Many successful entrepreneurs are not afraid to go against business norms. In fact, they are adamant that stepping outside pre-set boundaries has paved their path to prosperity. Unfortunately, going against conventional business wisdom can lead to self-doubt for many of us.
This isn’t ideal because business success often means going against the grain, including ignoring criticism from others and that little voice in your head that tells you that you are not good enough. While success may take a little time, ultimately, thinking differently and innovating often pays off.
When the co-founder of LandHome Design and the founder of Passion Into Purpose Coaching, Brooke Benevento decided to move her family of five from California to Tennessee, her community — and even her husband — weren’t impressed — they expressed their concerns and doubted her whys.
“I had to convince my husband that it was the right choice. He was not on board at all, he thought I was pretty crazy. He was like, ‘Wait, I’m going to quit my job. We’re going to move 2000 miles away. And we’re going to start a business like, wait, what?’”
Brooke persevered. Today she’s a successful entrepreneur who teaches others how to challenge the status quo and start thriving businesses.
Don’t Let Fear Hold You Prisoner
Many fear failure, not realizing failure equals learning and learning equals success. The opposite of success is fear because it’s an emotion that stops innovation. On the other hand, failure can be a guiding light to success. Sometimes you’ll be wrong when you make decisions that go against the set protocol or common wisdom. However, sparks will fly if you get it right.
A part of starting and scaling a thriving business is trusting the process. If you do what you love, go all in, and persevere, success is likely to follow. The universe is likely to respond if you believe in yourself and your venture. However, being on the fence about something or simply waiting for the ‘right’ time to start your business is unlikely to spur success.
When Brooke launched her Amazon store, LandHome Design, after moving to Tennessee, she had no idea whether the venture would take off. Luckily, she didn’t let this hold her back. “A lot of people talk about how they wish they could start their own business or work from home,” Brooke says. “LandHome Design started from those exact thoughts. We wanted a completely different life where we would spend more time with each other and our sons and be able to travel more. It’s definitely been a journey. Not a lot of people had faith in us. A lot of them were completely shocked. We did it anyway.”
Push the Needle Forward
While your business may be successful, it may not necessarily align with your purpose and passion. This is when marrying what you love with your venture can be a game changer. And this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to give your current business up — it may mean scaling, branching out, or just taking a leap of faith.
For Brooke running her Amazon business brought to light a passion she always knew she had — coaching. “It was always at the back of my mind — you should be a psychologist, a therapist, or a coach. But then I always thought, ‘No, no, you don’t want to do that. That’s not for you. I mean, who’s really going to talk to you about their problems,’” she says.
“But what ended up happening was that my husband and I hired coaches, and then our coaches loved us so much that we started coaching students about running a business on Amazon,” Brooke continues. “So then I realized that this is what I wanted to do — coach people. Not just about Amazon but also about life. And due to my background, I really wanted to coach women in their 30s and 40s who have been stay-at-home moms and now want to start exploring their truest self.”
Learn From Others
Learning is a lifelong pursuit. Personal and professional development doesn’t stop when we hit 40. Rather it continues throughout our lives. And it’s always possible to change our paths — no matter what stage of life we are at. Brooke is an outstanding example of this. Once a stay-at-home mom, she is now both a successful entrepreneur and a coach who helps other women achieve success.
“You can live the life of your dreams. Most people fear what others will think of them if they go against the world’s masses. Some of us fall into careers that our parents wanted us to choose. We continue to stay in our current professions due to a lack of confidence in ourselves and our abilities,” Brooke says. “To build a life that you truly desire, you first must make a choice to change. Once you are committed to changing for the better, you can then start taking action toward discovering your truest self. Once you realize your deepest desires, everything will simultaneously come together.”
