So, you believe you're built for the rigorous journey of entrepreneurship?

I became an entrepreneur as a real estate agent back in 2004. Since then, I’ve dipped my feet into a few other ventures—web design sales, affiliate marketing, and even fashion magazine publishing. And while I’ve tasted success in each of those, let me be brutally honest with you: none of it came easy. Real estate sales were my greatest challenge!

Like many new entrepreneurs, I had a vision in mind that was very clear and optimistic. I thought being my own boss would mean more money, more time, and fewer headaches. But what I didn’t expect was how tough things could get—especially when that direct deposit doesn't show up every week like it does with a regular 9-to-5. You can slack off at a regular 9-to-5 and that direct deposit will still reach your checking account every week. Try slacking off as an entrepreneur and watch how you’ll generate zero dollars weekly.

The most difficult part of my journey? Inconsistent cash flow in the beginning. And unless you're lucky, you'll likely face the same challenge in the very beginning. As an entrepreneur, your income will fluctuate. It’s so frustrating that it builds stress. One month you’re up, the next you’re eating ramen noodles and dodging bills. Managing your finances with unpredictable revenue is stressful. It takes discipline, patience, and contingency planning.

This blog wasn’t written to discourage you. Far from it. But while social media loves to flaunt the pros of entrepreneurship—exotic vacations, laptops on the beach, stacks of cash, and freedom—those images are dangerously misleading. This blog will be your reality check. Because behind every glamorized "boss babe" or self-made millionaire post, there’s a story of exhaustion, failure, and sacrifice. Oh…and silent battles - I’ve smiled in the faces of many people while I was struggling.

Why Do People Start Businesses Anyway?

Many people start their business out of frustration—fed up with their jobs, their bosses, or their stagnant salaries. Maybe you're tired of being undervalued or living paycheck to paycheck. And those are valid reasons to want something more.

But let’s get into what it really takes to build a business and monetize your ideas.

MET: Money. Energy. Time.

The three currencies of entrepreneurship.

Most business start-ups don’t become consistently profitable not because the ideas are bad—but because the founder runs out of time, money, and energy.

Let me paint the picture: You work a 9-to-5. You also have a robust passion to become a business owner. You spend the day surrounded by co-workers who you don’t particularly like, and they drain your spirit like emotional vampires. You’ve promised yourself you'll work on your business after dinner. You're serious this time. But after a long commute back home, a warm shower, and a belly full of food—you collapse on the couch to relax. The itis kicks in to destroy your plan to work on your business, and Netflix is calling your name. The comfort is intoxicating. You say, “Just one episode,” and by the time it ends, it’s past 8 p.m. You remember you have to wake up early. So you scroll through your phone, promising yourself you'll get to your business idea tomorrow. Tomorrow becomes next week. Next week becomes next month. Sound familiar? Fatigue and survival mode become your default settings. You can’t just quit your job to focus on your business idea because you need that paycheck to survive. Rent, car note, groceries, Wi-Fi—you name it. So what do you do when you have no time and energy?

You Use Your Third Currency: Money.

If you don’t have the time or energy, you must invest money. Hire freelancers. Use independent contractors. Pay experts to bring your ideas to life. Outsourcing isn’t lazy—it’s strategic. You're building a business, not trying to be a one-person superhero.

When you're just starting a business, investing money in the right digital tools is just as important as your product or service. You’ll need a professional website to establish credibility, email automation to stay in touch with leads, search engine optimization (SEO) to help people find you on Google, and a sales funnel to guide visitors into becoming paying customers. Don’t forget a solid landing page for promotions and a newsletter to keep your audience engaged. Thankfully, you don’t need to break the bank to get all this done. Tools like Systeme.io offer an all-in-one platform that includes websites, funnels, email marketing, and automation—all under one roof, and it's beginner-friendly. Go High Level is another powerful platform built for serious entrepreneurs looking to scale with features like CRM, automation, and lead tracking. If you’re looking for AI web designs, social media content, marketing content and community to guide your online business journey, ChillWeGotThis.com is a great place to start. These services are kind to your budget but strong enough to help you grow. Bottom line: using smart tools from day one gives you the edge you need to build a brand that lasts.

Now let’s talk about something most new entrepreneurs overlook: Paid Advertising. Here’s a simple challenge—invest just $10 a day to advertise your product or service on Instagram, and watch how your business transforms. I know what you’re thinking: “But I don’t have $10 a day to spend on ads!” Well, if you truly believe in your brand, you better borrow it. Yes, I said it—ask a friend, skip two overpriced lattes, don’t order UberEats three times per week, cancel that random subscription you forgot you had—find the $10. That’s $70 for a full week of exposure, and there’s a strong possibility you’ll land a sale within the first five days. If your product sells for $100 and your profit margin is $30, guess what? Your ad spend just paid for itself—and you’ve got a customer. Reinvest that $100 into 10 more days of advertising. Maybe this time, you land three more sales. Now you’re holding $300 and momentum. The secret? The more eyeballs on your product, the more sales you’ll make. Simple math.

Organic marketing + Paid marketing = Growth. Do both. But don’t skip ads. Most entrepreneurs fail not because they lacked talent—but because they refused to spend money promoting what they worked so hard to build. The company that wins is always the one that invests the most in visibility. If they don’t see you, they can’t buy from you. Period.

Discipline or Delusion?

Here’s the truth no one wants to hear: A lack of discipline is often the root cause of stagnation. Procrastination disguises itself as perfectionism or fatigue, but really—it’s fear, lack of structure, and poor self-management.

If you're not willing to make sacrifices, your projects simply won’t get done.

Sacrifices may mean less sleep, fewer brunches, fewer impulse buys, or weekends dedicated to work instead of leisure. You can’t build a six-figure business with $0 in investment and 0 work hours a week. It doesn't work like that.

The Final Truth: You can build the greatest product in the world, but if no one knows about it, you're invisible. Marketing isn’t optional. It's a requirement. It’s the boring things that most entrepreneurs don’t want to do. Whether you're spending money on social ads or spending time posting daily, engaging your audience, sending emails, or showing up on YouTube, TikTok, or LinkedIn—visibility is your responsibility.