The Countless Times I Considered Giving Up On My Venture

I’ve considered giving up on my venture more times than I care to admit.

Each time I hit rock bottom, I would stare at this photo here.

This photo helped me stand back up, time and again.

It was Thursday, September 25, 2014.

My last day in my last corporate job.

I despise everything about this photo:

• The job I was doing.
• The clothes I was wearing.
• The cubicle I was sitting in.
• The project I was hired to work on.
• That goddamn clock, crawling at a snail’s pace.

Yet, there’s one thing in that photo that I absolutely love:

The smile on my face, knowing that I’m about to break free.

I jumped into the unknown. I had:

• No plan.
• No team.
• No product.
• No company.
• And no clue how to build any of those things.

But I was dead set on this:

I was never going back to that cubicle, or any cubicle, ever again.

What followed were the toughest years of my life.

That naive, smiling guy in the photo had no idea about the grueling, lonely road of entrepreneurship that lay ahead.

Yet, what carried me through was clinging to the feeling behind that smile.

It turns out, success in business isn't about:

• Having the greatest idea.
• Building the best product.
• Shipping the most features.

Nor about:

• Raising the biggest funding.
• Having the best pedigree.
• Being first to market.

It’s about endurance.

Staying in the game long enough to get lucky.

If you're, struggling, feeling isolated, or on the verge of giving up.

Remember, you're not alone.

Go back to that initial spark.

Find your version of that life-saving smile.

And hold onto that image.

Trust me, there is a light waiting at the end of this tunnel.

Just stay persistent, resilient, and patient. Your stroke of luck is on its way.

And if you need someone to talk to, I’m here to listen. Please reach out.

Many have lent me their ears on my journey, and I'm here to return the favor.