The Entrepreneurship Iceberg - What No One Tells You About Starting Your Own Business

When someone writes articles about starting and starting a business, they usually only talk about the nice part.

It's like when someone talks to you about their marriage.

They only talk about the satisfaction of being successful, and financial and creative freedom. Of course, all this is real and it's valid to speak only about that since you want others to be encouraged to do it themselves.

However, I think it's important to talk about the not-so-pretty things. Since a startup is something very demanding and not everything is rosy in the garden, especially at the beginning.

Maybe that's why so many people believe that starting a business is about opening a website and answering a few emails a day. There is a lot of work behind the scenes that no one ever sees and success is only the tip of the iceberg.

There is a lot of questioning at the beginning

Many believe that starting a project is having a good idea and making it come true. They think that the first sketch becomes the final result.

It's not like this.

Netflix wasn't founded as a streaming content company. At first, it was a website where you rented DVD's that came by mail.

When you start your own business, there are many doubts and questions that you constantly ask yourself. You doubt yourself, your ability to achieve things, if it will work, if you have the right strategy, or simply if your product is good.

Along the way, you change your plan, your approach, and what starts out as a service can become an app.

There's a lot of fresh starts, ideas that don't work, and evolution in the process.

You invest much more than money

To make money you must spend money.

You will also have to spend time and effort. In fact, it is what you will spend the most during your first months.

You'll most likely have a regular job while starting your own business. So your free time becomes your entrepreneurship time.

Self-made entrepreneurs talk about all the work they went through, but not about unattended birthday parties and lost friends. It's a harsh truth, but unless you have many privileges, your personal life will be greatly affected by your business.

However, it is still an investment. It is a sacrifice that you make today to see the results in the future.

Results come first, profits much later

People will only notice how much work you've done when they see your results. Many ignore that behind a visible success, there are months or years of subsequent work.

And I'm not talking about a fully grown and developed company, I'm talking about the very first fruits of work. So you have to wait a long time of constant work before you start to have recognition and visibility.

After all this, you will start to see profits. Yes, much later.

Don't expect to see a return on your investment in the first month of your business. For that reason, many startups perish prematurely. It's a long endurance race, not the 100-meter dash.

With this, I don't want anyone to be discouraged from starting their own project, quite the opposite.

I think that creating false hope and portraying an unrealistic image of entrepreneurship is a problem and does not help anyone.

If you are thinking of starting your own business, keep in mind that it is a rewarding process, but it is also challenging. Do not expect each day to be easier than the last or immediate results. With discipline and consistency, you will create something that will make you proud.

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