I have been an entrepreneur for 25 years. I never planned for this to happen. I started by career at IBM and wanted to be CEO of that company. But, in 1988, the entrepreneur bug bit me and I would never be the same.
Here are 5 things that an entrepreneur will never tell you:
1. It is lonely at the top. Yes, it’s cliche but that is what it feels like when you always have to make the final decision and bear the ultimate responsibility.
2. They have doubt daily. For all the bravado, ego and beaming confidence, entrepreneurs daily have a crisis in confidence. They think – what if I am wrong?
3. They fear failure. As much as they say they value failure as a way to learn, they are scared when it happens and if they will ever recover. So many times, there is nothing for failure to teach us and it just stinks.
4. They are worried about going broke. They are constantly worried about the financial risk they are placing on their family and the money they have borrowed to make this venture happen. They fear being penniless.
5. Success can sometimes be a relief. Rather than celebrating success, they see it as temporary relief and are afraid to celebrate too hard (see #3).
I know this because I have experienced all of these many times. What about you?
