Re-evaluating the Idea of Entrepreneurship: The Road Towards Service and Community by Dr. Janita Gilliam

Dr. Janita Gilliam is a wife, mother of two, and licensed speech-language pathologist for over 13 years. Dr. Gilliam owns a private practice called Jabber Talk Speech and Consulting, PLLC where she is committed to providing intervention services to underserved areas and marginalized populations. Dr. Gilliam believes that her gifts were given to be of service. She prides herself on volunteering locally with her church and professionally at both state and national speech associations. In her spare time she enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband Will and daughters Layla and Nova.

 

Many people believe entrepreneurship is the gateway to financial stability and the open door to personal success. However, no one equates entrepreneurship with sovereign service. I am two years, and 6 months into my new life as an entrepreneur. I don’t think I will ever minimize the tenacity it takes to become and remain an entrepreneur. The first year was a challenge in itself. No one prepares you for the long nights, dead ends. The twenty “no’s” you will hear before you get your first yes, or the way your bank account and credit cards become drained before you can even make a profit.

 

Although we know money can’t buy us happiness, it sure does help offset the balance of pain and struggle when one joins the entrepreneurial journey. See when I was growing up, I was always told “Slow and steady wins the race.” As an adult, I was even told “You eat an elephant one bite at a time.” No matter how you look at it, the journey of becoming an entrepreneur and maintaining your livelihood as an entrepreneur requires risk, grit, and planning. It is a beautiful experience and at times lonely and stressful. Think about it. You get all the benefits of planning a business, owning your creativity and ideas that don’t have to be signed off by a senior administrator. You get to put in unhurried time to see dreams be turned into reality. Ideas become innovations and things that remained rent-free in your mind can now allow you to receive compensation for something that once started out as a passion or gift.

 

See, I believe that if we entered entrepreneurship with a mindset of how much can I “give unto others” we may be rewarded indirectly from our partnerships, contracts, and other abilities to grow our brand. Entrepreneurship can be wonderful when individuals enter into the space with the right mindset, right goals, and right heart. Our initial encounter with entrepreneurship cannot only be sole gratification. Small businesses are truly what stimulate the economy and make our communities well-rounded. There is an ability to make an impact in addition to making revenue. Entrepreneurship should no longer be a scary word, a frightening word, or a self-serving word. We must change the narrative to make sure entrepreneurship models and embodies a spirit of “servitude.” Businesses need to be established based on “who can I impact, what can I change, how can I add value and why do I want to enter a specific space.” Entrepreneurship won’t die, but some of the challenges and negative connotations associated with a thriving business and entrepreneur may need to.

Learn more about Dr. Janita at www.jabbertalkspeech.com Twitter: @jabbertalkshow

Instagram: @the_latetalkers_speechdoctor/