When I was in college, I looked up to entrepreneurs as if they were deities. Just ask my partner Sam Davidson, who came and spoke to my Junior-year Marketing Strategy class, back when I was nothing more than a wide-eyed-I-don’t-know-what-the-heck-I’m-going-to-do-with-my-life college kid. He walked in thinking he was going to chat about the ups and downs of running a business, and walked out with a new best friend (ehem, that would be me), who couldn’t wait to grab coffee and soak up any and all knowledge that he, the almighty entrepreneur was willing to share.
And now, here I am, very much in the position that I looked up to only a few years ago, running my own business. Now I’m the one sharing coffee with college kids who have their own world-conquering plans and want to know everything about what I do, how I’ve done it, and how they can learn from it.
I used to think that entrepreneurship was this unattainable status that only happened to people who got really lucky or had a lot of money to throw around. If you think back to when you were in school, you probably thought the same.
Little did I know, back then, that the beauty of entrepreneurship isn’t in the success, the accolades, the respect, the money, and no, not even the freedom. But that the beauty of entrepreneurship is in the ugly.
It’s in the hustle. It’s in the scrappy. It’s in the know-how. It’s in the resourcefulness. It’s getting things done when it seems impossible. It’s being broke. It’s overcoming adversity. It’s ignoring other people who tell you that you won’t. It’s ignoring yourself when you say “I can’t”
A recent Inc Magazine article had one of the most on-point definitions for “entrepreneurship” I’ve ever seen:
“Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled.”
It’s making things happen against all odds. It’s turning problems into solutions. It’s thinking strategically AND creatively. Above all. It’s possible. It is becoming more possible now than it’s ever been. To anyone out there wondering if starting a business is a viable option, let me go ahead and clear that up for you.
Yes. It is.
And no, it won’t be easy.
But, yes, it’s totally worth it.
The ability to do work you love? The convenience of working from wherever you want? The sky truly being the limit to your career? It’s not a pipe dream. Those aren’t false hopes. You’re not kidding yourself.
If you’re willing to hustle, all of it, every little bit, is within your grasp.
Stop thinking. You’ve already thought about things way too much.
Stop reading. You’ve already read too many posts like this, one’s that inspire you but have you saying, “Where do I begin”?
Stop wondering. The answer is yes.
Stop doubting. Start believing. And start doing.
Today is the new tomorrow.