Starting a new company is exciting. Building a company is a thrill. Seeing your idea grow and take off is a gas. The reality, on the other hand, can be a bummer.
When you’re starting up a new venture, a founder must start with the premise that nothing will go exactly to plan. Projects will always cost twice as much and take twice as long as you think. There are so many more hurdles waiting for you than you anticipate and if you’re not willing to accept that reality, then go punch a time clock because you ain’t going to make it as an entrepreneur.
“He who has a why for life can bear almost any how.”
Frederick Nietzsche
Here is some stuff to take with you on the difficult journey:
- Why – Have a why. When the crap hits the fan, people who have a purpose bigger than they, more meaningful than getting rich and famous, tend to push through the bad times.
- Hope – People who survive difficult situations do so with a belief that they will prevail. People who fail, think there is no hope, give up, and meet their expectations of failure. Those who get through tough times do so with a belief that they will overcome.
- Patience – Know that it will get better. Don’t put a date on when. Be patient—one step at a time. If you say it will get better this quarter and it doesn’t, you’ll be disappointed. If you say it will improve in the future and you keep putting one foot in front of the other, it will. Measure progress and movement towards a goal.
