The Brutal Truth

What I am about to tell you is as unfair as it gets. The real entrepreneurial truth. You put in the money, strain your personal life (if you have one), deplete your finances (if you still have any), strain your relationships (if you have any), cry, drink, don’t sleep, don’t date and spend every waking moment on the business. Is anyone else willing to make the sacrifices you make every day? So if your company is struggling, or not progressing as quickly as you would like, whose fault is it? Yours. Yep, even when you work the hardest. You care the most. You put in the most hours. You are the most dedicated. You are the most passionate. It is your fault. No one said being an entrepreneur was fair.

Starting a business and the process of entrepreneurship can feel like driving in NYC without traffic lights, lane lines, speed limits and traffic signs with swerving taxi drivers, constant sirens of police and fire trucks, jaywalking pedestrians, skateboarders and bicyclists in one word – Chaos! Early stage companies need to accomplish a lot with limited resources, and this can lead to organizational chaos. This chaos is characterized by common problems:

  • Too much to do
  • Lack of financial resources
  • Lack of human resources
  • Lack of established priorities
  • Lack of clarity with internal and external constituents
  • Emotional and reactive decision-making
  • Frustration with existing resources
  • Reactive day-to-day management

“The pressure, emotion and intensity of being the entrepreneur is often accompanied by a lack of perspective, and a failure to apply to your own behavior a set of basic principles that will prevent a chaotic business environment.” 

It’s Natural to Blame Others

You probably believe the cause of this chaos is that your business is unique or faces a unique set of obstacles, you’re developing a new market, or you don’t have the resources to operate like a more established business. It is common for us entrepreneurs to blame the chaos on others, the lack of money, the lack of resources, the lack of a defined market, or one of the many other excuses for not fixing the chaos. When you believe passionately in your idea and chaos ensues, it’s easy to blame everyone and everything else. After all, you think you are doing the right thing. This may be ego, insecurity or over-confidence in your ability. The natural reaction is, “How dare you challenge me? Without me, this business would be nothing.” We all say, “It’s not me, it’s you.” We think:

  • Customers don’t understand.
  • Employees don’t work hard enough.
  • Employees aren’t talented enough.
  • Vendors don’t perform.
  • Advisors aren’t committed.
  • Investors haven’t seen something like this before.
  • Friends don’t care as much as we do.
  • Family can’t understand what it feels like to walk a mile in our shoes.

There may be some truth in each of these complaints, but what is important is why you are getting negative results in the first place.

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