Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.
Stephen Hawking
Motivation is defined as the reason or reasons one has to behave in a particular way. It’s a critical component in our drive to achieve and the main element that enables all of us to reach our goals. Our mental energy is never static and just as our happiness waxes and wanes so too can our motivation. And keeping that energy on a high vibration is essential in accomplishing greatness.
We sat down with Sid Khattria, the CEO and Co-Founder of Vertoe, to discuss how he manages to stay motivated as he continues to grow his business. His company came out of Techstars a NYC accelerator in the winter of 2018 and has since grown to a leader in the short-term storage space with a presence in 50 major cities and over 600 locations and here’s what he’s learned.
Why is motivation important for an entrepreneur?
Creating a successful business from scratch is arguably one of the hardest things you can do as a professional endeavor and unless you have a deeper motivation that aligns well with your passion, chances are that you will run out of steam and give up on your vision and dream midway. Entrepreneurship presents a series of non-stop challenges in life and way more failures, setbacks and rejection than you’re used to and a deeper motivation helps you stay resilient and persist towards your goals.
What are the types of entrepreneur motivations?
This is a deep question. I feel people have various motivations that make them take on entrepreneurship. To name a few, some love solving big problems, some want to create something they are passionate about, some are in it for the money and fame and some just do it to overcome their family and personal situation or as a combination of one or more of these factors. Personally, I love creating technology that helps as many people as possible along with securing a great future for my family and that drives me to come to work and stay motivated every day.
How do I sustain my motivation when starting a business?
You have to constantly remind yourself on why you started this business and not get bogged by day to day challenges you face and lose sight of the deeper reasons you decided to take the leap of faith as an entrepreneur.
What should I practice as a business owner in order to stay positive and on my path?
Personal well-being is key. You need to bake in little joys for yourself every day and every week and not get burnt out by the stress of running a business. This could be exercising every day, sleeping well, pursuing some hobby that’s unrelated to your business a few times a week, traveling every few months. You should know how to disconnect and come back with a fresh mind.
What should I do if I run into a problem in order to protect my head space?
The best thing is to take a pause and not act in the heat of the moment. It’s critical that you don’t let emotions take over and can peacefully understand the problem and how best to solve it. Talking a short walk outside or sleeping on it for a day or two helps a lot as it clears your mind helps you disconnect, clear your mind and take better decisions. Practicing meditation also helps do the same.
What makes a great entrepreneur?
Great entrepreneurs have a vision that no one else saw and had the motivation to will that into reality. This is not just about the glory but the boring day to day grind to put in the hard work, intellect and a fantastic team to achieve your goal.