First off, entrepreneurship is not glamorous. It is not all rosy and sunshine. It is not a job title or a certification. Entrepreneurship is grit, tenacity, consistency, lifestyle, multitasking and most importantly it is execution. For most black founders, some of these things come naturally; especially considering the environment where we grew up. The hustle, the survival, the chaos, the subpar conditions and standards that we had to overcome in our formative ages left us with a lot of lessons that only the school of hard knocks can teach you.
We had to grow and contend with a lot of challenges at the family level, the school, the community, the church, the market and to be sincere everywhere. Most black communities all over the world can relate to these scenarios; even those that had the privilege to grow up in families of means and affluence. This is because you may be born into wealth and have everything you want in life but your daily life is not complete until you interact with people around your environment.
However, with the lessons and experiences came a blueprint: a coding that was installed in our subconscious. That blueprint over time has largely influenced our relationship and interaction with the things that matter most in our daily lives; in this case business and entrepreneurship. We must realize that everything we have come to know in our lives as a way of life was either taught or learnt. Nobody came into this world fully encoded with the knowledge and skills to succeed in business. For folks who grew in families where lack was mostly inherent: this usually interferes with their relationship with money, wealth and abundance. A very crucial mindset you need to succeed in entrepreneurship.
There is a popular saying “You can not feature in a future you can not picture”. And rightly so, you can simply not succeed in the journey of entrepreneurship if you cannot phantom the possibility and accept the reality of success. No wonder John Sculley(Apple’s former CEO) said “ The future belongs to those who see the possibilities before they become obvious”.
The concept of blueprint and major areas it can affect in your life depends on your personal experiences, environmental condition, level of exposure, acceptance and submission to these realities. I will give you some examples:
Money: If you grew up in a home where there was always scarcity of money and constant fear that the money available will always finish before the next money comes in: Chances are that you will face this problem in the future. Where you almost feel helpless and live in constant fear that you may not have enough money to take the necessary risk whether to start a business or to sustain one when you start it.
Relationship: If you grew up in a home or environment where there is a prevalence of domestic violence or gang violence: chances are that you will face challenges with trust issues either with your friends or business partners or associates and this will often hinder your ability to move forward or decide to go into collaborations or business relationships.
Network: If you grew up in an environment with acute economic inequality: where there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor and there is an inherent class difference or a disconnect in communication: Chances are that you are probably dealing with this issue in your subconscious and you often find it hard to pick up your phone and make very important calls that could probably change your life forever.
There are so many other areas of our well being and daily lives where we feel the effects of this blueprint. Areas like health, risk averseness, fear of failure etc. Meanwhile according to Richard Carson, “Failure is not the worst possible result. Not trying is. If you try, you can succeed; if you do not try, you have already failed”.
The good news is that this blueprint can be corrected. But it all depends on the individual's appetite for change. You must put in the work necessary to overcome the overwhelming effect and pull of those codes by first accepting and reconciling with the fact that this is truly an issue that needs a solution. Once you come to terms with the reality of the issue, then it will register in your consciousness. Furthermore you must begin to correct the habits physically as well as making a conscious effort to avoid negative energies around you that reinforce these realities. You must actively seek to unlearn the bad habits and recalibrate your mindset to suit the reality of abundance that you want to manifest. Then you will begin to see the changes in your everyday life and your everyday life as an entrepreneur is naturally your business life.
At Bipoc Foundation, we employ a tested and proven framework, strategy and a transformational approach to help you break down all the mental and subconscious barriers and achieve success in your business.
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