The above is a sweet
dream of what is taught in business school or is a fairytale told by business
professionals who have never started a business from scratch. The reality is
you struggle to find capital and then once you have it you find out that it
wasn’t enough. The reality is that business school and work experience teach
people of the entrepreneur fairytale. If you haven’t actually started a
business on your own and by business I mean a corporation, not some mom and pop
shop. Here is a list of what real entrepreneurs will experience…
1. Hiding
from debt collectors.
2. Hiding
from lawyers delivering papers.
3. Going
to court for debt collection or business issues.
4. Going
for months and even years without a paycheck.
5. Having
to explain why the investors’ money is all gone.
6. Depression
as you realize there is no way out.
7. Stress
and anxiety from…
a. Daily
business
b. IRS
c. Employee
problems
d. Trying
to save your life savings
e. Having
no personal income
f. And
basically anything that can go wrong goes wrong
8. Begging
hundreds of people for money to start a business or to fund a dying business.
9. Firing
employees and dealing with employee issues.
10. Personal
relationships being destroyed
I have experienced all
the above and I am just a core employee of a start-up company. Having family
involved increases the stakes especially when it is a real business with a
group of investors. I have worked for over seven years and have had periods
where I had no income from a few months to two years and even picked up a
second job all while attending college. The family aspect makes relationships
tough as every day and every minute you are thinking or discussing the
business. All of that being said it has been the best experience I could have
ever had. I have professional experience far before most people my age, I have
learned tough life lessons, and I understand business from the ground up. I
have been paid next to nothing but I knew the risk when I started and if it
makes it I am sure management and the investors will help to reward the hard
work. Overall being an entrepreneur is far different from what is taught and
the risks are extremely high. A true entrepreneur has skills that can only be
learned and understood from the desperation of being an entrepreneur.
