4 ms·
I will tell you quick story when I had same problem as you. I was once extremely successfully person in my field of expertise. It was specific niche, small mar
by funkyy 12y ago
I will tell you quick story when I had same problem as you.
I was once extremely successfully person in my field of expertise. It was specific niche, small market (global, but still small considering there was estimated 10K possible leads in it). At the peak I would manage a bit short of 100 people working for me as contractors and I have tapped around 6-7% of global market (per estimates top providers of service shared with itself). Everything was going extremely well, I was doing amazing financially. But the issues began rising within me. I felt I wasn't ready for this. I hit the ceiling. I couldn't scale anymore. I was blind and my decisions in other fields were extremely poor (it took some balls to acknowledge this - since I didnt liked to critique my business methods).
It was strange - depression like feeling. I didn't expect to get it AFTER I got so successful.
Living the dream (I moved to remote location in tropical paradise) I would sit all day at home with shutters closed.
I couldn't go forward. I didnt expected that I couldn't grow any more. My market was limited and my ambition was hurt. The success came too easy to me and I wasn't ready for it.
Upon a lot of thinking and stressing I would finally close my company within a week, let go all contractors after giving them away all my leads to them so they could offer the service directly to customers, and would move to different country while "burning all the bridges". With enough money to sustain myself for 6 months I would do something completely stupid just to prove myself I wasnt that good, that I was doing it all wrong - I have created company in a market I didnt know anything about, market that was over-saturated and hostile.
After few months of barely having any revenue I run out of my money and was left with scraps. Got in to deep depression, being mad at myself that I hurted one person I cared about - my partner, as I have dragged her with me in to this (but with her agreeing this was best for us, so at least it was our choice, not just mine).
Got back to my home town, moved back to my parents house and started rethinking everything from basics - why I am who I am. I understood how many lies are in entrepreneurship world and how "survival of the fittest" is the most important lesson. Good taste is everything in online biz world, and as with failed startups people wont tell you you are wrong, they wont tell you the true way of doing business. They will say "Great Idea! I love it! I would use it anytime! Now join me in Twitter, like XXX pages and pay back b*tch for me being nice to you!" Circle of narcissistic, spoiled kids.
After 6 months I was ready, I opened new business with €100 investment for domain and hosting I had left after spending rest for food (I refused anyone to help me financially) and quickly started making revenue and getting back on track. I removed all limits, I do not limit myself any more. I do not think of "making $XX.XXX profit target" which is counter-productive. Who cares whats the profit? Is it better to have $100K company and make $60K profit, or have $100Mil company and make $3K profit a month?
You cannot succeed - go above your targets because you are limiting yourself. People will tell you some BS like "its not you" - dont listen to this. Every single problem you might have right now will have root inside you and way you are doing this. You will need to learn how to remove those limits now by failing, or by really going back in your life and trying to understand yourself and judging/reviewing every single action that lead you to position you are in. Perfectly both though.
Once you remove those limits you will be free and happy again and everything will come 2 times easier to you.
Good Luck!