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What I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Entrepreneur Journey

Alright, let’s just get real for a second. If you’re even kinda-sorta eyeing the “I’m going to start my own business” life, you need the real scoop, not that shiny nonsense you see on LinkedIn or some “hustle culture” TikTok. Trust me, my intro reel was all daydreams: sipping coffee at noon in my PJs, money rolling in while I type a couple emails. Guess what? That’s literally 3% of the story. The rest? Way messier, but way more important.

So here’s all the stuff I wish someone had just texted me straight-up before I dove headfirst into this rollercoaster:

1. Execution Eats Ideas For Breakfast
I spent like, months sketching perfect diagrams, mood boards, and—don’t judge—pacing around picturing my big “aha!” moment that would upend the world. Yeah… no. Reality check: the golden idea doesn’t matter if you never do anything with it. Literally no one cares what’s rattling around your head. Ship something, see if it sucks, tweak it, try again. Full stop. If you’re stuck tinkering with a “revolutionary” concept? Get over yourself and launch something half-baked. You’ll learn more in a week than reading business books for a year.

2. Honestly, Nobody Gives a Sh*t
Terrified of bombing? Stressed people will laugh if your launch tanks? Look, people are way too busy scrolling their own feeds to obsess over your one cringey post. Someone might notice, sure, but they’ll either forget in five minutes—or, low-key, they’ll wish they had your guts. So stop waiting for the “right” moment or some imaginary standing ovation. Put your stuff out there and keep showing up. That’s basically it.

3. Failure Is the Real MVP
Newsflash: I flopped so hard my inbox winced when I opened it. Zero sales. Embarrassing launches. Ghosted by “interested” customers. Wanted to crawl under my desk. But, the stuff I actually learned during those flops? Priceless. You can binge masterclasses till your eyes bleed—nothing beats just messing up and course-correcting. Failure’s just the universe giving you cheat codes. Use them.

4. Consistency > Motivation Every. Single. Time.
Sure, you’ll feel “on fire” some days. Most days? Nah. So forget waiting for motivation to show up and high-five you out of bed. What works miracles: boring, small daily actions. Post that awkward story. Send the email. DM a stranger. It’s not sexy, but holy crap, it works. Do this long enough and all those “little” wins start to stack up real fast.

5. Congrats, You’re Now...Everyone
CEO one minute, IT help desk the next, panicking over Canva templates the next. You’ll be the boss and also the janitor (literally and metaphorically). It’s exhausting but kind of satisfying? You’ll get scrappy, learn how things actually work, and later when you can finally pay someone to fix your broken website, you’ll actually understand what they’re talking about. Just remember—you can’t do everything forever. Outsource before your eyeballs revolt.

6. Money Actually Ain’t The Magic Answer
My big plan: hit $5K/month, be set for life, chill. Lol, nope. $5K became $10K, $10K became $20K. Still tired, still doubting, still feeling stuck sometimes. Money will not fix burnout, your existential dread, or a boring business model. Design your work around your life, not vice versa, or what’s even the point? Remember why you started, or it’ll all start to suck eventually.

7. Your Network Runs the Show
Used to hate networking. Felt fake as hell. Turns out, connecting (like, real connecting, not “let’s collab!” spam) is how you get referrals, actual advice, and a lifeline when you’re spiraling. Say hi to strangers online, join groups, help other creators out—suddenly, stuff starts happening for you. Don’t go it alone and end up talking to your dog about Q4 targets.

8. Without Marketing, You’re Invisible
Thought I could build something cool and people would just… find it. Spoiler: No one found it. Ever. You need to learn marketing like your business depends on it—because it does. Not sleazy, not scammy, just “here’s how I help.” Get obsessed with copywriting and audience psychology. Start your dang newsletter. Show up, even when it feels awkward. That’s how you actually make sales.

9. You’ll Outgrow Some Folks—And That’s Okay
Not everyone’ll get why you’re grinding, and some friends might kinda… fade away. Some will think you’re nuts, some’ll secretly root for you—or against you (yikes). It’s weird at first, but honestly, it’s all part of the deal. Just keep searching for your people. They’re out there.

So, yeah. If you’re waiting for someone to tell you it’s easy, or there’s a hack to skip the chaos—hate to break it to you, but nope. But if you stick with it? You change, in actually dope ways. Just promise me you’ll enjoy the ride a little. The mess is where the story’s at.
 
wish I knew how dangerous pride was, how much it would cost me and how many years it would take from me.

Pride is the sin of sins: intellectually it leads to Man’s arrogantly taking mere opinion for knowledge. - Bruce Silver

I was good a being persuasive and it cost a lot of time for not only me but my team. Pride also contributed to depression and moving slowly. When you’re at a startup you can recover from anything except a culture of going slow.

You should be excited to get up each morning and work with your team. Had I been less prideful and created a culture of running more tests and going fast, I would have also been able to remove the stress and depression that comes with tying your personality and self-worth to your company.

When you tie yourself to one idea and defend it, you commit yourself to its success. When you create a culture of testing and de-risking, you get to commit yourself to humility.
 
I agree that starting a business is much more work and less glamour than those highlight reels portray. I've been wasting time in my head rather than on the keyboard, chasing ideal ideas instead of just launching. In actuality, nobody is paying as much attention as I believe, so why the fear of failing? In my mind, mostly. Doing the little, unsightly things every day makes a big difference. Consistency always wins out over motivation. Indeed, balancing many responsibilities is difficult, but it's a necessary part of developing. This sloppy, erratic ride? I'm coming to appreciate it because it's where true growth occurs.
 
I know from experience that the glamorous stories you read online don't even begin to capture the realities of the startup grind. I discovered that ideas are never as good as execution by starting clumsy projects that taught me more than any book. Stop waiting for the right moment because no one is watching you and they are too busy living their own lives. Failing? It's your secret weapon, not just alright. Showing up every day is what makes a difference; consistency is more important than motivation. Yes, you will take on all responsibilities, but outsourcing is essential before burnout. Don't let money solve all your problems; instead, create a business that works for you. Marketing and networking are essential for survival; they are not optional. Growth thrives in chaos, so embrace it.
 

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