Did you ever have a moment when you started to doubt everything that you are doing.?

We decided a long time ago that our blog would be about the journey of starting a business from scratch and the trials and tribulations of getting to where we wanted to be. Our hope is that this will help other people who are trying to start a new venture.

Having said that, I don’t think anyone starting a business doesn’t go through times of self doubt. This seems to be one of those times for me.

Why would I be doubting our mission? I’m not a patient person. We created Two Grannies 6 years ago. Nothing really happened for four of those years but for the past full year we’ve been pushing pretty hard with regular blog posts, Facebook posts, networking, and our television show. All this while trying to run our businesses because that’s what pays the bills.

So now we’re really looking at this as a business that needs to bring in revenue. Even though that was the intention all along, it’s time to stop putting it off and start facing the question, “How do we make money doing this?”  Thus the decision to work with a business coach.

So it naturally follows when we’re really looking at what people are willing to pay us to do, to also ask, what are our services worth? What do baby boomers really need and are we providing it? We think the answer is yes, but how do we know? All that we’ve gone by so far is feedback from our friends and contacts. Do baby boomers face the same challenges in other parts of the country?

Research also suggests that the issues we’ve identified are universal. So we’re probably on the right track, but then, why isn’t that translating into Two Grannies getting thousands of followers in social media and sponsors fighting each other to have their logo on the “granny mobile”?

Thus the doubt sets in. What are we doing wrong? What could we be doing better? Is this really going to work? Can we pull it off?

You see all the useless junk that goes viral on the internet while our site, with a strong mission and message, just sits there like a highway sign in the middle of a desert! It’s really frustrating. Do we just continue to plug away and do the best we can, or is there a point at which we say, “this just isn’t working”? And what is that point?

One of the first things our coach asked us was, why are we doing this? There’s the personal mission of wanting to travel across the country and have some great adventures while creating an income to make it possible. Then there’s the purpose that goes beyond our own desires, to make a difference by helping baby boomers who are in the awkward position of losing their life long careers and yet they can’t or don’t want to retire. Going into business for themselves allows them to create an income as well as giving them a renewed sense of purpose. Having been in business for so long ourselves, we feel that we are in a position to help them.

Why would I want to do that, and if I won the lottery tomorrow, would I still do it? (I’m using “I” now because I can’t speak foe Ginny.)

When I think about what we could accomplish and how much we could help people, I get goose bumps. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment to see the light bulb go off in someone else when we talk about our mission. Plus the things we are doing, like interviewing baby boomers and traveling around to different towns and exploring, is really fun for us.

And there it is. Just by writing this post, thinking through the issues and going back to our why, I now realize that it’s all worthwhile. It’s worth the sacrifice of time and income to stay on the path, persist, and see it through.

If you are doubting the path that you are on, go back to the basics. Why are you doing this? If the purpose is there, and you are passionate about it, persistence, time, work and research will pay off. Stay the course.

Were here for you,