The path to starting a successful new venture can be a rocky one. If you are an entrepreneur, you no doubt have already faced challenges and will likely experience future setbacks as your business or organization grows.
Ecuadorian-born entrepreneur Nina Vaca, who is currently the chairman of Pinnacle Group — one of the largest tech services firms in the U.S., shares this advice for entrepreneurs about overcoming adversity at the recent Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Silicon Valley:
Thinking of the challenges entrepreneurs face when starting new ventures, the YLAI Network asked members to share the best advice they’ve ever received after facing a setback or difficulty in their professional life. Here, we share their top 10 tips for keeping motivated:
1. “Let yourself face your mistakes, the value of learning from them is so much greater than always trying to avoid them and doing perfectly.”
— Bibi from Guatemala
2. “Use failure as a tool for growth along the path of entrepreneurship. Each failure offers you a chance to learn, re-imagine, re-create and reintroduce a better you and a better product.”
— Simera from Barbados
3. “Focus on what makes you unique. Find what makes you different and exploit it into a competitive advantage.”
— Francisco from Peru
4. “Every mistake is really an opportunity in disguise. It’s a way of the universe telling us to take a break and reevaluate the way we are working to make our dreams come true. Take a deep breath and keep going.”
— Cristóbal from Honduras
5. “Develop positive relationships with everyone along the way. The right attitude and genuine consideration for others can really open doors.”
— Deidre from Trinidad and Tobago
6. “Success comes when preparation meets opportunity. Always be prepared opportunities come when you least expect them to.”
— Judason from Guyana
7. “Successful entrepreneurs measure his success not by the money they make, but by how many lives they change.”
— Andres from Colombia
8. “It doesn’t matter where you come from, you have the power to make a positive impact in the world, beginning with your community.”
— Gladys Violeta from El Salvador
9. “Difficulties are part of professional experience, that makes us grow as people and in the workplace, practice makes perfect and that constant growth is what consolidates us as successful professionals.”
— Joseleny from Venezuela
10. “Build a team you feel confortable working with and especially build a team that share your vision. Trust and empower your team”
— Leonardo from Uruguay
Do you have advice on bouncing back after a setback? Share your tip @YLAINetwork.