I spend half my life in the media world, as Brand Manager for AfroTech and hosting Black Tech Green Money. I’m constantly surrounded by founders who are successful by pretty much all measures.
From the outside, it looks like everything works for them… like its all champagne and liquidity events. But when the mics are off, it’s stress. It’s fear. It’s hard work.
And honestly, this realization was reassuring. Because then I fly home to Toledo, put my aWLCo hat on, and walk into the construction site for Commons Pizza, or I look at the early indicators for DayCSuite to figure out how we get users in the earliest stages, and I feel that same stress.
For a long time, I thought if I was stressed out, I was doing something wrong. I thought the people I interviewed on the podcast had some secret code that made business easier for them. They don’t. The code is simply that they refuse to quit.
Whether you’re running a unicorn in Miami or a Member’s Club in the Midwest (like I am with TolHouse), the job is the same. Wake up everyday, get punched in the mouth by problems, and solve them.
If you’re in the trenches today like I am, struggling to get that beta launch out, or trying to get a city permit approved, don’t let Instagram fool you. You aren’t failing. You’re just in the part that makes most people quit.