Call it a sickness. Or a curse. An obsession. A passion. A blessing. A calling.
Those of us who are entrepreneurs understand why we'd rather work 60 hours a week for ourselves than 40 hours a week for a boss.
Only entrepreneurs "get" what it means to fail early, fail fast, and fail often... because it's not really failure. We just know that before you can fly, you'll crash a lot.
And that quest for success...for being independently wealthy...for making a difference is what drives us over and around the bumps and roadblocks along the way.
At ICON in Phoenix (previously know as InfusionCon) Cheryl and I were interviewed about why we do what we do...
I've been in business for myself my entire adult life and can't imagine punching a time clock and working for someone else.
And if you're reading this now, you have that same burning in your gut. The same fire that is stoked every time you close a tough deal. Every time you help another business turn a hefty profit when they use your product or service.
And when you hit a road block, you find a way around it, over it, or right damn through it...because quitting never entered your mind.
I had my first real taste of being my own boss when I earned my way through college by putting together a painting business. That feeling of pride that comes from a sense of independence was something I would never be willing to give up.
Cheryl grew up with a dad who was an entrepreneur and owned several businesses. Even after teaching high school English for 29 years and deciding to retire early to help me in our consulting business, her snap reaction when asked to turn over the files to courses she had painstakingly put together was...
"I created these myself, but I'd be willing to sell them to you." -- Probably not the kind of thing you say to a public school superintendent and live to teach another day.
The point is, we all have a story of what fueled the fire within us to start our own business.
We small businessmen and women are a rare breed.
So raise a glass -- or two -- to us all!
