Guest Blogger: Max Borders, Voice & Exit

Everybody’s quick to honor our teachers, support the troops, or tip their hats to firefighters.

Fair enough. These can be challenging and sometimes dangerous jobs; these men and women undoubtedly deserve our admiration and gratitude.

But it’s time to honor the courage of a different kind of public servant: those who fearlessly risk their time and money to move civilization forward. Those who tirelessly work 80 hour weeks with little to no pay, yet do not receive standing ovations or ticker tape parades when their mission is complete.

It’s time to salute our forgotten public servant: the entrepreneur.

Let’s start with the brutal reality: 80 percent of U.S. entrepreneurs will fail.

That means 8 out of the 10 people who are trying to figure out a way to offer you some product, service, or experience will crash and burn trying. Emotionally, spiritually, and often financially.

Yes, they are trying to make a profit — but ask any startup founder the real reason why they launched their company…it’s certainly not money. There are much easier, less stressful, and more financially conservative ways to make a living than starting a business. Money is not the only motive.

It can be exhausting, frustrating, and emotionally deflating — and that’s before any indication of being able to call your business a success or failure.

Entrepreneurship is hard. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things you can do. Now, it’s hard to imagine honoring the Gateses, Thiels, and Buffets of the world. After all, most of us honor them enough with our “certificates of performance” (cha-ching). But those guys are just the most visible, most successful entrepreneurs. [Read more…]