It's really nice to see entrepreneurs caring enough about other entrepreneurs failed endeavors to offer a helping hand. It's common for an entrepreneur to feel alone. We're a rare breed and sometimes hard to understand by others who have never experienced owning a business or building a startup.

I myself have started and owned 4 different businesses in the last 10 years, from the age of 18 to now being 28. Each lasting anywhere from 2-3 years, 2 of which I failed, the 3rd which I sold and the 4th which I still currently own.

Every failed endeavor was a pierce in the heart and a devastating experience. Every failed endeavor required some downtime in order to evaluate what went wrong and in order to rebuilding my confidence. Through it all I can now boast in my failures. They've refined my ego, they've turned reckless ambition into fine tuned ambition. I've learned more from my failures than I have learned from my successes.

I feel that I now carry a protective shield containing knowledge and experience which help me through not just my business endeavors but as well as my life endeavors. Our Ego's play a big role in how we feel/react when things go right or wrong. It's common that an entrepreneur wants to project success at all times, and there is nothing wrong with that, you should, but it's the way you project it that could be faulty. It's common to see entrepreneurs "fake it until they make it". I also see some entrepreneurs personalities made up of a mix of condescending demeanor's and know it all attitudes. You don't have to always be right. You should always be humble enough to accept critique, to constantly learn. Your happiness should be based on the fact that you are constantly learning and conducting, not how far away you are from a multi-million dollar exit or your companies profitability. Don't get me wrong, that is the main purpose of your companies existence, but it shouldn't be yours. Obviously a company is in the business of making money and should conduct its decision making based on those goals but the best businesses/products/services created are from those who are genuinely interested in what they're building. Money cannot buy passion, but passion can buy money.

Don't let anger be the motive. You're not out to prove others wrong, you're not up against the world. It's easy for entrepreneurs to end up with a chip on their shoulder as being an entrepreneur is being a part of a rare breed that is not always understood well by others. The more you share your ideas with individuals who don't understand business, the more you open doors to the non-believers, who then are perceived as "haters". This all ends up being a waste of time and energy. The less refined your ego is, the more devastating the hit will be. Stay humble, stay modest and work like no other. Your work should come effortlessly. Office hours should feel like gaming hours. It's fun...all of it. The obstacles, the profits, the challenges, the levels...it's all a game. If your time spent doesn't feel anything close to that then perhaps you should reevaluate what it is that you're doing and why. Being an entrepreneur is a lifestyle, if it's not your style, then it's not your style. Regardless of the potential money made you'll never be happy if it's a life you're not interested in living and happiness should be the ultimate goal above all else.

-Paul Hanna