Change Is Hard - But It Doesn’t Have to Be!
Lean In to 7 Reasons Why Small Business Owners Avoid Change (and Learn How to Overcome Them FounderFuego Style)
Check out our spin on these concepts from a diverse founder perspective, our take on how to overcome them, and tailored resources for you.
1. Fear (and how to overcome it)
Fear is a limiting belief either we as founders throw up as a crippling roadblock to greatness or, in the diverse founder case, there are systemic barriers that fuel the fear. "Will I ever be good enough to see this change through?" "Will this change fail?" With this mindset, the change has a higher probability to fail.
Change your mindset
FounderFuego LLC is committed to helping diverse founders with this critical mindset work, whether that means adopting a different mindset for negotiations, business process improvements, business development and growth strategies or approaching LinkedIn differently to boost, build, and leverage your network, we offer resources and support to help.
As FounderFuego's Founder and CEO, I operate with an abundance mindset. The limits that exist are the ones I believe in. I am building a business and have zero time, energy, and headspace for fear, instead I eat it for breakfast along with my cafecito (coffee) and pastelito (don't get me started on these little Cuban pastries from Miami, I get my west coast fix from Porto's Bakery & Cafe).
2. Resource constraints (and how to operate from a capacity building mindset)
Small business owners often face limited resources when operating their business. How can diverse founders cope? You build a team. But we just went over this - I have limited resources, how on earth can I build a team? (you might ask)
You have got to change your mindset! Is your goal to be a business OWNER or OPERATOR? Founders operate in that squishy space of playing both roles. This is where mindset is everything. The path to wealth building and economic mobility for diverse founders and their communities could look like growing the business to then hire and train an operator, put in place efficient and cost-effective processes with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), build, train, and retain a solid team, and convert the business to an employee ownership model thereby aligning your interests with employee interests and sustainability = business owners + employees + our diverse communities win.
Building a team
When we say team, we don't just mean employees you hire (though it may mean that when your business has the resources to support this down the road). In the meantime, this could mean building up your bench of talented, independent contractors, and a virtual assistant so you can delegate work on an as needed contract basis.
RESOURCE ALERT for accounting, HR, tax, and regulatory compliance: It may mean hiring a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that takes on these four functions so you can focus on the business you are in rather than these other specialty areas.
Weekly accountability calls
The first thing I did was assemble a team of experts with diverse backgrounds, skills, and experience complementary to my own. We meet on a weekly basis (and in between) for an accountability call that is priceless to support business growth.
Personal LinkedIn page
The next thing I did was update my LinkedIn profile (I encourage you to check it out and connect with me for access to business resources). Then I activated my personal network on LinkedIn.
Business LinkedIn page
The next thing I did was create the FounderFuego LinkedIn page to build community. You will get the chance to find out about the key steps I took to do these things on LinkedIn and the momentum we have built with just an organic approach from my decades of experience in this space. It's unbelievable! More info below.
Social Media pages
The next thing was building a FounderFuego Facebook page and a FounderFuego Instagram page. We encourage you to visit these pages for resources, follow, and engage with us. We are building community and are grateful for you to be a part of it.
Two key steps - Build Capacity and Online Presence
Building a team to meet regularly for accountability calls and updating/activating LinkedIn personal and professional networks drove success in FounderFuego's first quarter milestones. I couldn't do this work alone and I'm proof that YOU don't have to either.
3. Comfort in familiarity (and finding comfort in discomfort)
Many of us love that feeling you get from putting on a super comfy robe and pair of house slippers that keep us warm and cozy. Well, entrepreneurship and business building actually feels more like putting on a really tight and uncomfortable pair of pants where you can barely sit down because they're so tight.
The pair of pants, while uncomfortable, gives you that "oomph" to get moving and get moving fast. Being a first-time founder is unfamiliar territory and takes grit and commitment to embracing innovation and change and leaning in to the discomfort. As a second-time founder, I feel that much more prepared. From discomfort comes growth, learning, and the ability to connect with others to support their journey.
4. Skillset shortages (and how to bridge the gap with training and practice)
We have all been in those situations where we feel unsure or not ready for change. The more we develop this muscle, grow through learning opportunities, and develop the skills to map out the change, identify the measurable impact of the change, explain why the change is being implemented, and communicate the change plan effectively to the team, the better shape you'll be in to communicate this confidently.
5. Past experiences (can be learned from and used to improve future actions)
Ever been in a work environment where changes were poorly designed, then poorly communicated to the team, and then poorly implemented? Ever seen that approach backfire with employees and vendors disengaging and leaving? Figure out how and where things went wrong, learn from it, get business process improvement support from FounderFuego's team of experts, adapt the strategy to do damage control from the change strategy that went sideways, and refine the strategy for next time.
6. Cultural concerns (and how to move forward from being stuck)
Company culture is everything and you might worry that a change could shakeup your culture. For example, I once worked at an organization focused on building a culture of community, however, the culture was experienced differently depending on which team you were on. For example, one team offered the flexibility for people to work remotely while another team was required to be on-site. A different team offered flexibility to negotiate for additional vacation time as part of the compensation package while another team did not. I'm taking bets that a telework policy still hasn't been issued out of fear about how this change might be received by the team and how it might impact the culture and perception of equity.
You CAN'T stay stuck in suspended animation, motionless and afraid of changes impacting your company culture. You CAN get a sense from your team on how the change might influence the culture, DO consider potential equity impacts, consider potential unanticipated consequences (try to anticipate and mitigate them), then implement a strategy.
7. Why change if we’ve always done it this way? (and how to get ahead of this skepticism over benefits of the change - hint, the answers are in the numbers)
To help mitigate the challenge with your team, stakeholders, and vendors being skeptical about the benefits of the change and asking “Why not keep doing things the way we have always done them?” Get ahead of this by focusing on data-driven decision making. Look at the research, study reports and data, and consider talking with other comparable companies who have implemented a similar change. Figure out if the benefits outweigh the costs, make the plan, COMMUNICATE the plan, then go make change and innovation happen, mi gente!
🔥 FounderFuego: Igniting Success by Empowering Diverse Founders with Resources🔥
-Amber Tarrac, FounderFuego Founder and CEO
