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

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.

Feeling doubtful or discouraged? You're in the right place! Welcome to the club.

Surround yourself with a small network of like minded folks that have achieved where you'r trying to go. Hire a coach, join a mentoring group and hold one for the ride of your life.

Also read the E-myth!

Just keep going! We all have special gifts we can share with our clients.