3.6 Knocking On Stranger's Doors?

  

Imagine this, you decide to start a house painting business with no experience, equipment, and its the beginning of February. This is the scenario I found myself in at the beginning of the craziness in 2020.

Trading my Normal Life to Chase my Business Vision

I signed up for an internship where they gave me a real-life business experience of owning my own painting business. Before I ventured out on this new journey, I needed to establish my why. 

"Why am I dedicating six months of my life and missing out on summer fun for this business vision?" 

I frequently would ask myself questions like the one above weeks leading up to the start. It eventually clicked, and I wrote this in my journal,

I was tired of not following through with what I said and to prove to myself and others that I can do spectacular things. 

The day that I won't ever forget is the first day on the job, knocking on doors from 9am in the freezing cold until dark. Leads are the lifeblood of any business. Without leads, a small business will die. I didn't want to be one of them. For a business like house painting, the best marketing tactic is going straight the source, OG style; door to door marketing. 

I thought I was prepared for this crucial day in my life. I practiced my sales pitch, got up early, and dressed like a typical college student. But when I knocked on my first door and someone actually answered, I froze (figuratively and actually it was cold out there). I forgot half my pitch, and the person who answered probably thought I was a weirdo. But, I was way too determined to let that interaction get to me. I mean the day just started right? 

After a few more interactions at the door, I started to gain confidence in talking with homeowners. I felt my own progression after failing over and over. Soon after that, I started getting them interested in the free interior/exterior estimate I was offering. I was seeing some success, but still, there were so many times throughout the day that I doubted my capability. 

There was one point where I was just driving around, dreading to keep going. 

Despite all of that, I carried on as I set a strong intention of earning 35 leads that opening weekend. 

As the sun went down that day and for the first time in a while, I saw myself achieving my goal. I saw myself becoming a leader and actually making things happen. This was a pinnacle point of my overall mentality and only the start of my business. I finally knew the feeling of falling forward. When faced with friction or stress before, I would fall backward; self-sabotaging myself and my progression. I knew that my goals required immense discipline and willpower. I choose to not become overwhelmed and stressed, as I knew I would accomplish my overall vision. At the end of the weekend, I hit my goal of 35 leads right on the dot, and this was only the beginning. 

The moral of this story is that through goal setting, ambition, and determination, you can overcome any obstacle and actually make your dreams a reality. Set strong intentions and watch how they manifest in their own special way. Creation is beautiful and alive within yourself.