"You got lucky"
Why the sentence stings entrepreneurs, what luck really does to a business, and what isn't luck at all.
"You got lucky."
This sentence stings many entrepreneurs I know. It feels dismissive, even insulting.
Didn't I work hard? What about my ideas? My values?
When we talk about business, the conversations often revolve around:
"How can we do X better, faster, more efficiently?"
"How do we retain top talent?"
"How do we keep the people who buy from us loyal?"
"What should our strategy be in these tumultuous times?"
We're convinced that if we get all of this right, success will follow. We believe effort, perseverance and hard work are the keys to achieving our goals. It's this mindset that fuels us, waking us up with purpose, keeping us motivated, and driving us to be the best version of ourselves.
And yet, is that the whole story?
What about the role of luck?
"We built the best product on the market."
Then the stock market crashed.
"We created a fantastic apparel brand and planned to launch in four cities."
Then COVID hit, and we lost our top talent and investors.
"We launched an eco-friendly travel service."
After COVID, revenge travel became our biggest payday.
My takeaway:
It's not JUST luck.
But it's not just YOU, either.
Everyone experiences cycles: the tough times when nothing seems to work, and the breezy ones when everything just clicks.
How you navigate those cycles? That's not luck.
Surviving the tough times with minimal damage, even knowing when to quit, isn't luck.
Cultivating humility during the easy times, staying open to learning even when you're on top: that's not luck.
Acknowledging the role of luck in our success doesn't diminish our efforts; it adds perspective. It reminds us there's always room to grow, to improve.
So, are you LUCKY?