I read a lot about startups. Blogs, books, magazines, pretty much anything I can get my hands on. A lot of people talk about "the roller coaster ride" of starting a company, which seems like a great analogy until you actually do it.
Sure, there are lots of ups and downs. There's definitely excitement. Certainly an admission fee must be paid. Sounds just like a roller coaster, right? If this were the case then any adrenaline junkie with the cost of the ticket in his pocket would jump right in.
Here's the problem: the "lows" aren't the dips in the ride. The dips in the ride are simply part of the excitement -- they're fun, they add to the experience. The real lows are the wait in line between rides. You need to not only crave the ride, you have to be able to stick it out to get on in the first place.
Most of what I read hints at the wait in line, but no one ever seems to capture it fully, probably because by the time they write about their experience they've forgotten just how bad the line can be. So, here's my addition to the analogy to try to give you an idea of how low the lows can go: Sometimes while waiting in line, you'll be set on fire. That's right, actually engulfed in flames. The rules are simple: if you wait it out and make it to the front of the line, all of the physical damage will disappear and you get to ride. If you step out of line, the flames go out, but the damage remains. You are informed of this rule not at the beginning of your wait, but right about the time you can see the boarding area. You will have just enough time to say, "You must be fuh" before the match is struck and the heat is on.
There are two questions, then: Do you ever even consider getting on the ride? After having not only shuffled along in line but having done so while on fire, do you get back in line to ride again? If the answer to either of these is no, then you're probably best off just grabbing a funnel cake and watching the show.
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