i havent written a blog in a few days, so i figured id write about something thats been on my mind alot. a year and a half ago i  started my own business. i was tired of working for the people who employed me at the time and needed out. so i worked hard for 2 years straight, saved the money i needed to go into business myself and left.

during the time i was saving i read alot of books on business and set about to write a business plan for myself. those 2 years saving were all about planning and dreaming. i was going to do this better than anyone had. my thoughts and ideas were going to revolutionize the business. i was going to become well off in a short amount of time. i thought my financial goals and expectations were reasonable, i had the knowledge and experience to get going, and i had the financial backing to ensure success.

i found an office space, set up accounts, picked carpet color, picked desks, and bought top of the line computers and security systems. i was carefree and ready to take on the world. i even bought a pool table for the back room of my office. the first day i was open i was ready to go. i had already conducted mass interviews and hit the ground running with an employee base of 15 people.

thats when it hit me. the amount of responsibility i had set myself up for was really overwhelming. the worry and drama would follw me home and i wouldnt be able to sleep. i was literall working 18 to 20 hour days 7 days a week. but soon i managed to get more organized and began to get everything under control. then with this years recession ( its not technically a recession since business hasnt been in decline for 2 quarters) things got even more difficult.

business was still profitable, but not nearly what it was last year. i began to find that the only way to stay afloat was to cut advertising costs, energy bills, and limit employee hours. the stress had become unbelievable and sometimes i considered closing the doors for good. my wife was the only thing that kept me going because she wouldnt let me give up.

i missed the days when i was only responsible for paying my own bills and not responsible for the households of 15 other people. i now understand why so few people are in business for themselves. its hard work, sometimes impossible work. and the only way to come out on top is to be smart enough to be ahead of the curve and dumb enough to not give up no matter what. i think it will be worth it in the end though. maybe someday ill even look back on all this and laugh.

i didnt grow up with anything and so now my main motivation is my family. the fierce need to provide for them what i never had. maybe one day my daughter will take over and live a good life never having to know how much i sacrificed in my life to get her there. noone ever believed i could do it. that was another great motivator for me. i ahte being told i cant do something. my family and friends thought id never be anything more than a thug like my father. im proud to be proving them wrong.

if theres any  advice i can give to anyone its this. dont buy into societys bullshit. success isnt for those who go to college and get degrees and are smarter than everyone else. success is for those that, despite the odds, refuse to give up and will push themselves to their absolute limitations to get what they want