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A DTC company faces a lot of challenges today, but there are steps direct-to-consumer brands can take to succeed in difficult times.
Having the right mindset can be the difference between great success and spectacular failure. Depending on the type of business, both optimism and pessimism can have a place, especially when your job is risk management. But for those of us who live in the fast-changing, challenging world of direct to consumer and CPG, a positive mindset is critical.
Here are some tips on how to develop an optimistic attitude to help achieve your DTC goals:- Trust your vision
- Practice visualization
- Think big
- Don’t let fear stop you
- Manage your energy and mental health
The positive mindset: Trust yourself
Self-doubt, fear, people-pleasing, and other short-sighted mindsets can stop us all in our tracks. A positive mindset helps you to get out of your own way.
Trust your vision, even if that’s hard. Upbeat energy feeds your mind with creative ideas and solutions, and draws people to you so they can see the potential that you may not even see at times.
You may be thinking, “How can I trust my vision?” In order to achieve it you need to believe in yourself and your ability to make it a reality. Here’s where visualization can help. I’ve coached top executives and collegiate champion baseball teams, and both have relied on it.
Countless studies show that simply visualizing your goal or success will make it that much more real and achievable. In the words of Earl Nightingale, a 1950s radio broadcaster known as the dean of personal development, “You become what you think about.”
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Act like the big company you want to be
“Fake it until you make it” is a familiar concept, however, being that integrity is such an important aspect in business, perhaps “fake” isn’t the best word. Think of it as acting like the big, successful DTC business you aim to be.
Let’s say you’re trying to decide what to do in a given situation, strategy or otherwise. Think about it as if you are a company at that next level. What would that company do? If that approach is at all in your reach, take action and do as that bigger company would.
It’s a matter of conditioning your mind to stop thinking small.
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Cultivate a fearless, positive mindset
In order to be successful, you have to take action. But action can feel intimidating when you’re trying something new or going into unfamiliar territory.
Lopa van der Mersch, CEO and founder of RASA, a DTC maker of coffee alternatives, said she kept her company small at first because she was “afraid of taking big swings.” But she overcame her fear and the company now counts more than 100,000 customers and has been featured in major magazines like Rolling Stone and Ebony.
Don’t let your fears stop you from being successful; focus on what you need to do and ignore any negative thoughts that might try to creep in. Believe in yourself and that everything will work out as long as you keep doing what you need to do.
Adapt and apply lessons learned
No matter how much you learn, you’ll always be faced with new challenges. Understanding that and seeking out what’s needed to solve those new challenges is crucial for growth.
If you’re doing something because it worked before, chances are it won’t work now. Learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them—and if something doesn’t work as expected, take a step back and figure out why before moving forward.
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Focus your energy, take care of yourself
The most common reason for wasted time and unmet goals is energy mismanagement. Too often, we waste energy on tasks that don’t matter to us or will lead to failure. To achieve your goals, manage your energy wisely.
The most important part of achieving a positive mindset often comes down to mental health. Your mental state directly influences your productivity, confidence, and passion. If you have problems with any or all of these, no amount of skill or hard work will let you succeed.
Maintain your mental health by getting enough sleep, eating right, and staying social—even when it gets tough.
“Take care of your mental health—entrepreneurship is a marathon with sprints built in along the way,” van der Mersch says.
