In the July Issue:
Find your Entrepreneurial superpower
Two years ago, everything I knew about my place in the world changed in 48 hours. My first child was born, and my father passed away. As I slowly regained my footing, I started having epiphanies about what I wanted for my life, and what I had to offer the world.
I had somehow faced tragedy and come out on the other side with the entrepreneurial spark.
But it wasn’t as easy as deciding I wanted to create something. I also needed to have an idea of what I would create.
I resisted the urge to get swept up in self-doubt, and convince myself that the entrepreneurial space is too crowded. The reality is that there was plenty of space for me, and there is plenty of space for you also.
The key to breaking through all of that noise, is to tap into what makes you the perfectly imperfect being that you are. Each and every one of us has unique experiences that inform what we know, how we move through the world, and unique pain points that show up throughout our day. For me, it was my experience with grief. Your spark could lie in so many unique and powerful spaces.
Once you take a deep dive into your uniqueness, you will become an idea generation machine.
Let’s talk about how to get there:
Discover Your Uniqueness
The goal of this step is to let yourself be messy, and just brain dump onto a page. Nothing is too big or small to write down. Ask yourself, “What is special about me and my experiences”? These can be big life events, like winning the lottery, losing a loved one, having a major surgery, etc. They can be small life events, like taking a course or attending a conference, purchasing some new tech gear, going on vacation, etc. This list should also include idiosyncrasies or unusual hobbies. Perhaps you have an affinity for purple things, collect vases, or paint figurines for fun.
Brainstorm
Think about how you might resolve the specific pain points you have written down or tap into your special skills or experiences. This might be a service, a product, or a course that could make the experience easier for someone else, or something you wished that you had as a resource during those life events.
You have just made a list of your possible unique offerings to the world. As you develop ideas, return to this list for inspiration about what can make your idea extra special. Are you, for example, a miniature figurine painter AND queer? Perhaps you use that understanding to create a line of figurines that feature queer icons.
The beauty of this process is that the solutions to these issues transcend your unique worldview. Perhaps your experience allowed you to understand a specific pain point, but certainly that pain point can reach a greater audience.
For example, my experience with grief allowed me to understand the pain of chronic headaches, but you don't need to have experienced traumatic loss to know the pain of a headache.
Exploring those perspectives merely serves to create a unique vision and voice.
At the end of this process, a space that once looked crowded might actually look strangely empty. You might start asking yourself, "Why is no one else seeing this issue?"
Step into that space. Step into that vision. Step into that power.
MEET TESS KURSEL - ENTREPRENEUR, FOUNDER OF UPSPROUT
Tess is an entrepreneur and creative, residing in Santa Fe, NM with her husband and son. She founded Upsprout, the first subscription box service designed to affirm and support the grieving process, and hosts Ugly Cry, a podcast, demystifying and lifting the silence around the experience of grief.
Tess is a published author and poet, and works part-time as a business consultant for aspiring small-business owners.
Connect with Tess HERE!
