Letting Go to Move Forward: Lessons for Entrepreneurs Amid Personal Challenges

Climbing challenges both the body and the mind, and it has long been my passion. But on 11 July, I slipped on a patch of mud walking back to the car after finishing a great ascent. It was a silly fall, but the sound I heard when I stumbled was unmistakable: snap! I broke my left fibula. A week later, I underwent surgery in Guatemala to have a plate and seven screws inserted to stabilize the bone.

With that behind me, I thought I would have a speedy recovery. Instead, it set me on a different journey — one that, like climbing, has tested not just my body, but also mindset.

By late August, I noticed some worrying symptoms around the incision. Within days, doctors confirmed I had a bone infection, which jolted me into action. My brother, who lives in Naples, Florida, connected me with a specialist, and I flew north for emergency surgery in early September. They removed the hardware, cleansed the infection, and a PICC line now delivers daily antibiotics to keep it at bay as I rest and recover.

Finding Contentment Amid Crisis

- Avoid ruminating on the past; accept and let go. 
- Lean on your community.
- Embrace gratitude amid new circumstances and opportunities.

 

I should be frustrated. I only recently started my term as EO Global Board Chair, and I want badly to join and help serve my fellow EO members. Yet here I am recovering in my brother’s guest room in Florida instead of back home in Guatemala leading from my office or traveling the world with my EO peers.

And still, I am at peace.

That peace comes from lessons I have absorbed over years as an entrepreneur and EO member, and from the stoic philosophy that I have leaned on to guide me through difficult times.

 
Views from Quini's fateful climb. 

The Power of Letting Go

In moments like these, it is easy to complain, to curse bad luck, and to focus on what has been lost. But as Marcus Aurelius reminds us: Do not catch yourself complaining, not even to yourself. I have caught myself doing just that a few times during this ordeal, but I try to stop quickly. Complaints add friction and they drain the energy I need to heal.

"Do not be afraid to let go when life tells you to. Sometimes, not giving 100 percent is exactly what is required."

- Joaquin "Quini" Cordero
(EO Guatemala)

Instead, I have leaned into letting go. I cannot unbreak that bone. I cannot undo the infection. But I can control how I respond. That means accepting rest as my work, and healing as my purpose. Each morning, I remind myself: Today, I am alive to heal. That shift in perspective has changed everything.

Entrepreneurs, by nature, struggle with this. We are wired to give 100 percent every day, but life sometimes demands that we slow down. And when it does, we must learn to listen.

If this had happened earlier in my entrepreneurial journey, I would have been consumed with anxiety about my business. Would Lumen, my advertising agency, keep running without me? Would clients lose confidence? Would my team stall without my input?

But EO prepared me for this moment. Early in my EO journey, I learned the importance of stepping back from operations and focusing on vision. Programs like the Entrepreneurial Masters Program and the Global Leadership Academy taught me how to let go and trust others.

For years now, I have operated that way — checking in through weekly leadership meetings, monitoring numbers, addressing bottlenecks, but not micromanaging. That discipline is paying off. Even while I recover and am away from the business, Lumen is thriving. We are on pace to exceed our revenue goals by 20 percent this year because we have built efficient systems and empowered other leaders.

To my fellow entrepreneurs, I cannot emphasize this enough: Build your business so it does not collapse if you step away. Whether it is an illness, an accident, or simply an opportunity to take time off, you will treasure that freedom one day.

Finding Strength in Community

For me, this experience has also reemphasized the power of community. When I could not attend our recent Global Board meeting in Tanzania, my colleagues went out of their way to include me. I dialed in from Florida as I recovered — at 2:00am my time — and stayed engaged until noon each day. It was not easy, but it was worth it. They even sent me a photo of an empty chair at the meeting with a note: We have your back.

Those gestures matter. They reminded me that, in EO, no entrepreneur walks alone. As I have recovered in recent weeks, I have been flooded with messages and videos — even cookies from fellow EOers. My Forum checks in daily. Peers across 220 chapters have reached out. It is humbling.

Years ago, I gave my fellow EO Global Board directors pillows decorated with Guatemala’s traditional “worry dolls,” which are meant to absorb your worries and fears. The idea was that, in EO, we carry each other’s burdens. Today, I am the one being carried, which makes me more grateful than ever to be a member of this community and to keep serving it.

EO's Global Board held a symbolic chair open for Quini 
when he could not attend their recent meeting. 

Gratitude is a Gift

Healing in Naples has also given me time with family I might never have had otherwise. I have shared meals with my brother’s family, fascinating talks with his mother-in-law, and quality time with my niece and nephew. My daughter flew in to spend a few days with me. None of this was planned, yet all of it has been a blessing.

I have come to see this period not as an interruption but as a reminder: Life is fragile. We are not always in control, but when we let go, we often discover gifts we would have missed amid our daily ambitions.

This ordeal has tested me. It has reminded me that leadership is not about doing everything myself. It is about trusting others, accepting help, and focusing on what matters most in life.

For my fellow entrepreneurs, I offer this: Do not wait for an accident or illness to learn these lessons. Build your business so it can run without you. Lean on your community, whether it is in EO or another circle of peers. Do not be afraid to let go when life tells you to. Sometimes, not giving 100 percent is exactly what is required.

Right now, my job is to heal. And, today, that is more than enough.

Joaquin “Quini” Cordero (EO Guatemala) is EO Global Board Chair and founder and president of Lumen, an advertising agency.