Dear fellow hustlers! We know that the road to entrepreneurial success isn’t always a smooth ride, especially for Black entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, nomadpreneurs, or small business owners facing a playing field that might feel anything but level. But guess what? You’ve got the strength of your ancestors, the smarts of those who conceived the first though, and the swagger that is appropriated all over the globe to overcome those hurdles and build something amazing. 

You have what it takes to build something that returns to you, and the generations behind you, ownership of your time, your space, your movement, and your energy. So, if you’ve ever felt like throwing in the towel, hold tight! We’ve got 10 reminders to help you kick self-doubt to the curb and keep your entrepreneurial flame burning bright.

• Expectations (Fast Results): We get it, you want to conquer the world overnight. As driven innovators with grand visions, it’s only natural to feel a surge of impatience when those around us fail to share the same level of enthusiasm or passion for our dreams. We’ve invested countless hours, sleepless nights, and relentless dedication into sculpting our aspirations into reality, so it’s frustrating when others don’t quite grasp our fervor. In a world where instant gratification and overnight success stories dominate headlines, it’s crucial to remember that not everyone sees the journey through our eyes.

We find ourselves navigating a cultural landscape where rapid achievement is glorified, yet we must resist the urge to succumb to this microwave “just add water” mindset. True success often arises from the steadfast relationships we cultivate, the genuine connections we forge, and the empathy we extend to those whose visions might not mirror ours.

While some might attain their dreams through the spotlight of television shows or a stroke of luck, many of us will realize our ambitions by nurturing the seeds of solidarity, where they can be found, patience, and understanding for skin-folk who turn out to be anything but kinfolk, and discerning those who genuinely believe in us and are willing to take the journey alongside us, no matter how fast or slow we achieve.

By doing so, we can co-create our own narrative of diasporic success that’s woven with empathy and the shared dreams of our ancestors.

The Past and the Present

One day a young Black man in his 30’s sat on the front porch with his elderly grandfather, who was celebrating his 90th birthday.  While enjoying the evening air, the young man shared how exasperated he was with his start-up business and how hard he’s been working, though he feels he’s getting nowhere, and doesn’t know if he should just give up, and take a county job. 

He went on and on about his challenges with vendors, and the bank, how it seemed everyone was against him, expecting his grandfather to commiserate with his Black man struggles.

Just as he began on how his partners don’t answer the phone, a dove landed on the porch railing and began to sang it’s peaceful song.  The young man held his rant for a moment and joined his grandfather in a brief silent smile, as they took in the evening air, the dove song, and the perfection of the moment.Before his grandson could climb back into his self-centeredness, the grandfather asked, “is that a dove?”.

“Yes”, the young man answered with a grin, and remained silent.  They listened to the dove song together, and let the air be still between them.

A few minutes passed, and the grandfather sensed his grandson beginning to ruminate on all he had to do and hadn’t done yet, and interrupted before he could start again, and said, “Is that a dove there?”

“Yes, it’s a dove”, the young man answered, half laughing to himself at his grandfather’s short memory.

Now, his grandson mentally began to dig himself sideways into some kind of gratitude that he wasn’t old.  He still had his faculties to remember what he was talking about from minute to minute.  He didn’t really connect with the fact that all he spoke was loss and obstacle over his own path, but somehow he still felt a 2 dimensional gratitude that fed his ego.

Another 10-15 minutes passed with the grandson buried deep in his ego, when the grandfather broke through his bubble and asked yet again, “is that a dove there on the rail?”

This time the young man was annoyed, this is not how he expected to spend his afternoon, answering the same question over and over again. He got enough of that in his office, with his so-called team.  His raised tone of voice reflected his impatience, “Yes, yeah, it’s a dove.  It’s on the rail, right there.  It’s still a dove!”

The young man turned his head and huffed and sucked his teeth, impatient with the nonsense of the grandfather’s repeated question, and just as he stood up to leave the porch, the grandfather asked the young man to go into the house and bring him the photo album that sat on the living room table. 

The young, busy, oh so full of himself, entrepreneur returned and handed the album to the grandfather.  The elder turned to the second page and pointed to a picture of himself and his grandson sitting on that very porch.  He then handed the album to his grandson and asked him to read what was written below the picture, out loud.

He started, “Today, my 2 year old grandson pointed to a bird on the porch and asked me 30 times in a row, “Is that a bird?”  I answered, “Yes, it’s a bird” each time.  I’m so proud of him that he is learning to talk and observe the world around him.  He is brilliant!”

Then the grandfather said, “I’m giving you back the most important lesson you taught me about love and life, seems you could use it now, patience! (Paraphrased from Okechukwu of Isuikwuato, Nigeria)

“All great achievements require time.” ~ Maya Angelou

“If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.” ~ Michael Jordan