Most people give up on solving big problems… but that presents a BIG opportunity.
And when I talk about solving “big problems”, I’m not necessarily talking about massive things like putting humans on Mars.
I’m talking about the nitty gritty of taking an idea and figuring out all the things that need to happen for it to become a reality. This is what we do as entrepreneurs. We solve problems and figure things out. And the more problems you solve, the more money you’ll make.
For example, my wife and I have a charity where we build schools in Kenya (it’s called Village Impact). So 2-3 times a year, my wife travels to Kenya to visit our schools (humble brag… we have now built 15 schools providing education for more than 5,000+ kids).
And for years my wife had been talking about this cute little AirbBnbB that she would stay in during her visits to Kenya. It is central to all our schools, has plenty of space for our team to meet and has this charm that makes it a place you look forward to visiting.
A few years ago, Amy had this idea…
“It would be amazing if we could one day purchase this place for the charity. We could use it as our office, host our teacher and principal gatherings and we could even turn it into a luxury AirBnB with all the money going to the charity”, she would explain.
Then, the owners approached Amy (because she asked them to let her know if they were ever going to sell it). They were thinking about selling.
The only problem… we weren’t in a position as a charity to even think about purchasing the property. Because as a foreign entity, we’d have to purchase the whole thing up front (we couldn’t finance through a bank), and there are a million and one hurdles to jump through to actually make it happen.
And that’s the point of this message.
Most people would look at the obstacles and turn the other way. But not an entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs view obstacles and challenges as opportunities. Because if you can figure it out or have the endurance to jump through all the hurdles, the rewards on the other side are plentiful.
That’s why I’m SO proud of my wife. It took almost an entire year of negotiating, fundraising, filing paperwork, more negotiating, more fundraising, more creative financing, more paperwork, enduring delay after delay and then… she finally got the document that made it official. Bustani Manor was hers.
There were many sleepless nights. Many cheers for joy coupled with tears of frustration. Excitement one minute and fear the next. Nobody said this entrepreneurial journey was going to be easy. But that’s why everyone isn’t an entrepreneur.
Remember, the bigger the problems you solve, the bigger the rewards. Hang in there and keep moving forward!
