Dull thoughts in a sharp world.

2)  You’re going to run out of cash

That or you have an impossible exit because you took in too much.  And if you are not profitable yet and are not running out of cash, you are not pushing 110% just to survive.  You perform the best when you’re back is against the wall and I think this constant state of “surviving” one of the keys to success.

3)  You’ll get frustrated

Want and accept all challenges you face… and have lots of fun failing.  It’s actually quite comical to stop and say, “Holy shit that was stupid of me” or “A 13 year old boy from Vietnam could have design that better”.  Call it positive reinforcement of bad behavior in exchange for keeping your personal sanity.

4)  The emotional rollercoaster will beat you

Yes.  Think about how frustrated you get when your computer crashes.  Now replace the word “computer” with your life, lots of personal money, and years of work.  Stay incredibly focused on your vision and goals, but celebrate the small successes.

5)  You’ll get excited about something else

If you are an entrepreneur, you probably like solving inefficiencies.  Coming up with ideas to solve problems is fun… you have the limitless potential and the lack of constraints of your imagination.  Actually executing and putting in the sweat equity is not as exciting.  Worst of all, the scientologist is in the details.

6)  But it probably won’t be the competition

This is my favorite.  I hear this phrase at least once a week, “I have a great idea, but I do not want to tell anyone just yet.”  My friend Ryan Johnson (smart consultant at McKinsey) and I say if you cannot tell your idea to someone, then it’s a bad business idea.  If your only competitive advantage is the idea itself, then it is not defensible and probably not even feasible.  Tell as many smart people as possible and get their feedback.  Imitation is the highest form of flattery.

And yes, startups are hard, boring, include lots of data entry, hours of staring at a monitor, headaches, backaches, hair loss, and my personal favorite, the ultimate game killer.  But no matter how hard it may be, the joy of seeing your child grow up is like nothing in this world.