Startup.

Sometimes there is confidence. Vision. Like it all makes sense. You feel like the path is clear and all that lies ahead are steps towards the goal. You can see each one clearly. Sure, there will be battles, obstacles. But you can see the way.

And other times…you wonder what the hell am I doing? How could I possibly do something different? Why don’t I just get a “job”? Why did I ever leave that other one? Is this idea even possible? Does it even make sense?

The worst moments are when people disappoint you. Whether it is folks you trust who stab you in the back or people you thought you could count on who don’t help.

But those lows are outweighed by the other moments. When someone new enters the picture at exactly the right moment with a helping hand. A positive word of encouragement. An actual supportive action. These angels guide you forward. Bring you back into the light.

And so the journey continues. There is Progress. Milestones hit. Objectives achieved. Steps taken towards the end goal. A journey traveled.

But it is never easy. And it only gets harder.

As things take off you stop being able to keep control. Balls drop. Things break. You forget to follow up. To do basic things.

But you keep moving. And somehow this is where success begins.

In the midst of the uncertain chaos of making progress somehow through hard work and hopefully dropping the right things. This is where you win. Small battles. Big victories.

And hopefully the decisions made pile up in the right direction. Relationships and people and resources and ideas. Hopefully they begin to coalesce into a thing. An existent entity. A “company.”

And maybe, you get to Start.