Entrepreneurship – Joys & Sorrows

Do you wonder what it takes to be an entrepreneur, to run your own business, to be your own boss?

Do you wonder if you have what it takes?

I sure did.

I started my first business in 1997, providing software engineering services, an area where I had some considerable expertise. It was an utter failure.

My second business came in 1999. I provided copywriting services, an area where I had next to no practical experience. It failed even worse than the first.

It took another two attempts before I could call myself a successful entrepreneur. We started Trident Technologies in 2006. In 2015, we ranked #68 on the Inc. 5000 list and were the fastest-growing company in the state of Alabama. Trident almost failed as well, but that’s another story.

What changed?

There was no Magic Bullet, there was no secret sauce, there wasn’t a single thing that carried us from laying off almost the entire company following the 2008 financial collapse to a place on the Inc. 5000 list. That particular success was the culmination of many efforts by many people.

With these posts on Entrepreneurship, I hope to share some of what I’ve learned, to answer questions that have been asked or will be asked, and talk about the joys and sorrows of being your own boss.