Everyone says, "starting a business is hard." And that's true.
But no one really says why it's so hard.
But I've done hard things..
When I first told people I was quitting my job to start a business, most of my friends and family warned me about how difficult it would be. I nodded my head and said, "I know."
But in the back of my mind, I was thinking, "Plenty of things I've done were hard."
Studying engineering was hard.
Training for a marathon was hard.
Working as a product manager was hard.
I honestly wasn't that worried. But turns out, starting a business is a different kind of hard.
What makes business hard
Most things in life are "hard" but have a very clear path on how to do it. And it's really a matter of following that path. The path shows progress - sure there are setbacks, but you can see you're getting somewhere. You run further, you get to the next grade, you get a raise, etc.
In business... the progress is less clear.
You make more revenue but... you're not making more profit.
You have one month of success but... you can't repeat it.
10 customers reach out of the blue and the next month nothing.
You're trying a bunch of things and you honestly don't know if it's working or not.
Am I the only one struggling?
Then you go on Twitter and read success stories of someone who launched a business in 1 month and is making $100k. You click on their bio and see a course on how to do it. Maybe that's the answer?
(Spoiler: It's probably not.)
Business is hard because there is no structure. No "race day" to see if you've completed the task or graduation to get a diploma. It's doing things day by day and waiting (sometimes months) to find out if it's working.
And that's really hard.
Things that make business easier
Look, starting a business is hard. Really hard. But there are ways to make it a bit easier on yourself:
- Find mentors: People have done this before. Find them. They don't know all the answers, but they can point you in the right direction.
- Zoom out: You're likely getting better, even if it doesn't feel like it day-to-day. Compare your current business to where you were last year.
- Trust the process: Don't get hung up on "being successful". Just do what you can and keep showing up.
- Take a breath: It's a multi-year marathon. (Seriously, take a breath. Right now.)
- Do what you can: At the end of the day, do what you think will help grow your business. The market will be the judge if it was the right step.
The bottom line
Starting a business is hard. Really hard. But here's the thing: the rewards seem worth it.
And to be honest, every other hard thing I did felt impossible... until it wasn't.
So keep pushing, keep learning, and remember - you're not alone in finding this tough. But you've got this. One day at a time.