Entrepreneurs are the new rock stars. The press loves to write about high-profile entrepreneurs and the latest acquisitions or IPOs. Unfortunately, $100 million IPOs, private jets, and celebrity parties are not the life of the typical entrepreneur. To the contrary, startups are boring. 98% of the work done in a startup is monotonous and painstaking.
Part of the reason for this misconception is that the ideation phase is the most exciting time of a startup’s life. When you’re first starting out, the sky is the limit. Reality doesn’t matter because you’re just dreaming. Do you have customers? Who knows, and who cares? “Don’t bother me with details.” It’s after the the initial ideation phase that startups get boring. This is when the struggle begins. This is when it gets hard, and the real entrepreneurs come out.
Startups aren’t all sunshine and rainbows, so don’t get fooled by the media. Reporters are great at selling fantasies, but real entrepreneurs don’t live in fantasyland. Be ready to do the grunge work before you turn your life upside down and try to become the next rock star entrepreneur.
