An entrepreneur's tips for staying strong. Everyone has a different relationship with pressure. Some are motivated by it, some like to nip it in the bud, while other prefer to delegate it. Here are a few tips that have helped me in my own journey.

1. By Faisal Hoque
founder of:
HOW NOT
TO CRUMBLE
UNDER PRESSURE
An entrepreneur’s 2ps
for staying strong…

2. The most unflappable leaders develop all
sorts of coping strategies, forged in the
cauldron of potential failure.
An entrepreneur, who starts out with the certainty that there is a
75% chance of failure, these pressures are o?en the direct cause
of business failure rather than a side-effect of it.

3. “You have to put in incredible amounts of
efforts and huge amounts of stress — and it’s
much more painful than most people realize.
And most companies die. On a certain level in
your brain, your brain — we didn’t evolve, like,
with companies; we evolved to respond to real
death. And even though a company’s death is
not real, it’s not like someone is physically
dying, your brain doesn’t quite understand
that on the limbic system level. So it’s really
sort of painfully stressful. You probably don’t
want to go through that more than once.”
- Elon Musk

4. Everyone has a different relationship with
pressure.
Some are mo2vated by it, some like to nip it in the bud, while
other prefer to delegate it.

5. Inspira2onal author Zig Ziglar suggested that you
should be able to manage yourself before you can
manage others, and, in a similar vein, you should
be able to manage yourself before you can manage
your business.
If your head is not clear, there is no way that your
decisions will be consistent, and this will lead to
unpredictable outcomes.
ORGANIZE YOURSELF

6. It is worth talking to a trusted advisor, like a spouse, friend,
or a coach, about what seems to cause you the most stress.
When you realize what is causing problems, you can take
ac2on to address it.
RECOGNIZE YOUR TRIGGERS

7. Stress tends to take us to an uncomfortable place.
It dominates the mind, and it is all too easy to
forget our “why.” You might be in business to
make a difference in the world, to help others to
develop, or simply to provide a future for your
family.
When you lose sight of those simple things, stress
can overcome you preSy quickly.
REMEMBER YOUR “WHY.”

8. Just stay at home in bed — that is a stress-free
environment. Temp2ng as it may seem, this isn’t
an op2on for any of us, but it is possible to make
decisions which will allow you to avoid certain
pressure points. You can delegate work to others
before things get to be too much.
You can set aside 2me in the day to switch off, go
for a walk or listen to some music.
STRESS PREVENTION

9. I write about mindfulness a fair amount. Stress
happens when your head is occupied with worries
that are rarely related to the present moment.
If your head is elsewhere when you need to be
“present” for a decision, you won’t make the best
decision and add to your future stresses.
PRACTICE MINDFULNESS

10. Any moderately ambi2ous person understands
that you won’t always win. Learning from your
failures will make you a stronger person, and there
is a reason why many of the leading figures in
world business have considerable blemishes in
their careers.
If losing comes naturally to you, like water off a
duck’s back, coping with it is that much easier..
LEARN TO LOSE

11. Often, things are not as bad as you think.
When things are star2ng to get the best of you, an external
perspec2ve is some2mes all you need.

13. Shadoka’s por4olio of offerings enables
entrepreneurship, growth, and social impact. Our
customers and partners aspire to create sustainable
value. They are focused on repeatable and
measurable impact. We enable their aspira2ons.
We bring together the management frameworks,
digital pla4orms, and thought leadership for:
• EvaluaCon, execuCon, and monitoring of
programs
• Scaling sales, revenue, and profitability
• CreaCon and management of digital
communiCes and marketplaces
About SHADOKA
Follow us @shadokaventures
shadoka.com

14. About Me
Founder of Shadoka and other companies. Shadoka
enables entrepreneurship, growth, and social impact.
Formerly of GE and other global brands. Author of
several books, including Everything Connects – How
to Transform and Lead in the Age of Crea:vity,
Innova:on and Sustainability (McGraw Hill) and
Survive to Thrive – 27 Prac:ces of Resilient
Entrepreneurs, Innovators, And Leaders (MoCvaConal
Press).
Follow me @faisal_hoque
faisalhoque.com