I recently watched an episode on Shark Tank, a new favorite in our household.
A husband and wife team proposed their invention, a functional sippy cup for infants and toddlers, in hopes of receiving additional funding from the sharks to grow their product.
The sharks appear intimidating and overwhelm each 'contestant' with a number of questions to determine not only growth potential but also a love for the product at hand. The commitment, passion, and tenacity was evident in this couple.
I was so inspired by this husband and wife duo. Their appearance on the show, alone, strongly suggested that they kept moving forward despite sleepless nights, fear, uncertainty, and doubt. I wanted such role models in our life as we begin our entrepreneurship journey.
So, I emailed the wife. (The power of the internet and social media is really incredible.) I thanked her for sharing her idea with the world (because it really is amazing), shared our story, and wished her continued success. She was so kind to respond and offer encouraging words for our ride.
Whoop-dee-doo, I watched a show, got inspired, and emailed the founder of Lollacup, what's the point, right? I guess the moral is this: connect. It felt really good to connect with a new friend and role model. There are (plenty of) times when I feel anxious about our starting a business, but just reaching out to someone who is further along in the game--and doing well--made me feel hopeful and more fired up to keep growing.
One thing I know for sure is that we can never go it alone. We are interdependent, and there is no better time (especially with the internet) to reach out and connect. And by doing so, you open the door to more opportunities that range from adopting a mentor to making a new friend to hearing motivational words that inspire renewed faith and strength.
And when you connect with others, you connect more to yourself.