One thing I try to express on here, probably quite poorly, is the mental state needed to be an entrepreneur. It is easy to type out what that means. Probably because it is different for everyone.
In the talks I have done I have tried to explain that if safety and security are high on your list of needs in life then punching a time-clock is probably the better choice for you.
The reason this is on my mind right now is that my latest venture is heading into areas I am unfamiliar with. While I am very familiar with many aspects of it, creation, marketing, sales, execution, being able to pivot ideas, and what not I am also VERY unfamiliar with certain aspects.
Because of the nature of the business I could try to Boot-Strap it (Boot Strapping is paying for it all yourself and doing most everything yourself until it generates enough income to bring on others and expand that way) BUT, if I do that I am looking at much slower growth and the real possibility of just plain running out of money before I can get the business going well enough to support itself. So here I am searching for “angel” investment to get us rolling fast so that I can then get Venture Capital investment. This means talking to a lot of people. A LOT of people. Telling them what we have and being rejected again and again. I do not care what any person tells you, no one likes rejection. Its how you handle it that really matters. I tend to get angry. I get angry because I must not have done a good job explaining or selling whatever it was that I was pitching. I get angry with myself.
Now anyone that knows me knows full well that anger is a motivating emotion for me in so many aspects of my life. Almost every business I have started was started out of anger or frustration. I try to be a better husband and father because it makes me angry when I see people ignoring their spouse or children. I try to be honest with people, even to the point of being a jerk, because I want honesty in return. I despise small talk and “yes people”.
That all said I will most likely be traveling and meeting with people who will not see the vision I have and it will frustrate me and probably anger me. That is not as appealing as it may sound. I hate…….HATE being away from my family. They are easily the most important thing in my life and when I am not by them I get mopey.
So while I am entering something amazing and exciting in the world of business I am also aware of the path ahead of me. It’s going to have plenty of down days.
So I guess what I am saying through all of this is that if you want to be a true entrepreneur you have to be able to think long term. You have to know that there will be short term pain in order to achieve long term bliss.
Or I could just be whiney because it is cold outside