When I first ventured out to start my own public relations company, one of my main concerns was to keep my finances in the black. I returned items I had bought, canceled my Netflix account, took money out of my savings, and sold some personal items just to make ends met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“So what if you fall into the red?\u201d a friend replied when I told him about my efforts. I cringed at the idea. I thought to myself, \u201cHow dare he suggest such a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But despite all of my attempts, I eventually fell into the red. I was beyond embarrassed about my situation, so much so that I couldn\u2019t participate in my usual activities with friends. Just a year before I was able to write checks without a second thought, but now the tables had turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I slowly began to share my shame with some more seasoned entrepreneurs, and learned that this process is almost a right of passage for business owners. A few told me about how they were almost evicted because they couldn\u2019t afford rent, and others talked about how they secretly applied for food stamps in order to survive. While I wasn\u2019t happy these individuals had faced such tribulations, I felt comfort in knowing that if they could overcome, so could I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While I\u2019m still not a fan of falling into the red, I now understand what my friend meant. When your back is against the wall, it\u2019s amazing what you learn to do, figure out, and get over. It was in this moment that I strengthened my hustle to get clients and build my brand. Going into debt helped me to let go of the fear and brought out my assertiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually I finally climbed back into the black as I continued to secure new clients. I had learned to embrace the hard times, which will inevitably come. One of the cool things about going through difficult moments is that you realize that they\u2019re only temporary and that you will get through them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Embrace your struggles, because they help you grow. It\u2019s like exercising: When you start to work muscles you rarely use, you may experience soreness so severe that it\u2019s hard to move. But as you continue to build and strengthen those muscles, it doesn\u2019t hurt any longer, and you are stronger overall as a result.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I first ventured out to start my own public relations company, one of my main concerns was to keep my finances in the black. I returned items I had bought, canceled my Netflix account, took money out of my savings, and sold some personal items just to make ends met. “So what if you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1661,"featured_media":28139,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902],"tags":[525,39218,39221],"class_list":["post-28138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development","tag-personal-growth","tag-small-businesses","tag-entrepreneurs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n