What advice would you give to someone feeling discouraged or doubtful about their entrepreneurial journey?

I have been in the flooring business for over 25 years.  Started as a helper on the delivery truck and worked myself through all the steps of the flooring business.  Driver, installer, finisher, general manager of the store, sales manager, VP.  Then became one of the owners of HQ Flooring and Renovations (High Quality Flooring).  I have to tell you that it has been a hard road and to stay motivated is easy when the work is flowing in.  But when hard times come, such as this past winter, it is easy also to give up and see yourself out of the business.  It is very important to know what to do and be prepared for when hard times come.  I always expect winter months to be very slow, however my partner and son-in-law hadn't experienced these slow months, since he has been in the business since 2020.  I always saved enough money to stay a float on the winter months, however due to the lack of work and the slow down of the economy, this past winter we were not prepared.  It was a long and hard winter and we are still feeling the effects of not being prepared for it.  So my suggestion is to get a grip on your accounting and save as much as you can so you don't run into issues like these when the jobs stop flowing.  We invested in a couple of marketing companies, which let to nothing substantial.  But working with Jobber and using the tools available to us, we were able to generate and still generating a good solid work load.  I am glad I didn't give up, and I am hoping to be here doing what I do best for another 20 years.

It's a roller coaster for sure!  You have to expect it.  You can't get too comfortable with the high of success.  You can't get too anxious or defeated when the lows come.  When you think about the journey from this perspective, it's easier to deal with solving problems rather than taking the problems personally.  

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After reading this and seeing the comments this actually just help me out even more 

Give yourself GRACE... grace and space to learn, unlearn, make mistakes, practice, course correct, BREATHE, cry, absorb, ask questions and sometimes ask the same questions over and over again until it sticks, find the right mentors, and to START OVER at your own pace. Rome wasn't built in a day, yet it was because they showed up every day, they ask and received, sought and found what they needed, knocked on doors that seemed closed until they were open.

I’d tell them this: You’re not alone, and doubt is part of the journey—not a disqualifier. I have a grant writing agency. When I started my business, I was working full time managing a nonprofit organization for entrepreneurs, teaching entrepreneurship to college students, bootstrapping everything, and building my business late at night and on weekends. I’ve faced loss, setbacks, and seasons where I questioned if the sacrifices were worth it. But what kept me going was knowing someone was waiting on the other side of my persistence—someone who needed the service or solution only I could provide.

Discouragement doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you care deeply. In those moments, revisit your why. Surround yourself with people who understand your vision, and give yourself grace as you grow. Success isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s quietly choosing to keep going when no one’s clapping yet.

Keep building. Keep believing. You’re further along than you think. 

Feel the fear and do it anyway! I banged my head against the wall many times before learning from certain mistakes, and it’s made me a stronger leader today! And don’t ever give up.

Entrepreneurship comes with challenges, and feeling discouraged at times is part of the process. My advice is to stay focused on your long-term vision and remember why you started. Progress may not always be fast, but consistency builds result over time. It’s important to keep learning, adapt when necessary, and surround yourself with people who are growth focused. Every challenge is an opportunity to improve your systems, your skills, and your mindset. Most importantly, don’t quit during difficult moments. The same situations that feel like setbacks are often the ones that prepare you for the next level.

I am starting my business in the middle of one of the hardest seasons of my life. I am medically retiring from the United States Army, managing my mental health, and living out of moving boxes with no bathroom, no kitchen, and an open sewage pipe in my home that a contractor left behind. They didn’t do the job right. They caused serious damage, left raw sewage exposed, and when I reached out for help, all they wanted was more money. They took advantage of me at one of the most vulnerable moments of my life and walked away.

Most people would have given up. I chose to learn every skill needed to fix it myself, and that decision changed everything. 

What started as survival became my purpose.

I realized that my community is full of people just like me  hardworking people who are struggling and vulnerable to being taken advantage of by people who see dollar signs instead of human beings. So I made a commitment: I am going to build this business from the ground up and make sure my neighbors have someone they can trust. Someone who won’t price gouge them. Someone who genuinely shows up, cares, and finishes the job the right way.

If you are feeling discouraged, I want you to know this: your hardest moment might be exactly where your purpose is born.I am building my business from rock bottom literally. No bathroom. No kitchen. A leaking roof. An open sewage pipe. Just faith, skills, resilience, and a mission to serve others. I plan to share my story and videos on my YouTube channel the Evolved Chapter because I want everyone to know no matter what situation you’re in you can evolve.

If I can start from here, so can you.

My advice is to remember that setbacks don’t define your future. In 2015, I was diagnosed with **bleep** cancer after spending more than 20 years in the IT industry. During treatment, I wasn’t sure what the next chapter of my life would look like. What started as reconnecting with a woodworking skill I learned in middle school eventually became Restoration Hero. Today, eleven years later, we’ve served more than 1,200 clients and grown into a team of skilled technicians serving both residential and commercial customers across Atlanta. Entrepreneurship isn’t always about moving fast. Sometimes it’s about taking the next step, even when you can’t see the entire path ahead. Stay focused, keep learning, and don’t let a difficult season convince you to give up on a future that may be bigger than you can imagine today.