why it took me so long to start my coffee company

Fear.

I never felt that fear of failing was truly the answer and it wasn’t until earlier this year when I went back and watched some old AskGaryVee episodes did one of his answers really hit home with me. Gary mentioned that it is not necessarily the fear of failing but rather the fear of failing in front of _________. Fill in your blank.

I felt that since Pocket Change was my first go, I needed to make all my mistakes there. That my next at bat needed to be a success. That if it wasn’t maybe I wasn’t an entrepreneur. I believe that I am made to create and that one day I will do something with friends full time and be able to pay myself. Over these last two and a half years I have felt that it needed to be my next one because if it’s not then maybe the people around me will not allow me the oppourtunity to try again. That is the fear; that someone will not trust me enough to have another at bat, that I would have to settle and work to pay the bills. I am not trying to defer financial responsibility nor am I naive in thinking that I will never need to do something that I do not like. Of course that happens, but I hate when people say “you need to start somewhere”. I believe that can only make sense if what you are really saying is “It’s hard to figure out what you want to do, start somewhere and you will soon realize what you are meant to do.” I know what I love to do, what I am good at and I realize how blessed I am to be in that position. To me it is silly to submit to the logic that when you know what you want to do and are good at that you need to pay your dues before you can do that.

Ya I know it’s ironic for me to say this while working a job I hate, you’re probably saying the same thing I have been saying to myself “well then just do it already.” Something as important and rewarding as doing something you like everyday requires a tremendous amount of hard work and patience. My generation is incredibly entitled and I need to kill that in myself everyday, find good in the current and enjoy the process. So this coffee company is me trying to use my off time to build a business, to keep on the process towards my goal. To take another at bat with permission to fail. Permission from myself and the people around me to try and learn and grow, because it’s a process.

If this blog can do anything it is give you permission. Permission to try and fail. Try it out along side me and we can encourage each other though.