Fashion Business Owner Musings: When You’re the Most Driven Person You Know

Do you sometimes feel like you’re the most driven person you know?

As a goal-oriented, determined human being, you have probably experienced that sense of disappointment when a lot of the people around you are not quite as goal-oriented as you are. You don’t really feel inspired to talk to them about what it’s like to build, launch, and grow a business.

Those of us who have chosen this entrepreneurial path need to be around others with the same outlook on work.

We need to be challenged, questioned, and pushed to work towards our goals and see things in new ways.

We need people who have accomplished more than we have as entrepreneurs to give us something to aspire to.

We need to surround ourselves with people who want to have an impact on the world and the people in it.

We need to feel like we’re not the most driven people in the room.

Because when we are challenged, we do great things.

When we see what others can accomplish, we get a boost of confidence.

When we see the impact that others have had, we want to have that same impact.

When we are not the most driven people we know, we are kept constantly on our toes.

That’s why it’s so important for us to play an active part in expanding our circles and prioritizing a growth mindset.

We need to understand that, as business owners, we will always be faced with something difficult that we’ve never done before and we need to make sure our mindset is focused on possibility, not improbability. I talk about this in my free class about the steps for launching a fashion business.

To step into this mindset, we need to spend time with others who understand our paths because they’ve been there too.

They challenge us. They inspire ideas.

As entrepreneurs, it’s important for us to recognize this and to actively seek out those people.

Lots of love and encouragement,

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Nicole Giordano

Nicole is the founder of StartUp FASHION, an online resource and community supporting for independent designers around the world with building their businesses. A deep love for the craft of fashion paired with an adamant belief that success is defined by the individual, led her to found StartUp FASHION, where she helps independent designers and makers screw the traditional fashion business rules, create their own paths, and build businesses they truly love. More than anything else, she’s in the business of encouragement and works every day to remind makers and designers that they have something special to offer the world and that they can, in fact, do this thing!

10 comments
  1. Joanne

    Thank you for your article. It is difficult when taking with others who think they work hard compared to the life of those in fashion small business – for us, does work ever stop? The reality of this chosen passionate life has many hats that one person has to wear.
    Appreciated your comments around accountability and finding those who work harder than you – for inspiration and to have those around who will push you.
    Question – how to find these types?

    Reply
    • Nicole Giordano

      Hi Joanne,

      There’s no simple answer for finding like-minded people. The best I can say is to find events that are focused on topics like entrepreneurship. Go to meetups (meetup.com), discussions, panels, conferences, etc. and then don’t be afraid to talk to people.

      Join communities and supportive networks around entrepreneurship.

      The general advice here is to think about where you, as a driven entrepreneur, would like to spend your time and hopefully there will be others there too.

      Reply
  2. Pazao

    Stumbled upon your website by hoping from one page to another… Been reading about 6 posts so far now… And this one really helped me with the way I’m feeling right now, which is totally the same way as you describe in the post. I feel disconnected… Feel like an outsider… Feel like I’m the most driver person… But also when you aren’t surrounded by like minded people, I don’t know if you felt it before but the exhausting and draining feeling you get is just depressing… The only way for me to enlighten myself is really to read and find out that I’m not the only one and that there are people out there who feels like I do, who are as driven, and who takes the time to share and write for others who might just feel the same way. Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Anna von Aabling

    dear Nicole,

    Thank you so much! Excellent written, agree totally! I’ve always had this notion about myself, and read in an article on entrepreneurship psychology (really good, actually, it’s on Inc.) that one of the characteristics of entrepreneurs is that they actually see themselves as a version of super humans. If you think about it, kids do to, and I really think it is healthy to look at yourself that way. It gives you energy and motivation to lead and inspire, and that’s just pure beauty.

    Have a wonderful Friday,

    A.

    Reply
  4. D'

    Thank you Nicole. When someone speak verbally or write what I have been thinking to myself, I say, “get out of my head”. However, this applies to you at the moment. It is so true – you must get in a circle or company of like-minded people. You feed off of their energy. It motivates you. It aspires you and inspires you. Your creativeness becomes heightened. It gives you hope! Thank you so much for the “inspiration” that you have so gallantly post. Peace n’ blessings

    Reply
  5. Swiyyah Akhtab

    Thank you for having the courage to publish this post. Lately I’ve been in the dumps due to the same feelings regarding some people close to me. Just feeling like an outsider because I want to reach for stars and use radical action to do so, but wanting them to be apart of it too. I guess its time accept the fact that we all have a different destiny, and what ever destiny that is, is fine 🙂 thanks!

    Reply

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