Enjoy this week’s guest post from entrepreneur, Will Carr, and remember, No Excuses!
What do you feel is the biggest thing that limits your success as a small business owner?
Is it a lack of time? A lack of money? A shortage in the amount of resources you need in order to accomplish your goals? Mistakes that we make, creating problems for ourselves? Have you ever thought to yourself, “Because of XYZ reason, I need to set smaller goals in order to make them achievable”? Or, “Because of XYZ, my desires are no longer achievable at all”?
If you have, STOP!
It’s not real.
These thoughts are only your mind justifying your own internal insecurities. Take a moment to breathe and realize you are meant to attain everything you can dream of. Then focus on that intention with relentless belief, faith, and patience.
When I first started out with my current business, it was called WIllPower. For a sports nutrition dietary supplement company, it made great sense. The name was suggested to me because of my name, Will. Although I was, at first, hesitant about naming my company after myself, my friends convinced me of the meaning behind the name and the way we could structure our brand messaging around it. I was so excited as we launched our brand and we began selling product to our customers. The response was amazing! People loved our product.
Several months into selling I met an FDA/trademark attorney who had decades of experience and relationships in the dietary supplement space. As he and I became friends, he asked me if I’d ever looked into the trademark for WillPower. I said I hadn’t. Rookie mistake! After he looked into the name for me, it became clear that if I didn’t change my business name, I could potentially have a problem in the future as to whether or not I could sell products under this brand name.
This news was devastating! The name I had come to love and the reputation we had built with our customers was going to need to be completely redone. At that moment I had 2 choices. Either I could throw in the towel, feel sorry for myself, and accept defeat, or I could come out with a new brand. I took my 60 seconds processing all my emotions and let out all the GD’s, MF’s, and 4 letter words that came to me. Then I pulled my team together in front of a whiteboard and went to work.
Fast forward a few months and we launched our new brand, Genesee. Genesee being a state park and mountain in Colorado, we can create our brand messaging around that Colorado, outdoor, active lifestyle. Me and my team live in the Colorado Rocky Mountains; this new brand image is so true, authentic, and genuine to our lives. This hurdle of having to rename our brand, gave us an opportunity to really step back and reevaluate who we are and who it is we are trying to serve. From top to bottom, my company is better situated and prepared for the future because of this roadblock that we ran into.
It was a blessing, not a curse. It was just another fun problem to solve.
Too much of what we read these days as small business owners encourages us to think small. The word is right there in the title of what we call ourselves. For some reason we’ve been trained to think that small goals are more realistic and easily attainable.
I think this is garbage advice.
The only roadblocks we have as business owners are the limitations we place on ourselves and the excuses that we make. If you believe that a lack of capital is something preventing you from achieving loftier goals, then it probably will. If you believe that you have a lack of time because you’re a full time single parent raising a child (true story in my life), and that this responsibility is something that stops you from having the capability of succeeding at a higher level, then it probably will limit you.
As business owners, we are problem solvers. And oftentimes these problems we bring upon ourselves through mistakes that we make. But we can’t let that discourage us! We just have to learn from them and keep pushing forward. Finding solutions for these dilemmas is the most fun and satisfying thing we get to do. Every day we get to wake up and attempt to accomplish the impossible. It’s a rush! It’s a thrill! It doesn’t matter how long it takes, because we love the process of working towards our ambitions all day, every day.
So think big and remember, no excuses! If there’s a will, there’s a way. So lets commit to being bull headed and stubborn enough to always find a way to make it work and leave the excuses in the trash.
Will Carr is the Founder of Genesee, a CBD Health & Wellness Brand. After graduating with a degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering, Will traveled to South America where he played basketball professionally. In the summer of 2017, Will had his first encounter with the amazing benefits of hemp and CBD.
Will has always explored entrepreneurial endeavors throughout his life. Recognizing the potential use within athletics and sport, Will made it his goal to develop a line of dietary supplements geared for the fitness focused, active lifestyle, individual. Will’s mission is to bring the highest quality dietary supplements to market, utilizing the rich nutritional benefits of Hemp and CBD.
His vision is a world filled with people capable of living a healthy, active, and happy life. Will now lives in Evergreen, CO where he lives out his version of just that. His favorite activities include hiking, camping, skiing, and enjoying the great Colorado outdoors with his 3 year old daughter. “I love my work. I love being a dad. And I love doing them both right here in the beautiful Colorado mountains.”
You can find Will on LinkedIn and Instagram.
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