The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Mental Gymnastics

Flipping Fears and Leaping Over Obstacles with a Growth Mindset – How Cultivating a Growth Mindset Can Propel Your Business Forward

Running a business is no walk in the park, no matter how long you have been in the running. Anyone who has tried to start and build a new business might well agree.

Especially a horse business. You might know the joke: How do you make a small fortune in the horse world? By starting with a large one.

My business is not a horse business in the traditional sense, I do not breed horses, race horses, show horses, compete with horses or teach horse riding. Your standard horse business is difficult enough to get off the ground, but creating one like mine, a hybrid horse business, is especially fraught with difficulty.

My business is a basket with lots of eggs of different colours in it, but my most profitable activity is without any doubt the hosting of my Mindfulness and Meditation with Horses retreats.

All went fairly well, until, because I live with the constant threat of losing my sight, I decided to venture online to create additional income streams that would prosper even if I could no longer host residential retreats.

My method of building my business is reflected in this quote from G.K. Chesterton: “I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.”

No one has done what I’m trying to do, so even the very best of advice was confusing at best and outdated, at worst.

Watching YouTube videos from the business building gurus taught me one thing. With AI a brightly shining and ever-rising star that can no longer be contained, everything is changing so fast that no one knows what will work in the future, never mind what is actually working today.

There was only one solution, I was going to have to develop an entrepreneurial growth mindset.

You may have heard of a growth mindset, but do you know what an entrepreneurial growth mindset is?

An entrepreneurial growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication, hard work, and a willingness to learn from experiences, especially failures. Entrepreneurs with this mindset see challenges as opportunities for growth, view failures as valuable lessons, and persist in the face of setbacks. They are committed to continuous learning, adaptability, and resilience, they focus on long-term goals, take calculated risks, carefully avoid burnout and leverage both successes and failures to propel their ventures forward.

A growth mindset is essential for being a successful entrepreneur for several reasons. An entrepreneurial growth mindset allows you to

1. Adapt to Change: Entrepreneurship is fraught with uncertainties and constant changes. A growth mindset helps entrepreneurs view challenges as opportunities to learn and adapt, rather than as insurmountable obstacles.
2. Become more resilient in the Face of Failure: Failure is a common experience in entrepreneurship. A growth mindset allows entrepreneurs to see failure as a stepping stone to success rather than a definitive end thus increasing their resilience.
3. Continuously Learn and Improve Yourself: Entrepreneurs with this mindset are more likely to seek out new knowledge, skills, and experiences that can enhance their business acumen and aptitude.
4. Develop More Effective Problem-Solving Skills: Entrepreneurs often face complex and novel problems. A growth mindset promotes creative and effective problem-solving by encouraging experimentation and viewing setbacks as learning experiences.
5. Maintain Your Long-Term Vision: Instead of being discouraged by short-term setbacks, entrepreneurs remain focused on their ultimate goals and are willing to invest time and effort to achieve them.
6. Network and Collaborate: Entrepreneurs recognize the value of diverse perspectives and experiences, which can lead to better decision-making and innovation.
7. Take Risks: Entrepreneurship inherently involves risk. A growth mindset encourages calculated risk-taking by framing risks as opportunities to learn and grow, rather than as threats to be avoided.
8. Avoid Burnout by making sure you get enough rest. It is essential that entrepreneurs avoid burnout, so that they retain the clarity needed to make sound business decisions. Avoiding burnout is also crucial for sustaining long-term productivity and creativity.

Reprogramming my scientific brain to develop an entrepreneurial growth mindset has been a challenge, but I keep reminding myself, “The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade,” as Benjamin Franklin said. I firmly believe that a growth mindset equips me with the psychological tools needed to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship, enabling me to learn from experiences, persist through difficulties, and continually strive for innovation.

Are you starting a New Chapter in Your Life by starting your own business?

If you have just started, or are in the process of scaling your business, you may be struggling to adapt to sudden changes and to overcome debilitating challenges. You may start to view failures as insurmountable obstacles rather than learning opportunities. This may lead to stagnation, and ever-increasing frustration, ultimately hindering your ability to achieve long-term success and remain resilient in a competitive market.

Whatever you do, don’t give up.

What you need is some time out to rest and recharge your batteries. I can help with that, and so can my horses. We have hosted many at-the-and-of-their-endurance entrepreneurs, eager to manifest a new chapter in their life but exhausted from struggling without a growth mindset, to avoid burning out and to shift their mindsets here on my little farm in the southwest of France.