I rarely talk about this kind of stuff, as it seems personal.
But I think you should know the truth…
The UGLY truth about being an #entrepreneur
…. When you go against the social norms and stay true to yourself.
“Are you really making 6-figures? Or you’re just bluffing?”
My dad-in-law blurted out suddenly while driving us back home.
I can’t believe my ears.
Rationally, I know why he said that.
He has read about our story on this blog. We share our entrepreneurial journey, and how we built our own publishing business on Amazon.
Everyone who knows us knows that we’re in the business of book publishing.
But most of them have little clues of what we’re actually doing.
And we don’t bother explaining.
Last week, during the Chinese New Year reunion dinner, my aunt asked, “So you’re still staying with your in-laws?”
Some of my cousins have just bought new cars and moved into new houses.
And we’re still staying with our parents.
No car. No house. No kids. Nothing.
They can afford a car and house while working 9-to-5. We own nothing and yet we said we’re running a publishing business?
I got that.
This makes no sense.
What is not being said is that … we are insane and perhaps lying about our success.
Virtual Business
The thing is:
It’s not 1980 anymore!
You don’t need to go out and get a 9 to 5 job in an office, with a horrible 2-hour commute every day.
You don’t need money to start a business.
You don’t need to have a physical shop to start selling products or services.
For many, when you’re talking about business. The first thing they’d think about is a traditional brick and mortar business. Coming from a conservative Asian background, I find this especially true.
For many, they underestimate the power of Internet, just as many who are laughing at the idea of Bitcoin.
Because a virtual business is something different.
It doesn’t have a physical store where people can visit.
It doesn’t have any tangible products where people can touch.
If you don’t understand the business model, you won’t believe it’s possible to make money online. It’s as simple as that.
And I don’t blame them.
Neither do I have time to convince them, nor trying to impress them.
Unfortunate definition of success in society
I, once was feeling doubtful about the path in my life.
I felt as if I have been somewhat swamped in the competition of life.
Our society has equated the ideal image of success with abundance of wealth, fame and material possessions.
As you make more money, you will increase your spending (usually on cars and housing). Believing that the additional goods or services will make you happier.
Because of this excessive lifestyle inflation, it explains why over 95% of people today stuck in the “rat race”.
And now, people who are trapped in the rat race, trudging through the daily grind of their workday, are trying to judge you by their standard of success – the size of your house, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, where you go on holiday, etc.
How I wish I were surrounded by groups of creative thinkers, entrepreneurs, dreamers who aren’t just living on the superficial surface of life, but really go deep and touch what’s important, touch what really empowers them and others.
But at the same time, I’m so grateful to have them. To have friends and families who will constantly criticize our choices, doubt our ability to succeed and question our decisions.
As the diamond cannot be polished without friction and so neither a person without hardships.
Friction is uncomfortable (nobody likes it), but it’s necessary. Our struggles, hardships and adversity will ultimately light a fire, sharpen our senses, revives our will to flourish and eventually make us better.
Getting out of the rat race
It never ceases to amaze me that we’re actually making a living off of words online.
Building a sustainable business and putting money to work allow us to escape the rat race.
Equally important, we choose to live below our means.
Instead of enriching ourselves and upgrading our lifestyles instantly, we choose to reinvest profits in the business.
We set our own schedule, work whenever, wherever we want.
Sadly, what most people fail to realize is that you can retire when your passive income exceeds burn rate, or when you can make a living doing what you love.
As we maneuver through the labyrinth of life, material stuff has begun to hold no value compared to the most valuable gift of all…quality time.
To fill our time, we spend on experiences and skimp on things.
And we value freedom above anything else.
But it’s never easy.
Evolution has wired us to seek and prioritize instant gratification. As you accumulate money, you’ll also have a strong tendency to spend more.
It usually requires spending and taking on debt today.
Are you willing to sacrifice short-term rewards for long-term payoffs?
Well, it’s not that we can’t afford expensive cars, houses and luxury brand clothing. We chose not to have them because we’re busy growing our bamboo tree, which brings to my next point.
Success is Like a Chinese Bamboo Tree
And we are growing a remarkable tree called Chinese Bamboo tree.
If you’re aiming for long-term success, you should plant a Chinese Bamboo Tree from day 1 too.
Why?
Unlike most trees which will grow steadily over a period of years, the Chinese Bamboo Tree will lie dormant for the first four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth.
You plant the seed in fertile soil, let the sunshine on it and regularly water it.
In its first year, you can’t see any visible signs of growth.
In the second year, the tree still doesn’t break through the ground.
In the third year, again, nothing happens.
The fourth, still nothing.
How do you keep nurturing the growth when you aren’t seeing any results for years?
You may start wondering whether your constant care and efforts will ever be rewarded?
Finally, in the fifth year, miracles happen.
Suddenly, the tree begins to grow at an astonishing rate.
In just 5-6 weeks, your Chinese Bamboo Tree grows 80 feet tall!
That’s where your patience, perseverance, dedication, hard work, delay gratification finally paid off.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. A baby isn’t fully formed until 33 weeks of pregnancy.
While some people may mistake the first four years as a resting place, there’s no resting going on under the soil! On the contrary, there’s a lot of activities going on underground- establishing strong root systems to support its growth.
Our Chinese Bamboo Tree is 10-year-old now.
It’s fully matured.
It has a strong foundation that’s ready to support its outward growth to reach the sky, dance with destructive storms gracefully (in times of storm) and ultimately sustain its life up to 120 years.
That’s the kind of tree we’re growing.
Not a tomato tree where you can quickly reap the fruits in just 40-50 days after sowing.
If you plant a tomato tree, you get to enjoy immediate results that will only last till 6months.
Probably, you’ll have fruits that’s more than enough to feed for yourself and you start sharing them with your peers. Upon tasting your fruits, they will compliment your “success”. You gain validation, reassurance and reinforcement. You feel good but unknowingly, you’re falling into the loop.
Remember, a tomato tree can only live for 6 months.
Then, you have to start all over again. These are the people who live from paycheck to paycheck, jumping from job to job but still getting nowhere.
When they see their next-door neighbors having success with other trees, they will simply give up on their dream for a “sure thing”.
Are you willing to continue putting efforts and believe in what you’re doing even when you can’t see any immediate result?
In a culture driven by short-term gratification – this is our biggest challenge.
We live in the world of quick fix, where our desires need to be fulfilled in an instant.
But great work requires persistent effort for a long time.
Keep watering and nurturing your dream. It may take weeks, months, or even years. But eventually, it will soon come to fruition, just like the Bamboo Tree.
- Work on building a strong foundation
- Reinvest money in your business
- Live below your means
Once you have a clear goal or idea of what you really want to do in life/business, you can focus on pursuing your dream and confidently ignore social pressure, ideas and judgment that aren’t contributing to your success.
When the storm hits, you’ll dance with it joyfully.
Like a Chinese Bamboo Tree…
Be strongly rooted: focus on developing strong foundation.
Be flexible: No matter how strong the wind blows, always sway without compromise.
Be patient: Trust the process, everything will fall into place.
Read More:
- Seven Things I Learned from Publishing on Amazon
- 6 Things I Learned from Quitting My Job to Work for Myself
- How to Work as Hard as Elon Musk in a World of Lazy Dreamers
- How Einstein Inspires the pursuit of my Dreams
- The 100 Rules for Being A Maverick in Life & Business
- Top 10 Inspirational Bhagavad Gita Quotes for Entrepreneurs