People think business is about being cool.
There are many things you cannot prepare yourself for when starting out.
The odds are already against you, and there are many findings along the way you don’t learn in school.
Keep in mind I have not ‘made it’. I’m also not an expert.
Here’s the uncool honesty:
You lose sleep
You wonder if you will be able to pay the bills
You will question if you made the right choices
Your timeframes are missed. By years
You will be lonely
You become good at being your own biggest supporter
You realise others are waiting for you to fail
You get some runs on the board, and people pop up
You will step in shit on every path
The segments of business you don't hear about in the first decade include:
You start your business, and everyone is happy for you
You get some runs on the board; people think you’re self-centered and bragging
You go through a tough period; people close to you talk and wait for failure
You don’t fail and remember you’re still on your own
You do well, and people pop up again
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely, lonely place.
You have gone ‘all in’, taken risks that probably won’t pay off, and at that point in time you are losing.
When you get through failures, your plan starts to pay off.
At this point attitudes towards you shift.
For anyone who is going through this, don’t take it personally.
When people derive satisfaction from the failures of others, it has little to do with you.
Sadly, people close to you are looking and waiting for faults.
Not because you stepped out of your comfort zone.
It’s because you stepped out of their comfort zone.
What’s challenging and confronting for me is witnessing shifting attitudes towards my family too.
Recently, I witnessed first-hand my wife challenge perspectives and express herself, to be told directly she has changed. And, not for the better.
Simply because she can articulate herself well and challenge previous ways of thinking.
She has changed; for the better.
This is not just change. It’s growth.
We learnt quickly perceived change doesn’t always meet the expectation of others.
So…The harder it is, good. This is where you grow the most.
The lonelier it is, good. This means your priorities are in order.
Remember why you are doing this and focus on decade objectives, not quick wins.
Whatever you amount to in the end doesn’t matter.
It’s what you learn and become in the process.
It will be worth it. Regardless of the result.
There are many good things that come from the journey which far outweigh the challenges.
I hope everyone finds what their own success is.
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