Being an entrepreneur is one of the most rewarding and challenging things you may ever embrace.

The entrepreneurial rollercoaster gives highs and lows almost daily if not hourly! But there’s a good reason for that. During this journey, entrepreneurs are under the influence of what we call the 4 Ps – Passion, Pressure, Pleasure and Pain:

  • Passion: Our obsessive belief and commitment for our vision makes us plow ahead in the face of obstacles, but also makes us ignore things we see along the way. Entrepreneurs say, “I know nine out of ten restaurants fail, but no one can cook like me.”
  • Pressure: The enormous burden of responsibility, and the daily stress of a new business makes us overreact, make hasty decisions, and have a hard time seeing past the next thirty minutes. We quit our day job, max out our credit cards and ask family, friends and employees to rely on us for their success. That’s pressure.

“We WILL get through this together.” 

  • Pleasure: The energizing feeling of seeing a vision come to life, and of satisfaction, accomplishment, and achievement, empowers us but it also makes us fail to address problems staring us in the face. I think I remember my first customer more than I do my first kiss. Many things along the journey – first customer, closing an investment, hiring a great employee – all feel like first kisses.
  • Pain: The angst over disappointments, frustrations, and mistakes makes us doubt ourselves and feel it is just too hard when we face constant setbacks or are picking ourselves off the ground every day. The first time an investor told us that she didn’t like our business model, it felt like she was calling our baby ugly.

The struggle of being the entrepreneur that we all face causes us to become “under the influence” of these Four P’s. As a result, we develop perspectives that stifle the advancement of our business. While it is natural to develop these perspectives, they blind us, obscure solutions and undermine our success.

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