I knew it would be hard to get people to call me back; I knew the original idea would change; I knew I would have to scrap, claw, and hustle for every sale.

I never realized how hard it would be just to get out of bed in the morning.

I have been a full time entrepreneur, working on my startup Radici Travel for 39 days.  During that time most of my MBA friends have posted photos or updates detailing their European Adventures or the satisfaction of getting a fat paycheck after two lean years.  In contrast, I know that I have about 2 months of runway left before I need to shift a little more of my focus to Uber driving so I can continue to work day in and day out without pay.  I live in constant fear that the idea is not good enough, that my execution is all wrong, that I simply might not be cut out to build something from nothing.  The psychological roadblocks are the toughest to get through because there is no one to force me to get out of bed and get to work, no internet use policy to keep me off time suck websites, and no boss to get on me if I am not achieving goals.  Entrepreneurs tend to be optimistic by nature and we often hear the success stories with the obligatory “it’s lots of work…it’s really hard” caveats, but it all works out.  This can be both an inspiration or a dagger depending on where the mental compass is pointing that day. Continue reading “The Struggle: Why Ben Horowitz is better than an alarm clock” →