The Why Factor: staying the course

14058627741During my years as an entrepreneur, I’ve been faced with many challenges on many different levels. One challenge in particular came in November 2012. One of the businesses that my wife and I launched was completely dependent upon the website associated with it. The site crashed and lost most of its functionality. The function lost was crucial to the operation of the business.

We knew that we would need a new site, but our budget was maxed. We didn’t have the necessary operating capital to rebuild so we had no choice but to shut down the site. As frustrating as it was, we believed that the business would be significant in our future endeavors. We knew that this business would not only benefit us, but all who would later be involved. We thought back to the reason we started the business. That reason gave us the strength that we needed to pull through. This is what I call, “The Why Factor.”

The Why Factor says that, “If you have a strong enough why, you can deal with any what.” I coined this phrase during some of our toughest times in entrepreneurship. Each time we considered giving up, we thought back to why we started. If the reason we started hadn’t lost its value, what we had to do to stay the course was irrelevant. We just had to come up with a new plan and strategy.

I managed to secure some contract work, and in ten months, we had enough to rebuild the site. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We did a lot of research during the down time and built a new site and business model that was far stronger than the one that we previously had. Although it took a little more than a year, we were able to re-launch. We’ve experienced growth each month since. If we had given up when faced with adversity, we would have a different and far less interesting story to tell.

When Thomas Edison was asked about failing a thousand times in his attempt to create the light bulb, he simply stated that he learned one thousand ways not to make a light bulb. He had a strong enough Why. He believed that he could do it and had a good reason for doing so. That is what enabled him to keep pressing until he found a viable solution. His invention to this day provides light around the world. Now it’s your turn to light up the world.

You may have your own set of challenges and may not be able to clearly see how you’re going to get through it. I believe that if you want it bad enough and your reason Why is strong enough, you’ll find a way to push through it. Never forget why you began, and that will help you stay the course to completion.

Eric L. Lipsey
www.TheLink.biz