How to Rise Up After Life Knocks You Down

“It doesn’t matter how far you might rise. At some point, you’re bound to stumble.”

Oprah Winfrey spoke these words while giving a commencement speech at Harvard University, and I continue to find more truth in this statement the longer I live.

Each one of us experiences a few “stumbles” in our life. Some of us have the mental scars to show for it, too. Maybe you just got fired from your job and don’t know how to start over. Or maybe you’re trying with all your might to find a new one without any luck.

Sometimes we work hard for the things we truly believe in, only for life to not go according to our plans. In these moments, you might feel like throwing in the towel. Or that it’s just not worth the heartache to go after your dreams.

These feelings of pain and doubt are normal, but they shouldn’t stop you. In fact, when you realize you’ve hit rock bottom, there’s only one way to go, and that’s up. The process may be a difficult one and may even take away all your energy, but with a strategy and will, it can surely be done. Read more at success.com.

How to Build Motivation to Overcome Depression

One of the key features of depression is the lack of motivation to do things that you know you should really do. For example, you may think that you don’t have the motivation to exercise, or spend time with friends, or work on that project that is overdue. And as I’ve indicated in previous posts, we know that depression is a vicious cycle.

It includes avoidance, isolation, self-criticism, perfectionism, and hopelessness. We can add lack of motivation to this vicious cycle because when you lack motivation, you end up not doing the things that you need to do to build self-esteem, to overcome avoidance, to build your support network, and to feel effective so that you don’t fall into a rabbit hole of hopelessness. Read more at psychologytoday.com.

Why Entrepreneurship Involves Depression (And How To Overcome It)

If you’re headed into entrepreneurship, get ready to be depressed. Here’s how to get through it…

Sooner or later as an entrepreneur, you are going to face off against depression. At least the odds are extremely high. Those that deny it are probably hiding it or still in denial. It’s a virtually guaranteed part of entrepreneur life. The good news is that just knowing this gives you a huge edge going in. Read more at forbes.com.

“Running a start-up is like chewing glass and staring into the abyss. After a while, you stop staring, but the glass chewing never ends.” – Elan Musk

Why You’ll Have to Confront Depression as an Entrepreneur

Whether it is before, during or after exiting a company, depression is likely to rear its head at the worst time. Yet, if you can make it through it, the silver lining can be far more rewarding than you planned.

Reasons entrepreneurs get depressed include:

• Empty successes
• Naturally being prone to high levels of anxiety
• Difficulty not feeling in control
• Large numbers of investor rejections
• Stress and long working hours leading to burnout
• Being sabotaged by partners, staff or investors
• Being fired from your own company
• Struggles gaining and maintaining traction

The depression can be moderate and fleeting. Or it can be personally bankrupting and lead to a deep dive into bad habits, homelessness, and may take many years to recover from. Some don’t at all. Read more at forbes.com.

Entrepreneurial Leadership, Good Eats: How Independent Restaurant Operators Are Showing Their Strength

Independent restaurant operators have always been more entrepreneurial and a bigger source of innovation in the restaurant industry than the large chain restaurants can be. But the pandemic has been devastating for local restaurants across the country, with more than 110,000 locations closing their doors either temporarily or permanently, according to the National Restaurant Association. National Restaurant Association data also shows that restaurant and foodservice industry sales fell by $240 billion in 2020 from an expected level of $899 billion.

Some thought that future of the independent restaurant was all but over, but a closer look reveals that instead, restaurateurs became even more innovative. Many have found incredibly creative ways to keep diners visiting their restaurants, keeping them safe and, most of all, keeping cash flowing. This article features some examples of the creativity that has kept local restaurants alive. Read more at entrepreneur.com.

How Jersey Mike’s did Things its Own Way and Won 2020

For the past 30 years, marketing folks and ad agencies suggested to Peter Cancro that he appear in video or television ads for the brand he owns, Jersey Mike’s. The generally media-shy CEO always said no. “I didn’t want it to be about me,” he said.

Like many things, Cancro’s resistance was a victim of the pandemic. So, in March of last year, after the country went on lockdown, he appeared in an ad, simply urging people to “make a difference in someone’s life.”

“I felt compelled,” Cancro said. “It was a ‘we-got-to-do-something’ type thing.”

He’s appeared in ads for the chain ever since. Coincidentally or not, Jersey Mike’s sales have taken off. According to data from the most recent Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, Jersey Mike’s was the 10th fastest growing big chain in the U.S. last year. Its system sales rose 19.6%.

