By Nancy Fornasiero

October is Small Business Month in Ontario. At ACE Coworking, we like to use it as a time to both look forward to the opportunities that are in front of our company and look back on the successes and challenges we have experienced. One of the best parts of operating a coworking space is that we can amplify this by leaning on the experiences of our members too.

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely road to travel sometimes, but you don’t have to do it alone (and you certainly shouldn’t). A little advice and support can go a long way to helping you travel the steep mountains and deep valleys on the road to being your own boss.

This year, we asked some of our entrepreneur-members a simple but powerful question: “What do you wish you knew when you were just starting your business that you do know now?” We got some valuable feedback and hopefully their answers can help you and your business, even if you are not in start-up.

From Katherine Vellinga, CEO, Zirkova Vodka

 “You can’t plan for everything. I now realize that some of my biggest opportunities have come from the most unlikely places.”

 From Shez Mehra, owner, The 194 Group

“At the outset I didn’t understand that solutions to business problems require looking a little deeper. Whatever is on the surface isn’t usually the real problem.”

From Ravi Kulkarni, principal, RKCS

“When talking to prospective clients I wish I’d known to get to the answer quicker. Too often a lot of time and effort was spent in the sales cycle when the answer was always going to be a “no” anyway. Coming to that realization sooner would have allow me more time to properly strategize as well as allocate our time and resources more efficiently.”

From Gail Kaufman, independent consultant (J Gail Kaufman Advisory & Consulting)

“Being in totally uncharted territory is okay. And feeling that you don’t know exactly what you’re doing is okay. Part of the journey is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

From Moatassem Moatez, CEO & Founder MyCourier

“Business doesn’t move in a straight line, so don’t make the mistake of getting married to your plan. Also, something I’ve learned along the way is the importance of reframing obstacles. Even the biggest problems sometimes lead to solutions and opportunities that can help you.”

From Jon Root, Creative Director & Founder, Look Local Magazine and Treehouse Creative Agency

“Believe that when you really go ‘all in’ you will find a way to meet every challenge. The hard work is worth it and, in the end, it will pay off.”