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Becoming a business leader seems like a glamorous pursuit. In our modern, materialistic society, it is the ultimate symbol of success. Becoming a billionaire and commanding the lives of thousands of people means that you’ve made it. You can consume whatever you want.
But the reality of embarking on the entrepreneurial path is different from what people imagine. The problem is that most observers only see the results. They don’t see all the toil, heartache, and struggle that it took to get there.
There’s a famous idea in the “success” world, and it goes something like this: your success is proportional to the pain you are willing to endure. Almost nobody makes it to the highest heights of business without suffering dreadfully to get there, often for many years. Nothing in life is free. The universe doesn’t seem to allow it. You either have to pay the piper today and push as hard as you can, or pay tomorrow in the form of a lackluster lifestyle and zero personal development.
In this post, we take a look at some of the things that they don’t tell you about becoming a business leader and running a company.
It Can Be A Lonely Journey
Leaders are often isolated people. Unlike the rank and file, they have to remain above office politics and the day-to-day, focusing more on long-term strategy. They also have nobody they can lean on to get certain jobs done. They have to take the initiative themselves.
Further to this, most entrepreneurs start out completely alone. Rather than having swanky rented offices in the middle of a trendy city, most are by themselves, often in basements, working at their computers for ten to twelve hours per day.
You Have To Have Perfect Self-Motivatio
When it comes to entrepreneurship, nobody is going to do it for you. It’s a path that you have to walk yourself. You don’t have a choice.
There’s just one problem with this: it’s an incredibly difficult road. Most people need some sort of external motivation, like a boss, to keep them going through the tough times. Without that, they crumble, fail to put the effort in, and wind up not making any money.
Your Confidence Can Take A Hit When You Fail
While many publications try to celebrate failure, for most entrepreneurs, it’s a disaster. They don’t have the luxury of mountains of VC funding to paper over their errors. The wrong decision can be fatal.
These events can have severe psychological consequences. Lack of confidence means that many business leaders give up in the early stages without ever trying to figure out what’s possible.
Success Comes To Those Who Market
As industry professionals, such as Joey Armstrong point out, real success only comes to those who market. You could have the best idea in the world, but if nobody knows about it, it won’t be successful.
You’ll Have To Pay A Price
Nobody can have it all in life. There’s always a price to pay. When you run a successful business, you’ll have to give up something, be it your health, a relationship, or your weekends.
