I love the commercials today that feature America’s great corporate leaders. Expect some lame “rags to riches” story about drinking excessive amounts of coffee while clamoring for a small business loan. Then you’ll hear some phones ringing in the background combined with other forms of traditional office noise. Voila! Now they’re millionaires and they owe it all to American Express for giving them a break.

Give me a break! The sad fact is, most of us have no idea what the startup environment is like. Once again, I’m new to all of this and shouldn’t be mistook for a veteran. However, I do value my opinion very highly and if you’re reading this then chances are you do too. Most people will look onto your wishful endeavors and see them just as that: wishful. I figure one of the unique things about our dreams is that they’re so abstract that only ourselves (and choice others) really understand their significance. I’m not talking about dreams in our sleep rather our dreams of success. As clear as it may seem to you and your business partners, don’t expect everyone else to see it that way.

Understand that starting your own business goes against the grain of the American working class. Sure, we all want to be our own boss, set our own hours, take vacations whenever we want, and still get paid. The latter is the toughest part; seldom can we have the best of all worlds. Because of this, the majority of society punches a clock. In turn, the majority of society thinks you should do this too.

Being mentally prepared for situations such as this is paramount in achieving success. Consider yourself a scenario machine that constantly runs plays through your head, each yielding different results. The more data you can crunch, the bigger your database gets. You’ll need to consult this database when the unforeseen problems occur.

Don’t be caught slipping!

-Jay S.