Holoom

There is no glamour in being an entrepreneur, at least not in the early stages of your career.

After that, and if you are lucky and talented and determined and corageous and strong-willed enough to succeed, then its success that makes you glamorous, not the fact that you are an entrepreneur.

A month or so ago, the doctor told me I might require knee surgery due to some self inflicted injury while moving the furniture from our first office to our beautiful new one. As it turned out, I did not require surgery but the message was clear: Starting your own company hurts to the bone. Literally.

So why is the word entrepreneurship often associated to glamour?

Because of the fantasy of no bosses, no time restrictions, no nothing: False. You have now more bosses than you ever had. Investors, creditors, employees, partners, clients; all demand a commitment harder that just saying “yes sir!” to someone that gives you an order.

Because there’s no picture of those who do not make it. You know the stories of the Twitters, Zyngas and Dell’s of the world, never the stories of the guy that finishes from second to last and the financial and emotional pains they endure.

Because of douche bags who brain wash you. People that teach (teach! mind you) about being a successful entrepreneur and have no real accolades. It reminds me of the “How to get rich” seminars in Las Vegas taught by people who are not rich (WTF?). You also have the insecure moron that leans against a wall and tells girls “You know babe… I’m an entrepreneur” as if the term held some cache of its own.

Here’s a reality check for you, in order to counter-brain-wash you:

1 You will perform mundane, often boring, sometimes degrading tasks.

2 You will perform said tasks on a minute basis, all day, every day.

3 You will estrange people you love: friends, family, significant others. Even your mascot will give you attitude.

4 GOTO 1

You won’t be a rock star. But you will definitely rock and roll.

Shuje

PS: In my next post I will blow your minds to pieces using nothing but words and a pistol.