"Running a Start-Up is Like Chewing Glass and Staring into the Abyss"

Many of you have probably heard this quote from the legend himself, Elon Musk. I couldn't agree more - running/building a company is one of the hardest things on earth (and beyond 😉 )!

“Running a start-up is like chewing glass and staring into the abyss. After a while, you stop staring, but the glass chewing never ends”. -Elon Musk

Many people don't know this about Elon, but his first big, successful venture was called Zip2 and it was one of the first online directories (imagine Yelp meets Google Maps).

While working/founding Zip2, Elon mainly focused on coding while he allowed outside investors/businessmen take over the business operations of the company. There were a lot of scuffles and in-house issues. Elon vyed for the CEO position, but was denied by the board.

Elon is said to have a very intense personality - a trait that is pretty much required when your job description is building rocket ships, electric cars, and solar roofs. Adopting an intense personality is necessary when you're operating any business. You have to be intense, you have to have an "all-in" mentality.

I'm a businessman first, writer second. Everything I do, I approach with the an all-or-nothing mindset. I don't do things halfway. I've had people who've wanted to work with me and co-found projects, but if I sense that they don't have this all-in mindset, I tell them that I'm not interested and get back to some real projects with people who I know will go the distance no matter what happens.

Whatever ventures you decide to tackle in life, whether it be starting a business or creating content on this amazing platform, I implore you to take the leap. Go all-in and take the approach that it's going to work no matter what happens. Life will inevitably throw a multitude of issues your way, but you just have to push past them and keep laser-focused on your goals.

If you're going to chew glass and stare into the abyss, enjoy what you do. Find people who are as excited and as committed as you are to the project. Don't let people tell you that it won't work. Musk was told countless times that his companies' were destined to fail. He ignored the haters and continued to work until his vision became his reality.

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Thanks for reading! Here's the Question of The Day, don't forget to post your answers in the comments!

QOTD: What is the biggest hurdle you've had to overcome in business or in life? What did you do to overcome it?

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-Khaleel