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What I’ve learned about entrepreneurship after experiencing a devastating loss
As the old saying goes, life comes at you fast – and it can change in an instant.
My life changed in a big way recently with the passing of my mother-in-law. It was completely unexpected – she went into the hospital for pneumonia, we thought she was going to be fine, and then BOOM – things went downhill, quickly.
All of this unfolded as I was taking the stage for a Live speaking event in Charleston, SC, as part of my book launch — so needless to say, the fact that I was not physically with my mother-in-law (who’s like a mother to me) during her last moments has hit me really hard.
In the weeks since, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on what happened, and have also taken some time off to spend with Hobie and his family to mourn.
The whole experience has made me realize just how hard it can be as business owners to struggle with something personally, and still have to show up professionally.
Life happens. Divorces happen. Death happens. Accidents happen. People get sick. Finances change. Life gets in the way — but we still have businesses to run, and that makes things really, really hard — especially if you don’t have a solid team in place.
In this episode, I open up about how everything unfolded, the tough decisions Hobie and I had to make, and what I’ve learned about entrepreneurship through loss.
This is an extremely vulnerable conversation — but it’s my hope that if you’ve ever experienced something similar, it might bring you a new perspective.
Here’s a glance at this episode…
- [05:32] We found out that Hobie's Mom was in the hospital the same day that I launched my book.
- [06:39] On Thursday, Hobie and I went to attend Dave Hollis' memorial. After the memorial on Friday, we were going to my book launch event in Charleston.
- [08:43] In LA, Hobie's sister called and said that his mom took a turn for the worse. I went to Charleston, and Hobie went to be with his mom.
- [11:06] Hobie flew home on Thursday and was able to be with his mom on Friday. An hour before I was to be on stage, Hobie called and said his mom died.
- [12:59] I loved my mother-in-law, and I feel guilty for not being with Hobie when she passed. When I found out, I broke down and cried.
- [14:05] I chose to be present for my event, and then when it was over, I would go be with Hobie and mourn.
- [15:40] We can exist in the good and the bad at the same time. We can rally when we need to, and we can choose not to rally.
- [16:17] I canceled all of my interviews and signings for the week following the launch. As an entrepreneur, you get to decide what time you need.
- [17:54] If you want to scale, build a strong team around you. Life happens, but your team will support you.
- [19:03] Knowing that you have evergreen products and a strong team around you can help when life happens. You get to choose when to step away.
- [20:46] Don't be afraid to step away or look to your team to step in for you. Take the time you need when life comes at you.
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