A Story of Overcoming

“The path of entrepreneurship chose me.  I have endured many trials and tribulations that have made me the person I am today.  I choose to rise against the tide and understand that I can fall and get back up again stronger. “  -Negar Jahanbin

People often ask if owning a business ever causes me to feel worry, stress, anxiety, or feelings associated with large responsibility.  My answer, is YES, all the time!

To speak about entrepreneurship without speaking about challenges, failures, perseverance, resilience, and grit, is virtually impossible.

I don’t think any entrepreneur wishes to fail or struggle; however, a key attribute of success as an entrepreneur is understanding that we can fall and get back up again. 

“What separates those that change the world, from those that wish they could?”

To be an entrepreneur, doesn’t mean you get to skip over those emotions and never feel what we all feel during challenging times.  The key is not letting fear stop you, but rather using it as a source of motivation and fuel to keep moving towards our goals.  This is what separates those that change the world, and those that wish they could. 

I often think about why I chose this path of entrepreneurship.  It may sound cliché, but I think this path chose me.  Much of who I am today is a culmination of a series of events that have made me the person I am today. 

I immigrated to the United States in 1987 at the age of four years old when my parents left Iran during the Iran/Iraq war.  My father was able to secure a student visa as a master’s student studying civil engineering, while supporting a wife and two young children.

My parents left everything familiar behind in hopes of pursuing a better life for their kids.  My parents did not speak English fluently.  They did not know anyone.  They did not even have the familiarity of their surroundings to rely on.

I often wonder how they had the strength to leave in those circumstances.

However, despite all the unknowns and fears, they pushed through those fears and anxieties and had blind faith to keep going.  During this time, my dad became an entrepreneur out of sheer necessity and survival.  Whether I liked it or not, their struggles became my reality.  These life experiences gave me the backbone to becoming the woman I am today.

 “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

Fast forward 35 years, and I wake up every day with worries, fears, and anxieties.  Anyone who has managed their business through COVID, can attest to the level of grit and flexibility it takes to continuously adapt to the needs presented in today’s world.  Not knowing what each day will bring, and somehow having to lead your team through its complexities can seem overwhelming.

What I have learned along the way is that people are resilient.  Even when we don’t think we can survive, we can endure more.  I know challenges will continually be presented to me, and that sometimes I may not reach my desired effect.  I may not know the ceiling of my entrepreneurial abilities and hope to continually push myself beyond what I think I’m capable of doing.

However, what I do know is that on this journey of becoming, I will never stop learning and growing.  I will continue to get back up and keep trudging forward, hopefully inspiring others to do so in kind.