There is no clear cut path to becoming a successful entrepreneur, which is why choosing to pursue being one is unnerving for a lot of people. If a successful startup is your goal then there are going to be problems that pop up and they will be direct barriers to your success, so your ability to think critically and problem solve efficiently will make or break you and your career. It's easy to give up when your goal is set so high, but I believe that I've found the best way to hold on to your will to keep going. I only started to make consistent progress in bettering myself as an entrepreneur once I found a friend who was willing to put in the work with me.
Trying to break into the startup world is an intimidating task, but having someone there with you takes an unbelievable amount of stress away. Problems don't seem so complex, failures don't seem so large, and goals feel infinitely closer. When the stress starts to overwhelm us on a project as problems pile up, we don't shut down, we figure out what we can do in the moment and get to work. When we hang out we naturally end up working in some way, doing something to improve upon our collective skill set or tossing around ideas until we find one we like. Once we started to working together, it was clear that we were on a track for success, so from then on we've been a two man team.
The vast majority of startups fail. That's a fact, and it makes it really easy to quit if you're only relying on yourself. If I had not had had my friend to keep me motivated I would have given up a long time ago. We've pulled each other out of slumps before and we trust each other to keep doing it for a long time. We both understand that failing is a part of the learning and creative processes so when we have a dying project we don't let it stop us from moving forward. It's scary to face failure in any case, but it is not so scary when you know you won't be alone.
Having a business partner who is also your friend is invaluable when you want to be in one of the most stressful professions there is. The line between your personal life and professional life may fade, but your potential to achieve greatness will significantly increase as a result of your devotion to your dreams. Ever since my friend and I started working together, we've gotten comfortable in unfamiliar situations, we're more confident when facing challenges, and we've never been more willing to take uncommon opportunities. We know that despite where those opportunities lead us, we will still have a best friend to turn to and a partner to work with.
