you started and possibly the thought of achieving it will also keep you going. Write down and put your vision in a place you can easily see it. Reading it over and over will motivate you to work towards it and remind you why you started. Similarly, Jacob Baranski also suggests putting up affirmations or some pictures – like that of your kids – which can boost your morale in low time in and around your workspace.

Jacob Baranski Guelph is a lifelong learner who begins his day by energizing his mind with 10 to 15 minutes of yoga and reading. 

• Become a part of an entrepreneurial community.

With a rising trend for entrepreneurship, there are many groups and communities you can join to be surrounded by like-minded entrepreneurs. Think of it as a peer support group. Discussing your problems and challenges, which would often be similar in nature to other entrepreneurs in your group, can help you see them as manageable. It will afford you perspective and other members can possibly offer you quality advice. At the same time, an entrepreneurial community is also a good place to network, form connections, and maybe even find a collaborator or investor.

• Keep a list of your small wins

Forgetting where you started from and getting demotivated by things moving too slowly is easy for an entrepreneur. You can think your plan is not working or your idea is not practical because you do not get immediate success. A way to change this mindset is to break down your long-term vision into short-term goals and keep track of your small wins. Celebrating and acknowledging even a little progress can be highly effective in keeping your energy up to work harder and achieve more.

• Stay up to date with your industry.

Reading up on new trends and being informed about current happenings in your industry is imperative. Look at the competition, new technologies, and available opportunities  and attempt new things. This will allow you to keep abreast of the latest news in your industry, adapt quickly, and find out new ways that might work for your business’ vision. Additionally, trying out fresh and innovative ideas and practices will help you avoid falling into a monotonous rut and keep the workings in your business interesting.

• Share your vision and ideas with your employees .

Build a team that is diverse, dedicated, has an entrepreneurial mindset, and aligns with your vision. Actively communicate what you envision and why it is important. Make your team feel a part of your larger plan. When they feel connected to your goals personally, they will work harder to achieve them. And when you feel doubtful, their efforts and thoughts can reinforce your trust in the vision. When the vision develops from being just yours to one shared by a collaborative team, it is much harder to be demotivated and much more likely to succeed.

Jacob Baranski suggests practicing mindfulness and being grateful for your wins and opportunities to keep persevering towards realizing your dreams. Starting the journey of becoming an entrepreneur is a courageous step, so remember why you started and let that guide and motivate you throughout your journey.

Jacob Baranski | Be a Woodtrepreneur!: Craftsmanship in Business