Recently, I did another podcast with Carm Capriotto of Remarkable Results Radio. This time, it was focused on entrepreneurship and my life’s lessons learned (listen here). One of the topics we discussed was what Ben Horowitz called The Struggle in “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” (https://a16z.com/2012/06/15/the-struggle/).

When I first read about The Struggle, it gave me chills because it was describing my life. “Life is struggle,” as Karl Marx stated, and business is also a struggle. Too many businesses fail in the first few years because the leader/owner/visionary is unprepared for the struggle that lies ahead.

I believe in shooting for the moon, and even if you miss, you hit the stars. Just realize what it takes to build a rocket ship that is capable of flight and leaving our atmosphere. It takes a lot of work, hard work, smart work, and endless work.

Don’t be blind and naive; be aware that a struggle is coming.

To quote the last few lines of The Struggle:
“Every great entrepreneur from Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg went through The Struggle and struggle they did, so you are not alone. But that does not mean that you will make it. You may not make it. That is why it is The Struggle.

The Struggle is where greatness comes from.”