Crabs in the Basket: Overcoming Emotional Detour #5

We’ve come to the end of our series on emotional detours with Emotional Detour #5: Crabs in the Basket.

Have you ever walked down a beach and dug crabs out of the sand? You take a small shovel, dig the crab out, and toss it into a basket. If there’s only one crab, you’ll need a lid so the crab doesn’t crawl out. Once you’ve added that second crab, the lid will no longer be necessary because as one crab tries to crawl out, the other one will pull it back down.  It’s much the same with people when they get scared of something new.

Let’s say you just spent lots of time gathering data on your new franchise. You checked out the competition, spoke to other franchisees, and put together what you think is a pretty good plan to move forward. Your excitement will undoubtedly lead you to a conversation with your spouse or best friend. That’s when you’ll hear about all of the things that are wrong with that great new business. They’ll say, “I know someone who got into that business and lost everything,” or “What do you think you know about that kind of a business? Are you crazy?” The next thing you know, you’re asking yourself, "What was I thinking when I actually believed that success was just around the corner?"

Your friend or spouse isn’t necessarily trying to keep you down. They’re just afraid. Their perceptions are driving their fear. They can’t help it. They just don’t know any better. Here are a few questions to ask yourself that may help you get past this detour:

1. If your friend or spouse had done the same research that you did, would they feel differently?

2. Is it important enough for you to slow things down to enroll them in the data gathering process?

3. Can you see yourself going forward without their support with the knowledge that your information will lead you to success?

4. Finally, and this can be a tough one, what happens to your relationship with this person down the road if you give up on your dream based of their perceptions?

Most of us really need the support of our friends and family when we’re making the jump from a job to entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, we don’t always get it. The odds go up pretty quickly if we can enlist those important to us in the process, but it can also slow us down. At the end of the day, it’s about what you want for yourself and how much you believe that you can be a success.

Do your homework. Do it well. Make your decisions. Don’t look back. If you’re already thinking of “plan B”, you’re not ready yet. You’ll find that your level of commitment will be one of the biggest factors in your success. You can do it!