Caring For Your Inner Underdog

Let’s face it: not every business owner is who people expect them to be. Every digital entrepreneur couldn’t possibly adhere to every, or even any, stereotype. The image of a clean-cut, twenty-something man with well-kept suits and a traditional office fits some of us. If you don’t adhere to this image, you might find yourself faced with roadblocks otherwise unforeseen. Financial barriers and societal discrimination become hindrances some peers might not endure. 

The truth is, being a business owner gets even more complex when you are also a woman, a person of color, disabled, an immigrant, LGBTQ2S+, chronically ill, low-income, or any combination of these factors. The resources and support that exist for others might not exist for you. The tools and keys for lasting success might hide behind more walls for you than others. Watching someone succeed with half the work you need to do the same gets demoralizing.

Some bells might be ringing for you if you are part of a marginalized group.  

We get it. We’ve been there, too. 

Our co-founder Tenaya put Glass Cactus Marketing together when everything else was in pieces. Faced with a complex medical diagnosis and a fresh slate, she chose to create a community-based web development agency amid her own adversity. 

I won't tell you a rose-colored, fluffy version of the story. I won't tell you everything went perfectly, without issue, because Tenaya chose to do the hard thing. As much as we love for the universe to instantly reward hard work, the reality is often more hard-fought and long-travelled. 

GCM came together because Tenaya chose to root for her inner underdog. She had to make the choice, and keep making the choice, to endure hardship, doubt, and setbacks, and to persevere, regardless. Like a cactus adapting to the desert sun, Tenaya and Glass Cactus Marketing flourish and bloom because of the heat, not in spite of it.

A quotation – spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt – comes to mind: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” Other iterations of this quotation float around, but the message remains the same. When afraid, the choice to act is what constitutes bravery. 

Bravery comes at a price, though, and without the proper strategies, tools, and support, you and your digital peers can burn out. You are at your least effective and engaged when past your proverbial limit. So, now we have a problem: how do we endure external hardship without losing our momentum? 

How to combat burnout when the world’s against you:

1. Identify external bias within internal criticism: We don’t live in a vacuum. We are influenced by millions of nuances throughout our lives: where we grew up, our family, the race or ability we were born with, our generational wealth, the school we attended, and so on. Much of the cyclical, self-deprecating thoughts that torment people day-to-day are born from external prejudices they’ve internalized. Rather than speaking to oneself like a bully, talk to yourself like someone caring for their younger sibling. If your life has seen prejudice like racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, classism, or transphobia, take time to examine how these lived experiences have shaped your perceived reality. Do you speak poorly to yourself after making a mistake because you’re incapable or because you were socialized to do so? 
2. Create intentional community safety nets: In Las Vegas, we see plenty of pack animals – groups that depend on one another to eat, hunt, sleep, and survive. Without the reliability of their community, animals like coyotes and jackrabbits struggle alone. Like pack animals, human beings are profoundly social creatures. The concept of social media speaks to our need to stay connected and involved with our loved ones. Before burnout strikes, have earnest conversations with family, friends, and coworkers about your capacity, how you might need support, and what you would need during challenging times; they could take this time to tell you the same. By creating these plans before the storm instead of in the midst of one, you can find stability in knowing a plan is in place for the worst-case scenario. 
3. Ask for help: If we don’t tell our community when we are struggling, we deprive them of the opportunity to link hands and lift us. Those who care about us want to keep our heads above water, as you would do for them. Suffering in silence benefits no one. Share with yourself, your partner, family, friends, therapist, and anyone else you might need to lean on. 
4. Pursue education in all forms: While we have access to a free and (semi-)limitless worldwide web, use it. Never before have we been gifted with so much knowledge, in such high-def, with international implications. While we sit in the valley between hills, so to speak, we should use our precious resources to learn about ourselves, each other, history, and the future. Supplement your time to pursue knowledge in fields you care about. Learn so that every choice you make, digital business or otherwise, is made with more and more clarity. 
5. Take pride in yourself: To cite an old cliché, “You have survived 100% of your hard days.” We at Glass Cactus Marketing would like to take it further and say, “You have survived, blossomed, and endured 100% of every single day you’ve ever lived.” You are a fighter. You are someone who has seen hardship and come out on the other side. You have created things never created before. You have been the friend someone desperately needed. You have been the coworker someone remembers fondly. By surviving every day and making choices to flourish in the future, you are defying all the odds. For that, you should be proud of yourself. We know we’re proud of you. 

We can ease some of the burden if you are a digital business or website owner and burnt out. We have a team of experts at Glass Cactus Marketing who can supercharge your brand and take on tedious tasks – like Search Engine Optimization or web analytics. We are a group that cherishes community growth and harmony.

Turning Survival into Strategy: Building for the Long Haul

Burnout, discrimination, and doubt are real — but so is your resilience. Still, no one should have to push through alone or without structure. That’s why Glass Cactus Marketing is committed to helping business owners build frameworks that protect both their momentum and their mental health.

Here’s how we help digital entrepreneurs go from barely managing to meaningfully thriving:

• Clarity-first branding: When your message is clear and aligned with your values, it becomes easier to connect with the right audience — one that supports, uplifts, and believes in what you stand for.
• Automated systems that ease your load: From lead collection to email flows and analytics dashboards, we create smart, streamlined systems that reduce the need for constant manual labor.
• Inclusive marketing strategy: Your story matters. Your identity is your strength. We help you build authentic narratives that resonate deeply — not just with algorithms, but with people.
• Ongoing support that grows with you: We’re not just a service provider. We’re your partner in growth, ready to adapt with your journey and help carry the weight when it gets heavy.

You Deserve to Rest and Rise

Too many entrepreneurs from marginalized backgrounds are told they need to “grind harder” or “prove themselves.” We reject that. You deserve tools, time, and systems that let you rest, recharge, and rise on your own terms.

At Glass Cactus Marketing, we build with heart — and we build for people like you.

Final Thought: Resilience Is a Resource

In the poem “The Brown Menace: Poem to the Survival of Roaches,” feminist and activist Audre Lorde speaks to the burden of and contradictions within societal prejudices – specifically with anti-Black racism. As a final thought, I’ll leave you with portions of the closing stanza. ^(Source)

Call me / your own determination / in the most detestable shape / you can become / friend of / your image / within me / I am you … you learn to honor me / by / imitation / as I alter— / through your greedy preoccupations / through your kitchen wars / and / your poisonous refusal— / to survive.

To survive.

Survive.