The Entrepreneur's Life

byHavenJames77

61 followers

2 years ago

My dream of becoming an entrepreneur began somewhere in my early twenties. I got a hold of a copy of "Rich Dad Poor Dad", and my outlook on making a living changed dramatically.

I've tried a hundred different things, and completely failed at most of them. It never even occurred to me to stop trying. I knew with everything in my heart, mind, and body that I would never achieve any sort of lasting happiness if I lived in the 9-5 rat race for my entire life.

Last year, some 20+ years into my journey to become an entrepreneur, my wife and I took a chance and purchased the small pub/tavern where she had worked for over a decade. They were forced to shut down during the height of Covid, and the owners were hesitant to reopen.

It had been a favorite watering hole for locals, and we knew people were clamoring for it to return. But it didn't. I knew that it was a rare opportunity, and was scared to death that they would sell to someone else.

It took me months to convince my wife to even let me reach out to the previous owners. She had all of the reservations you hear from family and friends who don't necessarily share in the entrepreneurial spirit. "They won't take us seriously", "We can't afford it", "What if it doesn't work and we fail"?

I listened to her worries, we talked through them, cashed in 401Ks, borrowed money from family and (after numerous hurdles), opened in February 2022. We were scared to death.

It has completely changed our lives. The support we've received from the community has been beyond what we could have ever imagined.

I don't say this as a brag, but to let you know that the struggle to get from the rat race to the entrepreneurial life is more than worth it. It's taken me 20+ years to finally grab the first rung on the ladder, but this has been the best year of my life.

I have, for the first time ever, the freedom that I have dreamed of. We are not rich, yet, but we have the flexibility in both time and money that simply doesn't exist in the rat race.

So keep going, no matter how many times you might flop, or burn out, just keep trying. The rewards are more than worth the effort, regardless of how long it may take for your dreams to start to take shape.

Cheers,

Haven