By Categories: Insights from Fellow ProfessionalsTags: , , , , , , , Comments Off on The Importance of Resilience in Entrepreneurship: What My Severe Snowboarding Accident Taught Me

As an entrepreneur, you are bound to face challenges and setbacks that can derail your progress. However, these obstacles can be opportunities to learn, grow, and become a better leader. That’s exactly what I learned from my own experience, when I faced a severe snowboarding accident that changed my life.

I started my own marketing agency with a mission to offer meaningful media content and effective marketing strategies to clients worldwide. My agency, FPW, was born out of my frustration with the traditional marketing agencies that I had worked with in Portland, Oregon. These agencies seemed to be all about pointless meetings, inefficiencies, and a lack of connection with clients. I wanted to do things differently.

However, just as I was getting started, I faced a major setback that put my entire life and business on hold. My snowboarding accident left me with a traumatic brain injury and a severe neck injury. I was unable to work or communicate effectively for months.

But, looking back, I now see that this experience was integral to my success as an entrepreneur. Here are three important lessons that I learned from my snowboarding accident:

Life is Short and Nothing is Promised
The accident made me realize that life is unpredictable and that anything can happen at any moment. Before the accident, I was procrastinating about my career path, trying to figure out what I really wanted to do. But after my accident, I knew that I couldn’t waste any more time. I put my heart and soul into my marketing agency and never looked back.

Leave Your Ego at the Door
One of the biggest lessons I learned from my accident was the importance of leaving your ego at the door. I had seen how other marketing agencies were run by egos, and I wanted to do things differently. I wanted FPW to be a human-centric agency that focused on building personal relationships with clients, rather than just making transactions. This mindset has helped us to stand out from the competition and offer a level of customer service that is unmatched.

Put One Foot in Front of the Other
The most important thing you can do when faced with a setback or challenge is to keep moving forward, step by step. This is what I did during my recovery from my accident. I didn’t give up and I didn’t let the setback defeat me. Instead, I used it as an opportunity to grow and become a better leader.

Over the past decade, FPW has faced many challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. But we have never stopped moving forward. I always encourage my employees to keep pushing through and to see setbacks as opportunities for growth.

My snowboarding accident may have been a setback at the time, but it was also a turning point in my life. It taught me valuable lessons about life, leadership, and resilience that I now use to guide my agency to success. I hope these lessons can inspire other entrepreneurs to overcome their own obstacles and achieve their dreams.