I know that the title of this article might sound a bit like a “hater,” but I’m really tired of seeing and hearing so-called “influencers” and business gurus on all my social media and digital platforms talking and motivating people to start their own businesses, selling a grand dream that could ultimately turn into smoke and vanish into thin air.

And yes, it sounds nice at first to see yourself as your own boss, but let’s be honest, entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. Jumping into your dream is a long-distance race and not everyone is wearing the same sneakers. Now, let me explain what I mean by this.

On the path of entrepreneurship, you will encounter numerous opportunities, but also obstacles. To start with, about half of the people who know you will think you’re crazy for leaving the stability of your job and the other half… also thinks so. It’s the more challenging half because they’re your family and friends and they’re probably going to give you a sermon on the 8,459 reasons why you shouldn’t start a business and the 4,567 possibilities of everything going wrong.

Then there’s the big issue: we’ve been programmed to be employees and climb the corporate ladder and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. When I was an employee, I always tried to step out of my comfort zone and learn as much as I could. I also got used to receiving my nice paycheck every fifteen days, which allowed me to organize my finances and enjoy life. But suddenly, it disappears. The biweekly paycheck transforms into bills from your first sales (if you’re a responsible entrepreneur who has all their legal and administrative affairs in order). As you know, invoice payments don’t always come at regular intervals and you depend on your clients’ cash flow, so you’ll have to learn to juggle and perform magic until your business stabilizes.

You’ll also discover that maybe your idea sounded great in your head, but in practice, it needs the development of a plan and an analysis of the feasibility to ensure you don’t get annihilated in the attempt. Not only will you be dedicated to a single area; you’ll have to learn the foundations of administrative, commercial and operational areas. You’ll start developing resilience to handle the day-to-day challenges. That’s why, when people ask me what’s most important when starting a business, my answer is always: mental health and emotional intelligence. Your mind can be your greatest ally or your most powerful enemy. Your mind can keep you standing or bring you down in the storm. So, dedicate some time and space to your stability, your being and connect with your purpose, which, by the way, should be bigger than money. Otherwise, when the money doesn’t materialize, you’ll want to throw in the towel. I know what I’m talking about.

During the process, you’ll also gradually realize that the places you used to visit no longer resonate with you, your activities and interests start to change and the people you used to hang out with no longer connect with you. You’ll feel a bit like a weirdo and somewhat lonely. Don’t worry; it’s temporary. It’s part of life inviting you to transform and expand. To do this, you’ll need to use your adaptability or develop it if you don’t have it.

Finally, I can liken my entrepreneurial journey to a roller coaster ride. At the beginning, you’re excited, then you’re afraid, there are ups and downs, at times, you feel like your heart is going to stop and you can’t stop thinking about when it will all be over. But halfway through, you start enjoying the adrenaline, the excitement, the screams, the energy and when you finally reach the starting point, you relax and smile – you did it!

So, if you thrive on strong emotions, uncertainty, easily adapt to change and have control over your mind, don’t think twice and go after that dream. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I greet you once again from my Libra existence and I’ll see you in the next edition😊.

Jess Rojas.