Conquering the Fear of Starting A Business
Starting a business is undoubtedly daunting and intimidating. Finding ways to bring something to the market that can be differentiated from what exists, being true to yourself, loving what you do, and ensuring success and prosperity for your business are all things that are much easier said than done. Feelyn co-founders Gilda and Dee have shared some insight into their experience with starting and running, a swimwear business in a competitive and growing environment.
When starting Feelyn, the girls were nervous about what others would think. The fear of being judged, the opinions of others influencing their decisions, could have had the potential to stop the creation of Feelyn (how sad would that have been?!). As a result, Gilda and Dee decided to keep Feelyn a secret during the first year of planning, to ensure they were staying true to their own ideas and visions.
In addition, Gilda and Dee understood they did not have endless expertise in all areas of creating a business, however, they had to accept that they were inevitably going to make mistakes, but would learn sufficient new skills along the way. A piece of advice to overcome this fear would be to network with others, talk to others who have been through the same, and understand that it is acceptable to not know everything - you will learn! A mindset to learn along the way is essential to starting a business, along with an acceptance of viewing mistakes as a way to grow, rather than failures.
Of course, another understandable doubt of starting Feelyn was the fear of competition, especially in the swimwear industry, in a country where it is not bikini weather all the time (although we wish it was). Finding ways to create unique styles and designs, along with high quality fabrics and reliable manufacturers, allowed Gilda and Dee to navigate ways in which customers would appreciate the product, which in turn differentiated them from competitors. At Feelyn, we truly believe our quality of fabric is what differentiates us, and our customer return rate confirms the appreciation of our products!
Gilda and Dee accepted all opportunities that came their way, attended all events they were invited to (speaking at events, podcasts, charity events etc), as these were not only ways to network within the industry, but learn from others.
Finally, the co-founders expressed their fear in the actual management, operation, and organization of the business - were they going to be able to do it all by themselves? But remember, if you truly love what you are doing, and are passionate about your ideas, visions, and business, then it is easier to make them a priority. It is important to be open to taking the harder route, and understanding there will be knocks along the way. That being said, if you truly believe in your product, put in the hard work, and envision a business full of growth, prosperity, and success, you must stay true to yourself and conquer the fear!