I have long admired Ev’Yan Whitney, a sexuality doula and sex educator who helps women heal and embrace themselves. I even worked with her! (It was amazing.)
In a recent email update, she wrote:
I’ll be honest: Things have been very busy for me lately. After eight+ years of doing this work, it feels like I am finally getting the recognition I’ve been desiring since I started and it’s all kind of happening at once. I’ve been doing interviews with some big publications, getting flown out to speak on panels with people I consider celebrities in the sexuality education community, and collaborating on projects and campaigns I really care about. (emphasis mine)
Eight plus years. it is music to my business soul to read that. Eight plus years of remarkable blog posts, giving of herself on Instagram, experimenting, podcasting, writing her emails, offering services and events, and more.
It’s an alternative to the sound bite stories you see in the headlines or via email: about startups raising unbelievable amounts of venture funding. Or celebrities launching a new line or purses or lipstick.
Yet even these “overnight success” stories only tell a tiny part of the tale. We don’t know how many years of research and rejection led to the funding or the prominent media features. If I hadn’t been following Ev’Yan for years; if she didn’t tell me that it’s been over eight years, I could have made assumptions about her success. Oh lucky her, she got her big break. Must be nice getting invited to these events and featured in media. I’ll never have that.
Patience. That damn virtue is a struggle! And it’s made worse by the instant and/or outrageous success stories we see online. As David Heinemeier Hansson put it, The world needs more modest, linear growth companies. Please make some.
I am grateful for entrepreneurs like Ev’Yan who talk about the time – and patience – it took to get where they are. Time during which, I imagine, Ev’Yan had plenty of doubts that she would ever get the recognition she desired. And while I am sure the recognition is validating and exhilarating, that’s not why Ev’Yan does her work. It’s the icing, not the cake. And it’s icing that helps Ev’Yan bake more cake.
This post is part of my 100 Blog Posts in 100 Days series. View the rest here.
