It Starts Off Thrilling . . .

There are few things as alluring as starting a business - getting out on your own, being independant, doing something new, creating something cool.

Small business owners usually feed off of the energy of their small, new venture. It’s infectious, and new employees who come into the business pick up on the atmosphere and are almost as giddy as the owners.

Customers of the small business benefit from the energy, too. They get individual attention, high quality, and the status of using something new and outside the mainstream.

. . . But it Takes Work to Keep Going

There’s a reason that 4 out of 5 new businesses fail, just like so many relationships end: the romance is hard to keep alive. “Familiarity breeds contempt . . . ” as Mark Twain put it. We get tired of the hard parts. The work keeps piling up. Unforeseen challenges rear their ugly heads like your partner’s bad habits.

The good news is that it is possible. The people who make it, who survive and even start another small business, are called entrepreneurs. They’re the ones who are just crazy enough to stick it out until the business is no longer in jeopardy of turning into a “spring fling” or a “summer romance.” They somehow manage to keep the romance of owning their small business alive until it becomes something that can survive on its own.

Are You Crazy Enough?

So, are you crazy enough to be an entrepreneur? I know that I hope that I am. I’m very excited when I get to design a new web site or start a new business venture. DiamondLime is in those stages now, where I’m giddy to do new stuff and to work extra hard. The only way to know for sure if we’re crazy enough is to give it a go. So start something new. And stick to it until it is either dumb to stick around or dumb to leave!