I was recently asked: “What is your most important lesson in entrepreneurship?” At first the question took me aback, because the whole process of becoming an entrepreneur has been one big learning experience. What is the most important part of it?
When I think about what I am proud of, it is that in this process I haven’t grown a thick skin to better bear various “failures”, and I haven’t run away or given up. I am still empathetic and sensitive towards both myself and others; I look failure in the eye, think about what information it gives me and look for new opportunities.
Right now I am reflecting on the idea that entrepreneurship is worth taking as a continuous learning process, and that every business project is worth consciously centring on a learning goal – what you want to find out or learn with this project. If the goal is purely business, be it launching a new product by date x, growing the client portfolio to size y or profitability of z%, then not meeting the goal creates a feeling of failure. But if we approach every business project with curiosity and focus on a learning goal, for example: “Does this product speak to this target group?”, “Does this business model work in this context?” or “Do I even enjoy this kind of work?”, then every project gives us valuable information that brings
us closer to achieving our business goals and increases our inner satisfaction. There is something to learn from every experience, and you can’t fail at achieving learning goals.
Putting learning in focus requires a conscious decision and consistency. If a project succeeds, there is a risk that we carry on in the same spirit, intoxicated with joy, without understanding what the key to our success is and how to keep or maximise it. If a project fails, the likelihood of learning is greater, but negative emotions can cloud our ability to analyse. Clear learning goals set at the start of the project help focus on what matters in both cases.
The leap
Tara Mohr, one of my mentors, has created a tool that helps you put a learning goal at the centre when taking a new step in your business or career. I have done this thinking exercise myself several times and tried it with my clients, and it has always given very good results – in business terms, in both success and failure. Tara calls it a leap, and its idea is: “Do what you dream of, here and now!”
We all have things we dream of but keep postponing, because we don’t yet have enough knowledge or experience or the necessary resources, or it simply isn’t the right time. To turn dreams into reality, we need to leap… out of our comfort zone.
A leap has 6 features, all of which must be met for a planned action towards your dreams to qualify as a leap:
- A leap makes you play big here and now, according to what you consider playing big.
- A leap can be taken right away – you can start it and complete it within 1–2 weeks.
- A leap is a simple action that can be described briefly (1–3 sentences).
- A leap gets your adrenaline flowing.
- A leap brings you and your work into direct contact with those you want to reach or influence.
- At the heart of a leap is a learning goal – a question you will find the answer to by taking the leap.
Stepping out of your comfort zone and moving towards your dreams becomes much easier, more pleasant and more interesting precisely because of this last feature – focusing on a learning goal.
My leap and lessons
Launching Inner compass was an important leap for me. It was the first public personal development programme I designed and marketed myself. My most important learning goal was to find out whether I truly enjoy working with groups in a coaching style. By then I had worked for years mainly with individual clients and missed the synergy and mutual support that arise in a group, which I had experienced in my earlier work as a leader. Leading and leading a personal development process are similar in some ways, yet quite different activities, and I wanted to find out how the role of development partner suits me in a group format.
I also wanted to find out whether the product I offer creates value for clients, which target group needs a professional development journey and how to reach them.
I learned that working with a group on professional development topics energises me – my energy rises and my creativity gets going, and I enjoy both preparing the topics and diving into them with the group. Another important lesson has been that the marketing side takes a lot of time and energy. I can see that it isn’t my strong point and that here I should get help from someone who is strong at exactly that.
I asked participants for interim feedback, and based on it I feel that the programme has created significant value for clients. What the final benefit will be remains to be seen, because the 8-month development journey is still under way.
The picture of the target group is still becoming clearer. When launching the second group, I noticed that it spoke to two different target groups: small business owners who want to take their business to the next level, and mothers who have been at home with small children and want to make a career change or start out as entrepreneurs when returning to work. Both target groups matter a lot to me and I identify with them – I am both a small business owner and the mother of a 3-year-old who has grown into an entrepreneur alongside raising a child. I plan to launch separate groups for both target groups in the near future.
A new leap also grew out of the target group question: I am drawn to different cultures and topics of diversity, because I have lived, studied and worked abroad for 6 years in very different environments – in the USA and Kosovo. This experience has greatly enriched my worldview, and I believe that, based on it, I have something to offer foreigners living in Estonia and Estonians working with foreigners. What exactly this leap will be remains to be seen.
Questions for you:
What is your dream related to your business or career? What could be a leap that would bring you closer to your dream? What is important for you to find out about your dream at the earliest possible stage, in relation to clients, the features of the product or service, and your own preferences?
