Why Being Authentic is Good For Long-Term Success by John DiStefano ⋆ The Teen Mentor™

If you’re a young entrepreneur running a business or thinking about starting one someday, it’s more than likely that you’ll be hoping for the long-term success of your venture. If it goes well, you won’t really want it to end soon, right?

The point about doing something long-term is that the things you will do until the end is what drives your success and gets you there. And this is what you will spend most of your time on.

However, if this is something you dread or just don’t like to do, you’re in for a long period of struggle. But if it’s something you enjoy, you’re very likely to have the best time of your life until you reach the point of total success, if you ever want to get there!

Shape your own future

But how can you anticipate the way you’ll feel about it in a few months or years? You can’t really. So many things can change, need adjustment and that might change things.

The one way I found to avoid that situation is by being authentic to yourself. If you do whatever you do the way you are, it feels natural, even if it is something different or new. It can even be a great way to discover new things about yourself.

Being authentic doesn’t mean to put a stamp on it, like that is you and that’s it. Like everything else you evolve as well, you grow and change, developing yourself to become a better you.

What I mean with being authentic is being aware of what works for you, the feelings you have and being proud to change in the direction you thrive at – and not to pretend to be someone you’re not.

Let’s take an example. Say you aim to become the best plumber in your area. This is your goal and the direction you’re looking at.

What you definitely shouldn’t do is try to pretend to be that person already and be unable to deliver. You’ve never gone through the process to get there. You lack experience, knowledge, connections and brand to even think about pulling it off. You haven’t even figured out what being the best means. You just think in superlatives without relation to reality.

I can see this all over the place. Just look at some of the websites of young businesses. Their sites look like they have been in business for the past 20 years.

What is the point of that?

Get to know the here, the now and yourself

The idea must be to have a goal set but to know where you are now and start from there. It’s about being who you are, being authentic.

Think about it. Who says that copying some other companies and pretending to be on the same level is what your customers want? Why not use your young mind and spirit to your advantage and turn the game around?

This will give you the chance to create something new, to become the new wave in your business area. Yes, you don’t have the experience – but you have the drive, the flexibility and the motivation to turn your market around and serve your customers in a way none of the long-establish companies can.

Be authentic, be you and be proud of yourself.

If you find that authenticity, then you’ll never mind getting up in the morning and creating happy customers. Think about it. If that is you, do you ever want it to stop? I guess not.

This is what business is about. Being ‘you’ every day and having an amazing time with it.

If you’re a start-up, thinking about going into business, or fed up with your current business and tired of the hustle – take a step back and reflect. Is what you’re doing in line with who you are? If not, what needs to change to make you get up and have fun with it?

Be authentic, be yourself!

About the Author: John DiSTEFANO is one of Your Monthly Mentors.He started his first company in 1993 in Germany and has been an entrepreneur ever since. His businesses ranged from Advertising over Marketing and Sales to IT to mention the main areas. In 2014 John formed the Entrepreneur Academy in Brussels, Belgium with the aim to provide a platform for entrepreneurs to grow, learn and practise. He is actively involved in many student organisations throughout Europe and regularly invited to talk about entrepreneurship. Read More…