Fight or Flight?

Statistics show that 90% of every new business that is started will fail and fold within 2 years of it's inception. 

So what's the cause?

In nature, it's called the Fight or Flight Response: The innate reaction to acute stress within a situation. A zebra's physical response to pouncing lion is no different than that of a house cat cornered by a dog (increased heartrate, release of endorphins, muscular response) The difference shows up in their mental reaction. The zebra flees, looking for a way out, while the cat hisses and spits, arches it's back and prepares for a clawing and biting battle.

Entrepreneurs are faced with the same issue when posed with the risk of new business. Sure, financial investment, proper market, and supply and demand can all make or break a business. But is it possible that its an innate reaction to stress that causes so many businesses to fail? Stress in not pleasant. We don't choose 'hard'. We choose 'comfy' and 'easy'.  So, when the going gets tough, we'd rather give up a dream/investment in order to avoid the hard stuff.

Freelance work lends itself so well to the flight response that I have to set up restrictions for myself to keep me off the full-time job posting sites. Raechel and I have realized that I  have adopted a bit of a cycle. Every month, about the time the checks stop coming in, I start to get stressed and scared. I immediately start looking for jobs as a backup plan, fearing that I won't be able to provide for my family. I spend many hours looking for work and interviewing for jobs only to return to the same conclusion: I LOVE working for myself! I love the freedom, the time with my family, the creative work I get to do, everything. Upon analysis, the time spent fleeing from the hard part could be intensely applied to looking for more freelance clients and one-off projects.

Running away feels so safe and secure. It's so easy to flee what is hard a return to the comfort of the 'known'

Instead, one should puff up their chest, arch their back, and prepare for a fight. The 'dog' of stress, fear, and business failure will only learn it's lesson if it faced head on. 

This is a great clip called 'The Battle at Kruger.' It's a little long, but one of the most amazing clips I have ever seen. In the plains of Africa, a pack of lions is on the hunt. It drags on a bit in the middle but, trust me, there is redemption worth sticking around for.)