“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily?” (Psalms 13:1-2 NKJV)
Being a startup is frustrating. Better yet, it sucks!
It sucks because you have big dreams but those dreams don’t line up with reality…yet. It goes much slower than it should.
In my life you can add to the mix a wife and son, financial pressures, and a daily reminder of these concerns…you can see my need for urgency:
- I want the great things I see now!
- I want success now!
- I want this blog to take off now!
- I want my speaking career to take off now!
- I want it all now!
- I want what I believe to be reality now!
And yes even though failure is an entrepreneur’s best friend and some of the best in world were failures…it bites!
Also keep in mind: a startup is more than just a person with a business. A startup can be:
- An author wanting to change the world
- A speaker wanting to make a difference
- A musician working to be famous
- An artist striving to be known
- A leader wanting to take an organization from good to great
- An athlete yearning for greatness
- Or a college dropout wanting to become a business mogul
Or…it can even be…a future king.
The Startup King
Like King David.
One of the greatest kings of the Bible and Israel was a nobody when he started out. While his brothers were groomed for prominence he was pushed to the side. For example when the prophet Samuel came to anoint Israel’s next king he was sent to the house of Jesse’s (David’s father). Samuel told Jesse to call ALL his sons, but Jesse only called seven leaving out David.
He thought, “It won’t be him anyway.”
When Samuel asked Jesse if he had anymore sons listen to Jesse’s response:
“Well, yes, there’s the runt. But he’s out tending the sheep.” (1 Samuel 16:11 MSG)
Not very popular at home.
And even when Samuel anointed him to be the next king at age 17, he didn’t take the throne of Judah until 30 and didn’t take the throne of Israel until 37.
Did you get that math? 20 years before he saw his dream become a reality!
And many times during that time:
- He was depressed
- He was lonely
- He was on the run
- He didn’t have any money
- He had enemies
- And he was frustrated
And though there are many suggestions I could give…there’s only one real answer: don’t give up.
Jesus said,
“Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7 NLT)
In other words, “What you want won’t happen overnight…but keep at it!”
Do you have any “frustrating” startup stories?
Images by Relevant Magazine and i5Prof
This post was written by...
Michael – who has written 77 posts on The Simple Strategies for Startups Blog.
Michael is the an author, blogger, and speaker, Why not give me a shout on Google
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Michael,
I think the hard part is continuing when others close to you undermine your best efforts.
Sometimes you have to close your ears and eyes are drive forward… and hope it pays off.
but the upside for me is that the 'journey is the reward'.
Ivan
That's a great way to look at it Ivan. But to be honest, some day I want to just get to the destination already! Somedays I get tired of the roadbumps and obstacles and all that stuff. I just want it to be over. I just want what I see to be real already.
I guess I gotta take your approach and enjoy the journey:)
I'm going to have to agree with Jay on this one Mike.
Fair enough Pam,
I thank you for your honesty as well
Mike,
When I started my first company it seemed like everyday was torture. i wasn't making many sales, not many leads, and it looked hopeless. So I KNOW what its like to be frustrated. Even though others may not see this as a concrete post…it was very helpful to me. And I never saw David as a startup before….good spin!
Thanks you Pam for being so transparent!
That really encouraged me! What was your first business?
Well I do appreciate your honesty Jay. I will try to have something more meaty for you in the week.
I actually did want this to be more of a feel good post, because I KNOW how frustrating it can be being a startup.
Mike, this really hit home. I often look at what others are doing in terms of web traffic (or video views) and think, “how come I can’t get that many people watching my stuff?” But, your post reminded me that I can’t go where those other people are going and they can’t go where God is taking me! Thanks for the reminder man.
It seems like we're in the same boat; being God-led doesn't always mean immediate success. Or so I've learned.
But as like we keep going along…we'll get there
Amen to that, bro. God has big plans for you man. Stay on track, on purpose, and on fire for Him!
You know it!
David is a great example that leaders can follow during the start up stage of anything. Great post, I really enjoyed reading it. The people that don't give up are more likely of succeeding and doing great things.
Some times we need meat and others times we need milk. A little bit of both in a blog is good. I really liked how honest you where Jay.
Absolutely!
I can't wait to watch you share that with your thousands of audience members… Mr. Leadership!
Love it. As much as we need to be self reinforcers of this kind of thinking, I rely heavily upon reading other people's thoughts about this. In a startup now, definitely going to make it, but it certainly isn't easy. Thanks!
Enjoyed the post Michael!
Just thinking about God’s timing in our lives. We always want Him to intervene “now”, but afterwards we always look back and it makes sense. All goes back to simply trusting that His timing is perfect!
Absolutely Mike!
There’s one thing I’ve learned: He knows what’s best. And when He finally does decide to raise someone up…the timing is impeccable.
Thank God for God!
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