But that doesn’t tell the full story. Of the 10 largest sandwich chains, only three of them managed to hold serve last year: Arby’s, which has drive-thrus and grew by 8.5%; Firehouse Subs, which recovered as 2020 went on and saw system sales rise 0.9%, and Jersey Mike’s. The rest of them pulled back, including the sector’s 500-pound gorilla, Subway, where sales plunged 18.5%, and Jimmy John’s, where sales fell 8.5% despite operating its own delivery network. Read more at restaurantbusinessonline.com.

Attention: Experienced Restaurant Managers & Operators… Managing Partner Opportunities!

If you’re interested in owning your own restaurant and putting your full-service restaurant management experience to work for you and your future, then read on.

Popular national brand is offering Managing Partner opportunities at new locations in Texas. Low investment required in exchange for significant equity positions. Excellent compensation package. Peak performance opens door to full ownership possibilities. Bi-lingual a plus but not required.

Interested? Intrigued? Are you ready to earn what you’re worth? If so, please reach out to Paul Segreto via email to paul@Acceler8Success.com.

We’ve Been Raised Like Wolves to Hunt Like Wolves

For something to exist, it must be created. For something to survive, it must be fed.

True for wolves. True for business.True for self-worth.

Unsure how the three are related? Here’s the uncomfortable truth: So many entrepreneurs unconsciously hunt for their self-worth by feeding on the validation that comes from business success, and it isn’t sustainable, or healthy.

If you think you’ve fallen into this trap of turning your business into a self-worth feeder you’re in good company, some trouble, and probably a degree of emotional pain. 

Here’s why so many entrepreneurs hunt, how to tell if your sense of self has displaced onto your business, and steps towards making self-worth an inside job. Read more at entrepreneur.com.

A Message from Acceler8Success Founder, Paul Segreto

I’ve read many, many books over the years as I’m a firm believer in what Lee Iacocca stated about a person not being smart by what is between his ears as he is by the information he can put his hands on.

Without having completed college, I knew I had to continue to educate myself as best and as much as I could to provide for my family. Early on, my wife, Laureen and I made a very conscious decision that we believed it best that our children would grow up with their Mom in the house at all costs. That meant while she was working her tail off at home, I had to work equally hard at work, and at whatever work would help us achieve our objective of our children having Mom home with them in the morning, upon arriving home from school and in the evening when we made it a point to have dinner together as a family.

Looking back, I saw these as objectives, as goals and as beliefs – our beliefs, but I never realized they were values in how we raised our family, all together and to respect each other and be there for each other… values of which we were steadfast in believing. Values we built our lives around. That is, I didn’t realize they were values until six years ago when I read the book, Values Inc. I read it two times within a few short weeks of receiving it from Dina Dwyer-Owens.

The first time around, I read it and enjoyed it. I took away a few things here and there. Then, I read it word for word, reflecting along the way how important it is to incorporate values into our lives, and certainly into business. Values, Inc. is applicable not only for Business, Inc. but for Family, Inc. as well.

This is really some very powerful reading. It’s inspirational. It’s motivational. It’s compelling. And, it makes sense… so much sense. I only wish it were published in the 90’s so I could have given it to my children as they were growing up and when they were ready to enter high school, college and the workforce. It really should be considered a textbook for life, required reading as in my opinion it truly outlines a foundation of values that an enriched, successful future should be built upon.

Last, I wish I were more conscious of values early on so I could have treated others better. Certainly, I would have made better decisions using a values framework. But today is as good a time as any to start rereading the book once again as I’ve done at least once a year since receiving this treasure. I’m forever grateful for Dina for writing and sharing such an outstanding book. Again, Dina, thank you!

Listen to an interview with Dina Dwyer-Owens, “Leading With Values” on Franchise Today podcast.

How does a founder / entrepreneur ensure the initial startup passion and culture remain as the brand and organization experiences accelerated growth?

How To Maintain An Entrepreneurial Culture At A Fast-Growing Company

In the earliest stages of building a company, there’s not much time to stop and reflect. The focus is almost exclusively on building something that can scale and endure as quickly as possible, all based on the vision you have for success.

But when you were just getting started, you were up for it. You knew that what you were doing was worth it. And you knew, better than anyone else, why you decided to take the initial risk. Before the office lease, before the 60-plus employees and before the profitability, there was you and an idea — a spark. Instead of second-guessing yourself, you put faith in your intuition and got lost in the work. Some days, it felt good. Some days, it didn’t.

Amid that chaos, excitement and, of course, the unknown, there’s some real freedom. In massive growth, I don’t think any entrepreneur is able to pinpoint the exact moment that freedom starts to dissipate, but it does. This is because with success and scale come responsibility and logistics. Bringing on new hires means you have more mouths to feed. Your first few clients are taking a risk, too, by hiring you. Read more at forbes.com.