Few actually know the amount of hard work, sacrifices, the emotional and psychological turmoil an entrepreneur goes through building his business. As we were building ours over ten years ago, we went through an emotional roller coaster ride whilst trying to keep it together, our business and ourselves. Our business was the only reason for living, and nothing else really mattered. That all changed with the birth of our daughter, and that life changing event, forced us to rethink our priorities in life and what is it that we are willing to give up in order to achieve our dreams.
The stories that are slammed across magazines glorifying entrepreneurs are usually the stories about the infallible, invincible, multi-talented heroes. Idol worshiping entrepreneurs seem to be what business magazines have been propagating. Few actually know what happens behind the scenes, that their human frailty is a secret well kept by themselves and their closest confidants. Nobody sees the nervousness and jitters the entrepreneurs feel when they are about to launch a new start-up. Nobody can sense the panic they feel as their cash is about to run dry. Nobody knows the emotional conflict they battle as they sacrifice between the needs of their families, and the ambitions of their business. In order to be respected by the community and their followers alike, they hide behind words of bravado and an appearance of bravery.
Sadly, this is the culture that permeats in the start-up industry. Stories of depression, insecurity, and talking about fears openly, is fiercely shunned because being all human is wrong. Depression especially, is a taboo subject among entrepreneurs, going through it alone, if not exacerbates the downward spiral feelings even more, can be dangerous, like what happened to two very famous tech entrepreneurs, Jody Sherman and Aaron Shwartz, who commited suicide earlier last year where both suffered from depression.
Idol worshipping infallible heroes makes us feel so distant from them. That we limit our capabilities and hesitate to take that giant leap of even trying entrepreneurship. The fear of failure, the shame of being seen as weak and incompetent overwhelms us from even trying to venture entrepreneurship, a venture that challenges us to be quick and flexible, put us on our smarts, and can be the most rewarding and insightful experience we could ever go through even if it means that we might fail.
My experience in entrepreneurship and being married to one has made me brave the obstacles of life and take life by the horns. Braving the unknown seems scary but that’s where the excitement begins, the ability to shape our imagination and turn it into reality. Learning the ropes of business, whether it’s evaluating an idea, hiring talents, running the operations and balancing the cash ins and outs, enriches my knowledge and upgrades my skill. Little by little, of all the hats I wear in being in a small start-up makes me capable in accounting, sales, project management and even administration. The knowledge I gain in these areas are so valuable that I doubt that I will ever gain them if I work in a specialised and stable 9 to 5 job.
That’s what it is all about really, in the end, you must LOVE your job. The chances of success in entrepreneurship, that if you want the accolades of men, the piles of cash when you manage to sell your company or go for IPO, are so low, you’d be CRAZY to even want to go into entrepreneurship. The most appropriate question to ask yourself if you want to enter entrepreneurship is, “why am I doing this?” And I can tell you if you hunger the attention of being plastered in a glitzy business magazine, and go walking about with your arms huddling a beautiful model in expensive suits, driving a sports car that’s more expensive than a bungalow, you’ll lose your resilience when you face obstacles where why you would want to continue in entrepreneurship really matters.
That said, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t aim for the stars. You should, if that is what you want and you think you are capable of. But there is no harm in climbing to the top of a hill instead of the summit of Mount Everest. The most important thing that entrepreneurship should do to you is make you a better person, so there’s no harm in celebrating the small successes.
This year, I will be entering my mid-30’s, and that I learnt that life is full of surprises. Calamities can happen at a sudden, and fortunes can change overnight. With that knowledge, I have kept for a rainy day. But with the comfort that fortunes can change overnight, I don’t give up in chasing for my dreams and aim for the stars.
So, my fellow entrepreneurs and would-want-to be entrepreneurs, let the love for the job lead you the way, and when you have to jump through hurdles,believe in yourself and don’t break down, because no matter how slight the chance maybe, there is still a possibility that you would make it. And if you fail, that’s okay too.
merizablog 